dotLRN 1.0 User and Administrator Handbook
(adapted from documentation developed for MIT Sloan School of Management)
November 2002
Introduction 4
Overview For New Users: System Description 4
Requirements 5
Browser Recommendations 5
Cookies/Security 5
Secure Login 6
To Login/Register and create an account (Summary of Steps) 6
Introduction and Explanation of the Personal Portal 8
The Continuation of the Tour – For the Brave of Heart or Panic-Stricken 8
Navigating around the system 8
Finding your way around 8
How do others find me? 8
Personal Portal 9
Joining/Dropping Groups: 9
News portlet 9
Forums portlet 9
Survey Portlet 9
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) Portlet 10
Calendar 10
To add a personal event 10
Repeating Events 10
Editing Events 10
To change event information 10
To Add an Attachment to an event 11
To delete an event 11
To add an Event to Outlook 11
My Files 11
To create a folder 11
To upload a file to personal file storage 12
To edit/delete a folder 12
To edit/delete a file 12
To upload a new version 12
To access any user’s Shared Files 12
The User Control Panel page 13
Editing your Notifications from Forums, Homework comments and Survey (admins only) 13
Explanation of Group Portals and Group Management 13
Requesting a new class 14
Class shell 14
Copying a class for reuse 15
Requesting a new community 15
Establishing a DotLRN account 15
To register: 15
Assigning and transferring administrative privileges in communities 15
To add/remove administrators: 16
Deciding on an Enrollment Policy 16
To set/change the Enrollment Policy: 16
Managing Members 16
To create a Limited Access user or Limited Access guest account: 17
Subgroups 17
Customizing Portal Layout 18
Editing Group Properties 18
Content Delivery and Management 18
The Syllabus 19
Portlets associated with Documents (for classes only) 19
Custom Portlets 19
To create a new Custom Portlet: 19
To edit an existing custom portlet: 19
Communicating with Members 20
To send a Bulk Mail: 20
To post a News item: 20
To create an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions): 20
Homework Assignment Submission Portlet 21
To upload a Comments file: 21
To make comments directly on a student’s file: 21
Communication Between Members: Forums 22
To create a Forum: 22
To edit/remove a posting: 22
To turn off forum notifications: 22
Forum Alerts 22
To disable a forum: 23
To edit posts to a forum: 23
Gathering Information from Members: Survey Module 23
Research Paper Module 23
Conclusion 23
Introduction
This Handbook is divided into three sections: an Overview for New Users: System Description, an Introduction and Explanation of the Personal Portal and an Explanation of Group Portals and Group Management. These three sections are also downloadable as separate documents. For an overview of system features and functionality, read the User, Features and Portal Use Cases document (in development).
Overview For New Users: System Description
Hello! I know that there are many of you out there who sincerely believe that software and computers and technology are some kind of mystical magical hoodoo that only a select few people with no social skills and even less fashion sense can understand. Well, that’s not true. At least, that’s not entirely true. Most of you have mastered other electronic equipment and use it every day: remote controls, VCRs, camcorders, cell phones, remote car alarms, fancy microwaves, children’s toys with no moving parts, and so on. Okay, okay, so you haven’t mastered these things. Well, then, I can’t help you, so you might as well give up and go live in a cave.
Still here? Good. To start, I will assume that you are reading this Handbook for two possible reasons: 1) you want to understand what dotLRN is; 2) you have the responsibility for managing a class or community site in dotLRN. Right now, you are thinking, why me?
I bet you’re wondering how I knew all that. Because I am the Handbook for Administrators and I know that you are thinking of dotLRN as some impenetrable fortress designed to lower your self-esteem and frustrate you. I also know that you wouldn’t be reading me unless you had to.
Next, let’s assume this: I am going to try to make this responsibility of yours - to be a user or an administrator - as pain free as possible. Really, I am. I really do not want to make this technology stuff difficult. In fact, I am going to try to make this as easy as possible. Did you see the movie Philadelphia? Remember that Denzel Washington’s character kept saying to Tom Hanks’: “Explain it to me like I am six years old.” Guess what. I’m Tom Hanks and you’re Denzel Washington. Please don’t be offended, but that is my goal here, so bear with me. I know I can explain this to you so that it makes sense and I know you can understand it, even if you have never used a system like this before. You’ll just have to trust me. Besides, this is MIT, right? You all are the smartest people in the world. That’s why I know we can do this.
All that said, let’s start at the beginning. Before you learn how to be a group administrator, you need to know how to be a regular user first. The first thing to understand is the shape of dotLRN. By shape, I don’t mean literal, physical shape. I mean virtual shape. Picture an opaque bubble floating around near other opaque and transparent bubbles. The opaque bubbles are places like Yahoo groups, AmericaOnline, Fidelity online and dotLRN. The transparent bubbles are silly fools with boundary issues, so let’s ignore them.
The dotLRN bubble has one visible door. The door is locked and has a numeric entry pad. Only people who know the super secret code can get in. Knocking on the door will not help; the cranky gatekeeper will only tell you to go away or go around to the back door. The front door is the login page, which is at http://your_server.your_institution.xxx. The back door is the approval process for certain people, Limited Access users and Guests, about which I will discuss more later.
If you know the code, you can open the door. The code to DotLRN is your assigned or chosen login name and password. After you enter the correct information (submit your login), the door opens. If you enter a name and password that the system does not recognize, the cranky gatekeeper, also known as the site wide administrator, will tell you to identify yourself or go away. (Again, more about that later).
Okay, that’s the mental, virtual shape of DotLRN. In technical terms, it is called an “intranet,” which means that all its members need to have a unique login to enter the space.
Before you login, I need to explain some technical requirements. The first is that you should be using the most recent version of Internet Explorer or Netscape because those are the most compatible with our graphics. The second is that you must have cookies enabled in order to login.
To be more specific:
Requirements
Browser Recommendations
Netscape 4.78 and Netscape 6.0 are the recommended browsers. dotLRN supports Netscape 4.x and Internet Explorer 4.0 and higher.
Cookies/Security
Because dotLRN is personalized for each user, cookies must be enabled in order to access the system.
To enable cookies in Netscape:
· Open the browser.
· Select “Preferences” from the Edit menu.
· Click on “Advanced” (left hand side) to open the Advanced menu.
· Under “Cookies” (on the right), select the radio button to “Accept all cookies.”
· Click “OK” and return to the browser window.
To enable cookies in Internet Explorer:
· Open the browser.
· Select “Internet Options” from the Tools menu.
· Click on the Security tab.
· Select the “Internet” icon in the web content zone section.
· Click the “Custom Level” button.
· Scroll the list of settings down to Cookies.
· Select “enabled” for both settings.
· Click “OK” and return to the Internet Explorer browser window.
To Login/Register and create an account (Summary of Steps)
· Go to http://your_server.your_institution.xxx.
· Enter your email address and password.
· Click Submit.
· If you do not already have an account on the system, you will be directed to a Registration page after submitting your name and password. You will need to confirm the chosen password and enter your full name. Optionally, you can also enter a URL for a personal web page. Once the Registration is submitted (by clicking “Register” at the bottom of the page), you will need to wait for approval from the Site Wide Administrator. Once you are notified of your approval, you can return to the login page and login for the first time.
· You will next see a “Security Information” dialog or a “Security Alert” dialog, depending on whether you are using Netscape or Internet Explorer. You are being redirected from the login page (unsecure) to pass your encrypted password (secure) and then back to dotLRN (unsecure). Either way, click “yes” or “continue” to continue.
· After logging in, you enter your personal portal pages.
· Note: Each time you login to dotLRN, you must type in your full email address and password. The system is not designed to remember passwords.
Once you enter the door using your email address and password, what happens? We have designed the system to make you feel at home each time you come in, so logging in is similar to sitting at your desk/office or entering your house. It’s your space, and everything can be arranged the way you want it to be, and unlike your desk, no one can come in and move your stuff around. The first page you see after logging in is called MySpace; it’s your Home page in the system. You will see your name in the banner at the top of the page.
Before we continue, I have to explain another term: “portal.” dotLRN is a portal-based system, which means that once a user enters the main door, (the personal portal), there are other doors each user can see and enter (the classes and communities), depending on whether or not the user is allowed access. dotLRN is a closed system, an intranet designed for members only. You can think of each portal area – user, class, community and subgroup - as the rooms at your institution – classrooms, conference rooms, offices, bathrooms, computer labs, etc. Some rooms are open to everyone all the time; and some are locked or alarmed so that only certain people can gain access.
Just as every room at your institution – classrooms, conference rooms, offices, bathrooms, computer labs, etc. – has a specific purpose, every file cabinet and drawer holds particular things for specific people. Similarly, in dotLRN, every portal area (room) also has its own purpose and function, and every portal page contains mini-portals called “portlets” which display specific information. These portlets are the file cabinets and drawers and bulletin boards and sticky notes of dotLRN. For example, your personal space has four pages: MySpace, Calendar, My Files and Control Panel. The default portlets on the MySpace page are: Groups, Research Links, News, Frequently Asked Questions, Day Summary, and Forums. Every portlet is connected to particular “stuff” in the database. This ability to keep track of every user’s “stuff” is what allows dotLRN to be personalized.
In order to explain how the system is personalized for all users, I need to briefly explain how we store information. dotLRN is built on top of a relational database. Everything added to one of your groups or your personal calendar and file storage – a file, a calendar event, a forum message, a survey, etc. – becomes part of the database and is labeled as a unique “object” belonging to you or the group that created it. Everyone has and needs places to put their stuff and we all try to stay as organized as possible. The dotLRN database is actually very well organized, which is why the system knows who you are, what groups you belong to, and it remembers how you left things when you were last here.
For example, someone in a group uploads a new file to File Storage. You are a member of that group, so that file is now a part of the files you can access through your My Files page. The same thing happens when there is a new calendar event added: it becomes part of the events listed on your Calendar page. A new News item will be listed in the News portlet on your MySpace page, and so on. We consider the system personalized because we deliver everything to your desk/office and you never have to leave it to get something.
Pop Quiz 1: If someone asks you what dotLRN is, what will you tell them?
Answer: It’s a portal-based intranet with personalized content for classes and communities.
At this point, you might be thinking, Okay, fine, this is all well and good. I can log in and look around, but what am I supposed to be doing when I am in here? It’s time to talk a little more about groups and the purpose of dotLRN.
The goal of dotLRN is to give every user, class, student group, research center, program office, etc., a virtual, online presence that can complement the real-time office or class or research or club environment. dotLRN does not and cannot replace or mirror what you do every day at your institution, but it can extend the boundaries and opportunities for doing that work. For example, students can access class materials at any time through dotLRN, rather than waiting or relying on the professor or TA to physically hand them the materials. Conversely, the professor or the TA can save time by posting materials to dotLRN rather than creating and handing out hard copies. Also, a program office can distribute important documents to students through dotLRN using file storage and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), saving them time and money on mailings and phone calls. On a larger scale,d DotLRN can be used to discuss issues through its bulletin boards, so that people can contribute at any time instead of relying solely on face-to-face contact. Or, it can make sharing and collaborating on documents much easier using file storage and its version control feature.