eFront Quick Guide - IAS group

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eFront | Quick Guide. 2. EPIGNOSIS LTD. 44, Katehaki, Athens, Greece, 11525 &. Patras Science Park, Stadiou Str, Platani, Patras, Greece, 265 04.
eFront

eFront™ Quick Guide

EPIGNOSIS LTD 44, Katehaki, Athens, Greece, 11525 & Patras Science Park, Stadiou Str, Platani, Patras, Greece, 265 04 email: [email protected], [email protected] phone: (+30) 210 6756008, (+30) 210 6756112 Fax: (+30) 210 6756527

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CONTENTS CONTENTS ............................................................................. 3  1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 4  2. E-FRONT QUICK GUIDE ........................................................ 5  2.1 INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ........................................................ 5  2.2 STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL .............................................................. 7  2.2.1 Overview ................................................................................... 7  2.2.2 Create a new lesson .................................................................... 7  2.2.3 Enroll Users ................................................................................ 8  2.2.4 Describe the lesson ..................................................................... 8  2.2.5 Create the lesson’s structure ......................................................... 9  2.2.6 Create tests .............................................................................. 10  2.2.7 Activate Components ................................................................. 11  2.2.8 Create rules.............................................................................. 12  2.2.9 Track user’s progress ................................................................. 13  2.2.10 Register As a Student ............................................................... 17  2.2.11 Complete chapters ................................................................... 19  2.2.12 Communicate .......................................................................... 21 

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1. INTRODUCTION eFront™ is an easy to use, visually attractive, SCORM compatible, eLearning and Human Capital Management platform. •

Easy to use: eFront™ was build from the scratch with the end user in mind. You will find it rather natural to get used to its interface where most options are self-explanatory.



Visually attractive: We didn't want to build another eLearning tool. We aim at building the most beautiful eLearning tool.



Technologically advanced: eFront™ is an Ajax enabled, Unicode, LDAP and SCORM supporting, multilingual eLearning platform.



Pedagogical concepts: Integrated to eFront™ are sound pedagogical concepts that guide users and keep them motivated.



Complete: eFront™ includes a wide variety of components that help you create your lesson structure and add content, build online-tests, communicate with others, track users history and progress, conduct surveys, assign projects, and create certifications.

Image 1: How it looks like? Here is the main administrator page

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2. E-FRONT QUICK GUIDE 2.1 INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Windows installation 1. Decompress eFront™ files to a system folder, for example C:\eFront. This way, the structure below should be created: C:\eFront\www C:\eFront\libraries C:\eFront\backups C:\eFront\upload C:\eFront\modules 2.

Download XAMPP software from the internet : (latest URL at this moment http://www.apachefriends.org/download.php?xampp-win32-1.6.2installer.exe)

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Run the downloaded XAMPP file, to install it: a. At the introductory screen, press "Next" b. Select the installation folder (you may leave the default proposed) c. At the third step, "XAMPP Options", at the "SERVICE SECTION" we select "Install Apache as service" and "Install MySQL as service" d. Click on "Install" and then "Finish" to complete XAMPP installation e. If a firewall is installed to the system, it may ask whether to allow Apache to access the internet. It must be permitted to access the Internet and accept connections through it. f. Finally, we start the XAMPP control panel

4. Using a text editor, open the file c:\xampp\apache\conf\httpd.conf for editing 5.

Change the line where it says DocumentRoot "C:/xampp/htdocs" to DocumentRoot "C:/eFront/www" (since we placed eFront folder at C:\) and the line to

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From the XAMPP control panel, we restart Apache (pressing "Stop" and then "Start". If this doesn't work, try restarting the computer

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Access the location http://localhost/install/install.php, preferably using Internet Explorer 7 or Mozilla Firefox

8. Click the «Install» button 9.

The first step lists the prerequisites and settings required in order for the system to work correctly. If there aren't any prohibitive situation (marked with the "forbidden" sign), we may move on.

10. At the second step, user must insert the database settings. Database type is always "MySQL". Database host is usually "localhost" (or may be a single dot "."). Database user is root and password may be left blank (unless after installing XAMPP we set one). Database name may be anything, preferably "eFront". 11. Clicking on "Next" will create the database and the corresponding database tables. 12. The next step has to do with system settings. You may use default values provided. Most of these settings may be later changed through the administrator menu. 13. At the next step we must create an administrator account and optionally a sample professor and student account. 14. Finally, we may optionally insert a sample lesson, either the default provided, or one that we upload. 15. After finishing installation, we may use the system by accessing its home page, usually http://localhost. 16. Important note: You *must* delete the installation directory, in order for the system to function.

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2.2 STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL 2.2.1 Overview We assume that by now you have installed eFront™ and you have in your disposal three user roles (Administrator, Professor, Student) together with their needed credintentials. In this tutorial you will learn: •

How to create new directions and new lessons (Administrator role)



How to enroll users to lessons (Administrator role)



How to describe your lesson (Professor role)



How to create the basic structure of your lesson (Professor role)



How to create tests for your lesson (Professor role)



How to decide what components to activate for your lesson (Professor role)



How to create rules to restrict and guide the users (Professor role)



How to track users progress and give grades (Professor role)



How to register to the system (Student role)



How to follow the lesson's material and track your progress (Student role)



How to communicate with your fellow lesson students or with the professor (Student role)

2.2.2 Create a new lesson Assume that we want to build a lesson about ancient Maya civilizations. We will call it "Maya history". We first need to login as administrator and create the lesson. If we want we can create a new category first that provides a logical organization of lessons. •

From the administrator panel select "Categories" and then "Add category"



We use "Ancient Civilizations" as the name of our new category. Our new category is a main category (it has no father). By using father categories we could build an arbitrarily big list of nested categories but it is not needed for our example.



We return to the main administration panel and select "Lessons"

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We use "Maya Civilization" as the name of our new lesson. We put it under "Ancient Civilizations" category and save the new lesson.

Image 2: Creating a new lesson

2.2.3 Enroll Users The second thing we have to do is to assign users and professors to our new lesson. This is accomplished from the administrator as well. Additional users can be assigned to the lesson from the professor interface later. When we create a new lesson we can assign new users to it immediately. For our example, immediately after saving the lesson we see the tab with the "Lesson users". We select the users we want to enroll to the lesson..

Image 3: Adding users to lesson

2.2.4 Describe the lesson We login as a professor. We need to describe the lesson and create the content. From the catalog list we select the "Maya Civilization" and we enter the main professor screen. We select "Lesson information" and we add a description and a lesson target.

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Image 4: How to describe the lesson

2.2.5 Create the lesson’s structure We return to the main lesson page and select "Content". Adding new content or modifying content is accomplished using the tools on the top.

Image 5: Updating Content

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Each unit can have a father unit allowing us to build a tree structure for the content. A flexible visual editor helps speedup the process of adding new content.

Image 6: Lesson’s structure

2.2.6 Create tests For this lesson we will create one generic test to ensure that users have understood the basic concepts of "Maya History". •

From the main control panel of professor we select "Tests"



We move to "Questions" tab and create a number of questions. There exist several types of questions, raw text, multiple choices-single correct answer, multiple choices-many correct answers, match, true/false, empty spaces. We choose the type and add the question.

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Image 7: Creating questions



From "Tests" tab we create a new test and we include several of the created questions.

Image 8: Creating a test

2.2.7 Activate Components •

Go to "Administration" tab



Decide what components should be included to the lesson

• As you activate/deactivate components the options on the left menu and on the main lesson menu change accordingly.

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Image 9: Activating components

2.2.8 Create rules Rules ensure that the user sees the content in a certain manner. For example we can enforce a linear way of seeing content. •

Go to "Access rules" on the main menu



There exist two categories of rules, the "Lesson rules" that define the way of studying the lesson, and the "Lesson completion conditions" that define when the lesson can be considered as completed.



In order to add a rule or a lesson completion condition, define the properties needed.

Image 10: Add lesson rule

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Image 11: Add lesson completion condition

2.2.9 Track user’s progress From the main lesson page we select "Reports". From there we can track the user progress, his info, his total time in system (user level), lessons details, users, tests and projects (lesson level). •

User reports: We select the user and his statistic information is revealed.

Image 12: Select user

There are two tabs, the "Lessons" tab where we can find information about the student's progress, and the "More info" tab where we can track general info concerning his communication through the system, the system usage etc.

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Image 13: Lessons tab

Image 14: More info tab



Lessons reports: We select the lesson.

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Image 15: Select lesson

Its report is consisted of six categories (tabs).

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"Users": info on the users' statistics concerning this lesson

Image 16: User’s statistics

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"Tests": we can track info on the lesson's tests results (which users have taken the tests, what is their score)

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Image 17: Tests’ statistics

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"Questions": we can track info on the results of every single question.

Image 18: Questions’ statistics

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"More info":it provides some general info on the lesson

Image 19: More info

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"Traffic": we can define a specific period of time to watch the lesson statistic information (traffic).

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Image 20: Lesson’s traffic



Test reports: We select the test that interests us and we can find info about the number of the correct and false answers given in each question.

Image 21: Test report

2.2.10 Register as a Student Registering can be accomplished either through the Administrator intervention or one can self-registered (assuming that the Admin permits auto-registration) •

Through the Administrator intervention: Admin goes to "Users" tab on his main menu, and clicks on "New user" button. He sets the user's settings and activates him.

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Image 22: New user



Self registration: From eFront's main page, the student clicks on "New user account" and he sets his personal settings.

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Image 23: New user account

2.2.11 Complete chapters The main lesson page includes buttons to start or continue lesson as well as review its information. The first time the student access the lesson, the "Start lesson" button appears.

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Image 24: Start lesson

By clicking it, the student is guided to the first unit of the lesson .Every time the student completes a unit he should click on the bottom button ("set the unit as completed") so that his progress can be measured.

Image 25: Set the unit as complete

The next time that he accesses the same lesson, the Start button will be replaced by the Resume button. By clicking on it, he is guided to the first unit he has not yet completed.

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Image 26: Resume lesson

2.2.12 Communicate There are three main communication tools provided by the platform: forum, chat and personal messages. •

Forum: Each lesson has its own forum, in order to allow users to discuss topics concerning the lesson. Entering the forum page, users can either create a new topic or reply to an existing one. To create a new topic, the user clicks on "New topic" and then he sets its title and subject (message).

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Image 27: Submitting a new topic



Chat: Using this tool, users are able to exchange instant messages, in real time, provided that they are connected to the system at the same time.

Image 28: Chat



Personal messages: With this tool, users can send personal messages one to another or to a group, something like an internal email. To send a message, go to "Messages", "New message", type % to select the user(s) who will be the recipient, then type the subject and the message (body).

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Image 29: New message

By clicking on the blue arrow, next to the recipient’s field, someone can easily find a user, according to specific criteria.

Image 30: Recipients selection

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Every time the user receives a new incoming message, a notification appears on his page. By clicking on it, he enters automatically the messages page to read it and reply if he needs to.

Image 31: New message notification

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