Add objects (Create dialog)

Contents and tools in ILIAS

Overview of contents and tools

You want a rough overview of the most important contents and tools in ILIAS. Contents and tools are called "objects" in ILIAS.

Six didactic purposes have been formulated and a selection of contents and tools has been assigned to them.

The selection and assignment is not complete. There are probably many other didactic purposes and useful uses of tools. The point is not to recommend a particular practice to you.

You want and will make your own good decisions about purposes and tools adapted to your conditions.

This breakdown aims to open up the field a bit. The following pages highlight 6 purposes and name content and tools that could be used to achieve those purposes, among others:

Provide content
Testing and measuring learning
Communicate, discuss
Reflect and evaluate
Structure and layout content
Organize, plan, manage

Provide content

The following objects are suitable for presenting technical content to your participants. The compilation presents a selection. The linked object names will take you to the help for the object in question. How to create objects concretely can be found here.

File: Word, PDF, Publish slides, popular, simple and suitable way to provide learning content quickly.
Glossary: Provide small information in a structured way, present a topic area keyword-oriented, integration of media and files possible, indexing via taxonomies possible, provide background information on learning modules
Web link: Jumping point to a website on the internet, popular, simple and suitable tool to integrate external content
Learning module: Present learning content in the manner of a textbook, suitable for processing a topic narratively and medially, clear red thread, structure in chapters and subchapters, sequential presentation, means of choice for long-lasting content, self-test questions can be inserted directly into the learning module and provide an opportunity to consolidate what has been learned, answers are recorded automatically. ILIAS learning modules, SCORM learning modules and HTML learning modules are available.
Mediacast: Include audio and videocasts but also suitable for presenting photo logs, offer ready-made material very easily, learners adopt a consumer attitude, visually attractive, suitable for providing filmed lectures.

Testing and measuring learning success

You can use the following objects to conduct formative or summative assessments. Choose your tool wisely: only the test is suitable for online assessments.
The compilation presents a selection. The linked object names will take you to the help for the object in question. How to create objects can be found here.

Test: self-test, learning level test, online exams: Excellent for all kinds of learning level tests also for mass implementation of career relevant exams, very versatile configurable, question pools facilitate reuse of questions in multiple tests, test templates can be used to save configuration work
Exercise: Assign tasks, collect returns, assess and grade, feedback, peer review, versatile assignment: individual and group work, solution via file, text, blog and portfolio possible, exercises can serve as brackets of different reflection tasks and encourage participants to reflect and document regularly
Portfolio templates: Work on your own competence profile, formulating tasks is pedagogically challenging, useful possibility to offer formative assessment, suitable for small numbers of participants as high correction and evaluation effort, integration in exercises possible

Communicate, discuss

The following objects or services enable communication with your participants.

The compilation presents a selection. The linked object names will take you to the help for the object in question. How to create objects concretely can be found here.

Mail: Sending e-mails with attachments, addressing single persons or all participants, easy communication, as almost all people are familiar with mails
Forum: Asynchronous discussion on different topics, context and chronological sequence recognizable, supervision and support required, bi-directional communication and discussion: presenting, collecting and weighting arguments
Chat: Synchronous written communication in pairs or groups, chat appointments create commitment during online phases, chat log available

Create content together

The following objects support the collaboration of participants in the creation of common works.

The compilation presents a selection. The linked object names will take you to the help for the object in question. How to create objects concretely can be found here.

Wiki: Various scenarios for joint work on a topic, the Wiki principle is widely known through Wikipedia; the individual articles can be easily rated and commented, it is recognizable who created which entries
Glossary: Working on a topic together in a group using key words, integrating media and data.
Data collection: Learners collect and structure information, media and files in a simple way, provides versatile possibilities for categorization and sorting
Blog: Learning diary, chronological entries, keep a blog as a group, and report and reflect together on the work on a topic.

Reflect and evaluate

The following objects are useful for encouraging your participants to reflect and document the results of their reflection.

Blog: Learning diary, chronological entries, can be kept by individuals or groups to accompany and secure individual and deep learning experiences, coaching, evaluation, request information, transfer assessment, 360° feedback, surveys are excellent for conducting evaluations and support the entire process chain from creation to publication and evaluation.
Forum: A discussion forum is an excellent way to stimulate and supervise reflection on one's own learning experiences, one's own understanding of one's role, and similar issues
Portfolio: template suitable to systematically support reflection; portfolio work is individual work on one's own competencies and examination of one's own learning experience, commenting on the portfolio by peers or lecturers is useful

Structuring and layout of content

Within a course or a group, naked, long lists of objects do not have a particularly motivating effect. You can structure the contents and prepare them graphically attractively so that your pedagogical goals are optimally supported. For example, the following objects are suitable for this purpose:

Sessions represent a face-to-face event in your course or group and prominently show participants the date and time of the event, in the run-up to or after the event, materials such as files, slides or even other learning content can be assigned so that learners are always clear about the assignment of materials to an event
Folders: Bundle offered content and present it in an orderly manner, organize content of a course or group thematically or by order of treatment; folders provide for a 'slimmer' look of the course or group if there is a lot of content.
Object block: Group a list of objects of different types on the same topic into a common block Design page On the start page of the course, you can insert texts and images or create a multi-column layout, use images, graphics, colors and texts to support your didactic objectives and create an attractive appearance
Sorting: By default, the objects are sorted alphabetically according to the title of each object ("Simple list"), this sorting does not provide participants with any orientation relevant to the learning process. You can put the objects in any order within the list.

Organize, plan, manage

The following objects are suitable for coordinating and organizing learning processes.

The compilation presents a selection. The linked object names will take you to the help for the object in question. How you create objects concretely you find here.

Mail: Sending e-mails with attachments, addressing single persons or all participants, easy communication, as almost all people are familiar with mails
Calendar: Enter course and group dates in the calendar, mark deadlines and attendance events, office hours management possible, set milestones for joint projects
Voting: Quickly obtain an opinion on a question, query who has time on which date, voting is displayed in the Content tab on the page
Reservation pool: Reservation of rooms, beamers, lab workstations Topics for seminar work, view the status of occupancy at any time

Add content and tools

Differences: Create, import, copy

You can add objects and content in ILIAS in different ways:

Create new object: an object is created new and empty.
Import object: A copy of an existing object from another ILIAS installation is imported. To do this, the object must first be exported from the other installation. All contents of the object will be preserved. However, data resulting from the use of the object (e.g. learning states, members and settings) cannot be exported.
Copy object: An existing object of this ILIAS installation will be copied. The contents and settings of the object will be copied completely. An exception are so-called container objects (e.g. courses, groups or folders), which in turn contain other objects: Here you can select whether you want to copy all the contained objects, omit some or only link them. However, data resulting from the use of the object (e.g. learning states and members) will not be copied. You can copy objects from their original location to a desired destination point or start the copying process at the desired destination point.

Create new object

You want to add content in ILIAS and create a new object for this purpose.

Navigate to the location in the Repository where you want the object to appear.
Click on the Add new object button.
ILIAS opens a selection menu with all object types that can be created at this location.
Click on the desired object type.
ILIAS opens a new page that offers several options to add an object.
Select the first option "Create new" [object].
- Enter a title and, optionally, a description for the new object.
- For certain object types, ILIAS offers additional input fields for you to fill in. These include the types: Files, Glossaries, Groups, Sessions, Webfeed, Weblink, and Wiki.
Click on the button Create new [object].
ILIAS creates the object and opens it for you in edit mode.

Note: Which objects you can create and edit depends on your rights.

Import existing object

You want to import an object into ILIAS that was created in another ILIAS installation and exported there.

Precondition: You can only import ZIP files that have been exported from ILIAS for this purpose. Make sure that the export file is not renamed or unzipped before import. Only if you use the zipped file with the original name, you can import the object successfully.

Navigate to the location in the Repository where you want the object to appear.
Click the Add new object button.
ILIAS opens a selection menu, with all the object types you can create at this location.
Click on the object type you want to import.
ILIAS opens a new page that offers several options to add an object.
Select the [Import Object] option.
Click the Browse button next to Import file.
ILIAS opens a dialog that allows you to upload the file. This dialog differs depending on the browser and operating system you are using.
Select the desired file on your computer.
Click on the Import button.
ILIAS imports the desired object and places it in the location of the Repository where you are. ILIAS will take you to the settings tab of the imported object.

Note: If your import file is larger than the maximum upload size, you can use the Contact Administrator link (at the bottom of the page) to ask your administrator to increase the upload size at short notice and then decrease it again.

Copy existing object from destination

You want to copy an existing object in ILIAS to modify the copy or to create a backup copy. The addition "Copy" is added to the title of the copied object. The copied object is set offline.

Navigate to the location in the Repository where you want the object to appear.
Click the Add new object button.
ILIAS opens a selection menu, with all the object types you can create at this point.
Click on the object type you want to copy.
ILIAS opens a new page that offers several options to add an object.
Select the lowest option [Copy object].
Enter a keyword that ILIAS can use to identify the desired object by title or description.
Click on the Next button.
ILIAS creates a list of all found objects whose title or description contains the specified search word.
Click the radio button in front of the desired object.
Click the [Copy object] button.
ILIAS copies the object to the current position in the Repository and shows you a confirmation. ILIAS will take you to the Contents tab of the copied object.

Note: In order to copy an object to the desired location, you need the right to create an object of this type at the desired location and the right to copy the source object.
If you do not have the right to copy an object, you will not see the Copy option.
Please contact your administrator if it is possible to copy the object for you.

Note: You can only copy objects within one ILIAS installation or within one client. To transfer objects between different installations or clients, please use the Export and Import actions.

Note: You cannot copy all objects this way. Some objects you can copy only from the source location.

Copying an existing object from the point of origin