Course Element "Folder"
Profile
| Name | Folder |
|---|---|
| Icon |  |
| Available since | New edition with release 17.1 |
| Functional group | Knowledge transfer |
| Purpose | Provision of files for download (e.g. material for the course) |
| Assessable | no |
| Specialty / Note | A similar course element is the course element "Participant folder". |
In the course element "Folder" you can offer files to be downloaded. Often folders are used to provide course participants with scripts or slides regarding your course. But the course element offers even more possibilities. Furthermore, the course element can also be configured in the tab "Folder configuration" to allow participants to upload and edit files.
Please note: The order of the files is not fixed. The user can sort the files according to the columns by name, size and modification date.
General
In the course element "Folder" teachers can provide files for download. By default, course element folders are configured in such a way that only owners and coaches are allowed to upload files and course participants only have the right to read or download files.
Subscribe to the folder to be notified when new documents are added. You can find out about changes by e-mail or under "Subscriptions" in OpenOlat.
If the folder is used to allow course participants to upload files as well, you will find the corresponding functions in the bar above the files. You can then also delete files, set up subfolders. If you want to prevent someone from deleting your files, you can click the Metadata icon in the table view and lock the file.
Attention
Do not confuse: In addition to download folders in courses, learners also have Personal Folders available that can be used for individual learning regardless of the course. Furthermore, there is the course element "Participant Folder" (see below).
Tab Folder Configuration
In the tab "Folder configuration" of the course element you define where exactly the files of this folder should be stored in the folder of the course. For this OpenOlat can either generate a folder automatically or select a specific folder from the course folder.
If the option "Automatically generated folder" is selected, OpenOlat creates the subfolder courselementdata including a subfolder with the name of the respective course element "folder". All files of the course element are now saved here.
If you select "Choose folder from course storage" you can select an existing folder from the course folder. This is especially useful if you have already uploaded the files you want to make available in a structured way in the course's folder. In the next step, select an existing folder in the storage folder and create a new subfolder in the storage folder. If configured in the Course Settings, you can also access a linked resource folder via the storage folder.
You can then upload files to the previously defined location in the "Upload files" area via the "Manage folder" link or display the files that have already been uploaded.
Access to this file area is also possible when the editor is closed.
User rights settings
Furthermore, in the "User rights" section, you can define whether coaches and/or participants are also allowed to edit and upload files to the folder. By default, coaches are allowed to upload files in addition to the owners, but not the participants.
Settings with closed editor
In the course run, course owners and persons with the right to save files in the folder can ...
- Upload and download files
- Delete, move and copy files
- Create new documents
- Depending on the file type, you can also edit files, especially if a document editor is activated in the administration.
- Create new subfolders within the course element. So a course element "Folder" can contain several subfolders. The use of several course element folders is only necessary if the folders are to be integrated at different places in the course structure or if the folders are connected with different selective releases.
To facilitate the upload and download of multiple files, the files can be zipped or unzipped. In addition, the use of WebDAV is recommended for uploading more extensive materials.
Furthermore, all users can ...
- Send files of the folder by e-mail to registered OpenOlat users
- Search the files in the folder for keywords
- Subscribe to the folder and be quickly informed about changes
Metadata
The gear symbol can be used to configure the Metadata of a file and thus add various information. In addition to the description and lock properties, the license information is particularly relevant. You can use the license information to define a specific license for the document, for example, use one of the existing Creative Commons licenses, enter the licensor, and leave additional information about the publisher, source, publication date, and so on. The license is displayed in a separate column in the folder module. By clicking on the license, the user receives the stored information on the respective license.
The metadata also shows how often a file was called up. There is also a link with which you can directly link the respective file. Whether external persons can also access the file depends on the access settings of the course.
Edit Files
Depending on the file type and activation in OpenOlat Administration, it is possible to edit files located in the course element "Folder". If editing is possible, the editing icon 
appears in the table. Clicking on the icon opens the respective editing editor, e.g. Only Office. By using these external, cooperative editing tools, the course element "Folder" can also be used for the collaborative work of learners.