[LON-CAPA-cvs] cvs: loncom /html/adm/help/tex Create_Course.tex

[raeburn]

raeburn		Mon May 23 19:57:46 2011 EDT

  Modified files:              
    /loncom/html/adm/help/tex	Create_Course.tex 
  Log:
  - Update documentation for Course/Community creation options for Domain Coordinators.
  
  
Index: loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Create_Course.tex
diff -u loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Create_Course.tex:1.1 loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Create_Course.tex:1.2
--- loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Create_Course.tex:1.1	Fri Feb  7 02:02:57 2003
+++ loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Create_Course.tex	Mon May 23 19:57:46 2011
@@ -1,13 +1,17 @@
 \label{Create_Course}
-The Create Course screen offers several choices for generating the new course:
+The ``Course and Community Creation'' menu provides access to a number of utilities
+which Domain Coordinators can use to either manage the process of course creation.  An individual course or community can be created interactively by completing a web form which offers several choices for generating the new course or community: 
 
 \begin{itemize}
+\item Username: set the username of the owner, who will also receive a coordinator role.
 \item Course Title: This is the name under which the course will appear on the
 Roles screen
 \item Course Home Server: This is the server where the course will be housed
 \item Course ID: This is an optional parameter to internally label the course. 
 Stored in the course environment.
-\item Map: This a map with course content.
+\item Course Code: This is the institutional code used to identify the course according to the naming scheme adopted by your institution for ``official'' courses.
+\item Map: This the top level sequence file in the course. If left blank, a 
+standard course will be created containing the first resource item (see below).
 \item NOT Standard Course: It this box is checked, the Map above becomes the
 top-level map for the course, and
 the main course sequence cannot be edited in DOCS. For standard courses, 
@@ -15,11 +19,22 @@
 the above map.
 \item First Resource: This is the first resource which comes up after somebody
 selects a role in this course (standard courses only).
+\item Clone an existing course: An alternative to creation of a new course with
+ a single item or a non-standard course with a sequence file as the top-level map is to copy the contents of an existing course into the new course.
 \item Open all assessment: Sets the course-level open date for all assignments 
 to ``now''. Circumvents the ``not open to be viewed'' problem.
 \item Set policy/content feedback: Sets the recipient address for these types
 of feedback messages to the course coordinator.
 \item Disable student resource discussion: Disables the ``bottom-of-the-page'' discussions.
-\item Course Coordinator: set the username of the course coordinator
-\item Immediately expire ...: Prevents the Roles screen of the Domain Coordinator to fill up with roles. Role can be re-activated by the Domain Coordinator if further interaction needed.
 \end{itemize}
+
+Two types of course ``container'' are currently available in LON-CAPA: 
+\begin{itemize}
+\item Course 
+\item Community 
+\end{itemize}
+The key difference between the two is that the Coordinator of a Course may import any published resource into the course as long as he/she has access rights for it, whereas import into a Community is restricted to just those resources for which the Coordinator is the author, or a co-author.  In addition, the names of standard roles in the two containers have different names: (Course Coordinator vs. Coordinator, Instructor vs. Leader, Teaching Assistant vs. Assistant Leader, Student vs. Member).
+
+In addition to using a web form to create courses one-at-a-time, Domain Coordinators can upload an XML file containing descriptions of courses (see: \ref{Batch_Creation} Batch Creation) to create multiple courses.  If the ability to request courses has been enabled, and certain course types have been set to require Domain Coordinator approval, then the ``Approve or reject requests'' item can be used to display a list of requests requiring approval.  These may be approved or rejected.  If a conduit has been established to an institutional data source which provides information about instructors of record, then the ``View pending official course requests'' may contain a list of requests for official courses, held pending validation. Validation can be attempted; if it still fails it is possible to override this and force creation of the course.
+
+Lastly, there is access to a utility which can be used to display course and community creation history.