OLAT

OLAT is a very advanced Learning Management System, allowing admins and webmasters to setup a complete online training tool.

Features:

• General Overview:
• Java based framework (Brasato) with special Accessibility-mode, HTML based frontend GUI (XHTML 1.0) and REST API support
• AJAX/Web 2.0 enabled
• Packaged deployment (WAR) consistent with the Java Web Specification thereby simplifying the rollout of the application
• Entirely multilingual, UTF8 supported, online translation tool
• Supports standards such as termIMS CP, IMS LTI, termSCORM 1.2, QTI 1.2 (built-in editor) and QTI 2.1 (using ONYX plugin)
• Server requirements: With OLAT, there is no need for a high-end server!
• Scalability: Install an OLAT cluster if one server alone does not meet your requirements!
• CSS framework YAML: Increased robustness and browser-compatibility of entire layout.
• Portlets on HOME-tab are configurable
• Users & Groups:
• Unlimited number of accounts
• Different roles
• Various authentication methods
• Administrators can add, modify or delete users
• Personalized authoring and learning environment
• Manage your files via HTTP or WebDAV
• Configure your personal home portal
• Calendar (per course, per group and combined personal calendar), also via ical, notifications (via eMail or RSS)
• Be up-to-date as regards news and changes via e-mail or RSS feed
• Full-text search
• Share resources with other authors (learning resource repository)
• Form your own project groups and invite buddies
• Use discussion forums, file share space, contact forms etc.
• Instant Messenger: See who is online and chat with others using either the integrated chat client (AJAX based) or an external Jabber client
• Authentication Options:
• Users can create their own accounts (with/without approval by administrators)
• Direct login into OLAT with OLAT user name and password
• Access file system via WebDAV login
• Full Shibboleth integration
• Single sign-on e.g. via Switch AAI
• Control access to courses by means of AAI attributes
• Course Management:
• Flexible course system
• Based on termIMS Learning design concepts
• Create a personalized course structure according to your needs
• Course wizard: quickly create simple OLAT courses with just a few mouse clicks
• Course editor: create your course with your own structure using OLAT course elements
• Group management: manage your learners
• Rights management: grant specific users access to course tools
• Assessment tool: assess your learners
• Archive tool: download log files or runtime data and import/export courses
• Create your own course layout using termCSS
• Course Elements OLAT Offers:
• Wiki, Blog and Podcasts
• Single pages with integrated WYSIWYG HTML editor (+ jsMath)
• Include external pages or sites via tunneling
• Both termSCORM 1.2 and termIMS Content Packages (+ CP editor)
• Forums and "file dialog" element to discuss papers
• Folders for download material
• Tasks with drop box, sample solution and scores
• Topic assignment: Distribute and manage projects or bacchelor thesis
• Tests (with scores) and self-tests (anonymous, no scores) based on QTI 1.2 standard or QTI 2.1 using the ONYX plugin
• Questionnaire for course evaluations
• Enrollment for groups (by student or tutor or both) with wait lists
• Contact forms and calendar for easy communication with group members or tutors
• Basic Learning Tools Interoperability (V1.0 Basic LTI Conformance). Have a look at the reults of the Basic LTI Conformance Test.
• Online Help and Documentation:
• Extensive context-sensitive help
• User manual available as HTML or PDF
• Demo courses and course templates
• Comprehensive help, manual, tutorials and discussion forum
• Multilingual:
• Entirely supports UTF8
• Our main translations: German, English, French, Italian and Spanish
• Community translations: Portuguese, Russian, Czech, Polish, Lithuanian, Danish, Greek, Chinese (traditional and simplified) and Farsi (Persian)
• Under development: Afrikaans, Albanian, Arabic, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian (Bahasa), Rumantsch and Turkish
• The online translation tool has been rebuilt in 2009 and is simpler than ever!
• More information in the translations chapter

What is new in this release:

• Ordered Notifications: can no longer be subscribed and do not send automatic e-mails.
• Messages: Participants will receive a confirmation by e-mail when they upload a file to the drop box or the tutor uploads a sample solution in the return box.
• Confirmations: Participants will receive a confirmation by e-mail when they upload a file to the drop box.
• Activations: The tutor can configure, whether owners and tutors should be informed by e-mail as soon as a participant has successfully completed a test.

What is new in version 7.3.1:

• Fixed issues for example concerning the ePortfolio and the assessment and display of tests or QTI.
• Fixed some topic assignment issues, for example by improving the search for topic authors and notifying them when a topic is deleted.

What is new in version 7.2.1.0:

• Selection of correct answers in tests is back.
• Description is now imported at course import.
• Wiki: Link on opened image leads back to Wiki page.
• Folders with Umlaute can now be used with WebDAV.
• Selenium and jUnit testcases for 7.2.1.
• Peakview for portfolio task added.
• Topic assignment: issue table search results are now remembered.
• Topic assignment: notify topic tutors or authors on deletion of a topic.

What is new in version 7.0:

• Integration of external tools through the IMS Basic LTI interoperability standard
• Implementation of a course wizard with which courses with the most popular elements can be easily created
• Integration of a QTI 2.1 test engine (ONYX plugin)
• Integration of OLAT into existing IT infrastructure with the new REST API (beta)
• Mail attachments in user visiting card, group and course contact form
• Various component improvements: topic assignment, context sensitive help, task, calendar, full-text search, single page, notifications
• Improvements in LDAP module for synchronisation of large LDAP directories and OLAT cluster operatings (operations)
• Browser side caching of course media resources to reduce network load
• Refactoring of depricated forms using "Flexi Form" infrastructure part III
• Packaged deployment (WAR) consistent with the Java Web Specification thereby simplifying the rollout of the application
• Various bugfixes and software upgrades