4. Understanding classes
A class is a cohort of learners who complete a course together. You can have multiple classes running at the same time or running at different times.
When you create a course on OpenLearning, a featured public/open class (MOOC) is created for you. You can add an unlimited number of additional classes of different types.
To view, change, or add the classes in your course, go to Course Setup > General and scroll down to the Classes section.
Classes can be free, paid, open or private.
(see the previous section: Courses as private or open, paid or free).
Which settings are class specific?
What's the difference between closing a class and setting the course offline?
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If a class is also a cohort is there any difference? (sorry, I find this really confusing)
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Jon Kensall Hi Jon, that's a great idea! For now, I will try to answer your questions here. There are two types of "private" courses: Invite-only or based on Activation code. (To set this up you go to Course setup > General > Classes in your course > Change class)
If you choose to have an Invite-only course, you will need to invite students via their e-mail addresses. To do that, you go to Administer students > Students > Invite studenty by e-mail (make sure you check the box). You can also do bulk invites.
If the students already have an OL account, they will be automatically enrolled, and just receive an e-mail informing them they had been invited to your course.
If they don't have an OL account yet, they will be invited to do that; they will receive instructions on how to create an account and how to join the course.
The other option is a course based on Activation code. If you choose to go this way, you will need to distribute the code to the students outside of OL. Some teachers choose this option when they are doing a blended class, and they just give the code to the students in person, others send the code via e-mail (outside the platform). They will need to create an OL account before they can enter the code.
In this type of class, you can, however, also send an invitation to a student through the platform, (same as before Administer students > Students > Invite by e-mail.
Please note that Invite-only option is more secure (as the invitation is linked to student's e-address, so only accounts with the invited e-addresses can join) while students may pass the activation code to other people without you knowing.
If you are running multiple classes and decide to send invitations, make sure that you (as the course creator or facilitator) are in the right class when you send the invitations. Students will be invited to the class where the invitation came from.
To switch between multiple classes (if you have multiple), you can go to Course setup > General > Classes > Teacher access.Hope this helps! If you have any further questions, I'll be happy to help!
PS. Yes, class and cohort is the same thing.
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Alenka Prezelj
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Alenka Prezelj many thanks.
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Could we have a help section on inviting students to a class please? (It's kind of important). What is the difference between sending a student an email and sending them a code? Does the invite a student by email automatically enrol them in the correct class? sorry, I have spent a few hours reading the help articles but they seem to tell me the obvious and then stop just when i need some detail. I cannot complain as it is all free and its a great platform but am getting frustrated when simple tasks don't seem very logical. many thanks
