ILIAS

Meet ILIAS 5.4!

Since mid-August, this version has been available at the University of Konstanz along with new functions that significantly improve the platform’s usability and didactic possibilities. 

Let us introduce you to the new functions and provide a few examples that you can use in your own courses.

New functions in ILIAS 5.4:

Appealing: the new tiles display

You can have your courses, groups, categories and folders shown in the tiles layout. The tiles are first displayed in a standard colour, but you can upload pictures for many items later. Each tile lists a corresponding name, description and type of action. 

For example:

Go to the tab “settings” and select the “item presentation” type “tiles” for your courses, groups, categories and folders. ILIAS will then display tiles of all the items on the first hierarchical level of these respective areas. You can then upload pictures for many items. What is more, you no longer need to insert pictures by hand in column layouts in order to offer a responsive design. 

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923301.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

Multilingual start pages

Until now, you could only display multilingual content for categories. Now this is also possible anywhere (i.e. start pages for courses, groups and folders) based on the user’s language settings.

For example:

You click on the tab “settings” and then on the sub-tab “multilingualism”. In addition to ticking the box for German as the “master language”, you can also add English and activate multiple languages for the page editor. You now translate your content using the tab “content” and the sub-tab “customize page”. Now the respective course content will display in the language selected by each user.  

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923314.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

More group work: turn in wikis as a group

You can now assign exercises in which teams create, complete and submit wikis together. You can create a template wiki with pre-configured page types, topics or navigation elements that the exercise will copy automatically.

For example:

A course participant clicks on “Wiki erstellen” (create wiki). A copy of the template wiki will now appear automatically with a few basic pages and information. A team of course participants can now work on their wiki and turn it in together, just like a portfolio or blog. 

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923305.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

More collaborative: edit questions together

It is possible to get feedback on “question pools”. These comments from other team members simplify and support the creation and quality assurance of questions. The comments are shown in the preview version of the document. The question overview also shows the number of comments received.

For example:

You create a new question and ask for feedback from others. You see that you have received a comment on your question: A colleague has given you a suggestion. You respond with another comment – that you could implement some of her suggestion but that you have encountered technical limitations.

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_924828.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

More interactive: timeline for courses and groups

The newsfeed timeline can now include videos and pictures. Course participants can now comment on posts or react using “likes”, “smilies”, etc. Participants can also request a daily update of new timeline activity.                                           

For example:

You have activated the timeline in the course settings. You then post a video that course participants should see before the next in-person class. One person posts a comment with a question and other participants react to the video with an emoji.

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923315.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

Individualized learning schedule

The start and end dates for completing content are calculated individually based on when each participant joins the course. Course participants are informed of specific dates which also appear in their individual calendar. The learning schedule for each course is copied along with the respective course.

For example:

Course participants either join the course themselves or are added to the course. The respective learning schedule for each participant is based on the date he/she joins the course. Participants automatically receive email notifications of both upcoming and missed deadlines.

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923302.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

Simpler content pages

The “content page” is a new, especially easy item in ILIAS. It helps you give course participants brief input or instructions without having to create an entire learning module or fill the tab “content” for a course using the page editor.

For example:

You would like to briefly introduce other content or motivate your students. Create a content page and add the text and media that you would like to share. You can check the students’ progress to see who has already viewed the page. Content pages are especially useful as part of a learning sequence.

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923316.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

Easy self-evaluations

There is a new type of survey available, the self-evaluation, that presents course participants with questions they can use to reflect on their own behaviour. Self-evaluations no longer have to be carried out as 360° feedback surveys.

For example:

When creating a survey, select the “self-evaluation” type, for surveys that do not require feedback from additional persons. Then add the questions you would like to ask. If you like, you can share the results of your own self-evaluation with others. Course participants will receive reminders to complete the survey. 

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923317.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

More collaborative cloud connection

Ilias 5.4 has a new nextcloud plug-in. This means that cloud files can now be added directly to ILIAS courses.

For example:

You would like to share a video larger than 40 MB with your course participants. This is no longer a problem if you use the cloud server 

Would you like to have your course participants collaborate on a document?  Since the cloud is office-enabled, you can do this easily, and the files are secure on the university’s servers.

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923319.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

Increased visibility using the portfolio

Ilias 5.4 now gives you the chance to create your own portfolio and view the portfolios of others.

For example:

As a lecturer, you can use the portfolio to share information about your office hours and specializations. You can also use your own blog to inform course participants about important news.

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923300.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

More tailored learning sequences

You can now set up entire learning sequences with ILIAS 5.4.

For example:

Teaching staff can set the order in which students complete exercises and exams.

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923303.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

More group work: wiki exercises

You can now assign exercises in which teams create, complete and submit wikis together. You can create a template wiki with pre-configured page types, topics or navigation elements that the exercise will copy automatically.

For example: 

A course participant clicks on “Wiki erstellen” (create wiki). A copy of the template wiki will now appear automatically with a few basic pages and information. A team of course participants can now work on their wiki and turn it in together, just like a portfolio or blog. 

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923305.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

More communication using galleries

Ilias now shows galleries of all course participants. Users can customize which information they want to publish. Course participants can use the galleries to connect with each other.

For example:

You split class participants into teams for an exercise. They then use the gallery to get to know each other and coordinate their work.

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923309.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

Live voting

Use the ILIAS LiveVoting function to get feedback from your listeners, and you can also use PowerPoint to create your own surveys for ILIAS.

For example:

You can use LiveVoting, even in large lectures, to:

·         ask about existing knowledge of a subject
·         let students take a position on a topic
·         get discussions started
·         find out whether students have understood course content
·         spontaneously share questions with a plenum of students

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923311.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.

Set start items

You can now define items for students to start with directly after they open the course.

For example:
You would like students to complete a survey after joining the course. In the course settings, open the tab “start objects” and add a survey.

Template and tutorial (in German):

https://ilias.uni-konstanz.de/ilias/goto_ilias_uni_crs_923312.html

(login required)

The ILIAS course also offers a forum for you to contact the e-learning team directly with your questions and suggestions.