.. index:: Glossary .. role:: darkred .. role:: orange .. _glossary: Glossary =============== The glossary has two parts. Every user encounters the :darkred:`basic terms` in Mahara. The :orange:`advanced terms` are for users who want to understand more and are especially for administrators. The glossary gives you a very quick definition of a term. Where possible, terms are linked to their primary occurrence in the manual. As terms are interconnected and can appear in multiple places, please refer to the index for further locations or use the fulltext search in the sidebar to search for a specific concept. :darkred:`Access` Your content is generally protected and private and not accessible to others by default. You put your content into pages and collections. Then you decide to publish your pages and collections for other users, groups or the public. :ref:`Access ` means that depending on the access permissions you give for a page or collection, individuals, members of a group, all users on your Mahara instance or anybody online can read and possibly also comment on your content if that functionality is enabled. See also: Share :darkred:`Account` You have personalised access to Mahara via a :ref:`login and password `. Your account identifies you in the system. Your name (and profile picture) are displayed around the system, e.g. on your profile page, forum posts, portfolio pages etc. You can manage your account in your :ref:`settings `. :darkred:`Artefact` :ref:`Artefacts ` are all types of content that you add to your personal content area, i.e. text, journal entries, pictures, audio files, video files, images etc. :orange:`Authentification` Mahara can administer users fully internally by creating accounts manually of by CSV file. If user account data is stored in external applications, e.g. an LDAP directory, a SimpleSAML identity provider or Moodle, users can use their usual logins and passwords to connect to Mahara. The :ref:`authentication methods ` used in an institution are managed in the institution settings byt the site administrator. :darkred:`Author` In general terms, authors are content creators and have the full rights on their works be it text, audio, video, still images or any other form of expression. If you are not the author of your own artefacts but wish to use somebody else’s work, make sure that you are allowed to do so. If you cannot use their work, you should not put it into your portfolio or use it in groups. :darkred:`Block` :ref:`Blocks ` exist on pages. They contain your artefacts that are displayed in context on a page to make up the portfolio. :orange:`Closed topic` A :ref:`forum topic can be closed ` for members by the group administrator or forum moderator. The group members can read the topic content, but they cannot reply. :darkred:`Collection` A :ref:`collection ` is a bundle of pages that contain your artefacts. A navigation block or the navigation bar helps to move from page to page in a collection. :darkred:`Comments` You can ask other users and / or friends to :ref:`comment ` on your pages and / or collections that you have shared. Comments should be constructive and helpful. They should point out things that you did well and others that you may need to improve by providing constructive suggestions and encouragement for further learning. The comments area is at the bottom of each page, but can also be turned off by the author of the page or artefact. :orange:`Controlled group` :ref:`Controlled groups ` are similar to courses in learning management systems. The administrator can place users into the group who then cannot leave it. Usually, the administrator allows the submission of pages and collections to this group for assessment purposes. :orange:`Course group` :ref:`Course groups ` allow the administrator to assign certain members the tutor role. Tutors can then give feedback on submitted pages and collections if these are allowed, but cannot add or remove users from the group. :darkred:`Cover letter` Generally, the :ref:`cover letter ` is the first page in an employment application and forms part of your résumé. It could be the first page in a collection for an employment or internship portfolio. :orange:`CSV file` CSV means “comma separated values” and describes the structure of a text file in which table columns are separated by a comma (or sometimes also semi-colon). You can create a CSV file with your data most easily in a spreadsheet software such as Libre Office Calc or MS Excel. You can use CSV files in Mahara to create and edit :ref:`user accounts ` and :ref:`groups ` as well as :ref:`manage group members `. :darkred:`Dashboard` The :ref:`dashboard ` is your start and overview page after you logged in. You can customise the information you see on your dashboard and for example have easy access to pages shared with you, your notifications, forum topics you are following etc. :darkred:`Display name` You may not want to use your first and last name around the site and can thus create a :ref:`display name `, i.e. a nickname, if the site or institution administrator allows that. Furthermore, in huge institutions where several members have the same first and last name, the display name can be used to differentiate between them. :orange:`Editability of a group` Group administrators can decide if group members should only be able to add content to a group during a certain time frame. This can be useful when a group is course-related and shouldn't allow the adding of files or conversations after the end of a course. Group administrators and tutors can always add, edit and delete content at all times. :orange:`Embed code` You can make content from other websites such as videos, audio, animations and presentations visible in Mahara by linking to it. If the external content can be embedded via an iframe or code that starts with or , it can usually be displayed in *Text* or *Note* block or journal entry. Iframes can also be displayed in the *External media* block on a page. The site administrator :ref:`may need to add specific iframes ` that you wish to embed to the allowed iframe sources. :orange:`Exact search` :ref:`Exact search ` reduces the number of search results you get for users. Only results that are identical to the search terms will be found. For example, if you search for “james smith” without exact search turned on, your results page lists everyone starting with “james” no matter whether the last name is “smith” or not. If you turn on exact search, only users whose first and last name is “james smith” will be found. There is no need to use quotation marks when searching. Quotation marks are only necessary if you want to search for a display name that consists of two names. You must be a site administrator to turn exact search on or off. :darkred:`Feedback` See "Comments" :darkred:`Files area` You can use :ref:`files ` in different locations: in your personal portfolio, groups, institutions and on the site level if you have access to the latter ones. The site administrator defines the size of the files area. Organise your files area carefully by placing your files into folders and by adding metadata such as descriptions and tags to your files and folders. That makes it much easier to distinguish a file after months from dozens or hundreds of others. :orange:`Filter` You can limit your search results to find your search term in tags only when you search shared pages. Furthermore, you can also limit your search for pages that have been shared with you or others. :darkred:`Forum` Written asynchronous discussions in groups are separated into topics for better organisation and make up a :ref:`forum `. :orange:`Forum moderator` :ref:`Forum moderators ` can edit forum posts and add posts in closed topics. They can edit forum topics or create new ones in the forum for which they are moderators. :darkred:`Friend` :ref:`Friends ` are your contacts on the site. You can ask other registered users to become your friends. If they agree, you can then invite them into groups or share pages or collections with them more easily. However, you do not have to become someone's friend to view their portfolio pages or collections. A user can always share pages or collections with you without making you a friend. :orange:`Grading` You can use the :ref:`submission functionality in groups ` to lock portfolio pages or collections when giving feedback. Mahara itself does not have a gradebook, but you could still record any grading results in the comment section at the bottom of each page and make it visible only to the author. Some institutions use the :ref:`rating functionality ` in the comments section for grading purposes. For more formal assessments, you can link Mahara to a learning management system. In Moodle for example, you can use the `Mahara assignment submission plugin `_ to assess portfolios directly in Moodle using standard Moodle grading options such as outcomes or rubrics. :darkred:`Group` You can create :ref:`groups ` and invite other users into your groups to work collaboratively on projects. Groups can use forums for discussions, a group files area for sharing files, journals to reflect collectively and create and share pages and collections. The site administrator can disable the possibility to create groups for regular users. :orange:`Group administrator` Group administrators define group settings, create new forums and administer group members. :orange:`Group homepage` The :ref:`group homepage ` is the starting point for activities in a group. You can show the group description, a list of group members, latest forum posts or any number of other blocks. :darkred:`Inbox` Your :ref:`inbox ` is the place where you can access the notifications and messages you received from other users or the system. You can decide whether you want to read your messages in your inbox or receive them via email. :darkred:`Invitation` You can invite any other users to your groups if you are the group administrator, or you may be able to invite your friends into groups in which you are a member. The invited users can accept the invitation or reject it. :orange:`Institution` A Mahara site can consist of any number of independent :ref:`institutions ` in which users and certain institution settings are administered. This allows the use of one Mahara instance for many organisations without the need to install Mahara for each. :orange:`Institution administrator` :ref:`Institution administrators ` can manage institution settings and users. They do not have access to other institutions or settings on the site level. :orange:`Institution page` Institution administrators can create :ref:`institution pages ` that can be used as examples or templates for institution members. They can be copied automatically into the accounts of new institution members. :darkred:`Journal` You can collect personal reflections about a topic or learning progress in a :ref:`journal `. It consists of a series of these reflections that you write in individual journal entries. Per default, you have one journal, but you can add more if you :ref:`enable multiple journals in your settings `. You can add journals to pages as a whole, as individual entries or selected based on tags. You can decide to publish a journal entry so others can see it if it is in a page or keep it as draft for yourself only. :orange:`Leap2A` :ref:`Leap2A ` is a portfolio standard that is used by a number of ePortfolio systems for data exchange. In Mahara, users can export their entire portfolio or parts of it as Leap2A file and then have it imported into another Mahara instance or an ePortfolio system that supports Leap2A to continue straight away without having to re-create their portfolio. Since every portfolio system functions differently, a complete one-to-one transfer of information is not possible and in most cases some work is required after the transfer. :darkred:`License` When you upload content to Mahara, you may need to agree to the :ref:`upload agreement ` or specify a :ref:`license ` for the content you upload so others know whether it is your own or was created by somebody else. You can use the :ref:`Creative Commons block ` if you want to share an entire portfolio page under a `Creative Commons license `_. :orange:`Mahoodle` :ref:`Mahoodle ` is the term used for connecting Mahara and Moodle for single sign-on and content exchange. :orange:`Member` Users in an institution are institution members and users in groups are group members. :darkred:`Message` Messages are sent to you by other users. The messages appear in your inbox and can be delivered via email as well. :orange:`Moodle` `Moodle `_ is a learning management system (LMS) and thus teacher-centred. Courses in Moodle are filled with learning content by teachers. Students (users) get access to the content and can discuss it and are often graded on their performance. Moodle and Mahara can be used in combination. If connected, users only need one account for both systems and can switch between them without a new login. Mahara can be used as personal repository for users, and they can copy their own assignments and course contributions into their Mahara account as artefacts. :darkred:`Notification` :ref:`Notifications ` are automatically created by the system and inform you about new feedback on your pages, new forum posts in groups, new access to other users’ pages and much more. The notifications appear in your inbox and can be delivered via email. :darkred:`Objectionable material` On the page of a user to which you have access, you might come across content that is inappropriate, offensive or violates the terms of usage of the site. You can click the :ref:`Report objectionable material" ` link on the page or the artefact details page and give your reason why you marked this content as objectionable. Administrators are notified, can review the content and could block the offender from accessing the system until the content is removed. It cannot be defined in general terms what is considered inappropriate. The owner of the site has to define this based on the purpose of the site and the age of its users for example. Forum posts can also be reported as objectionable by clicking the *Report* button. :orange:`Online users` This :ref:`sidebar ` shows other users that have been online during the last 10 minutes. Institution administrators can limit this list to show only users from their own institution. :orange:`Open group` :ref:`Open groups ` can be joined by anyone without group administrator approval. :orange:`Owner` The owner is the person or group that has created a page or collection or to whom artefacts belong. :darkred:`Page` You can design :ref:`pages ` by arranging artefacts on them. You define the page layout and - if enabled - the theme for it. You give other users access to pages so they can view your work and comment on it. Several pages can be added to a collection. All users can create personal pages and group members may be able to create group pages. Pages can also be created as templates for further use by others. :orange:`Page layout` The :ref:`page layout ` defines the number and width (wide or narrow) of columns on a page. You can also define rows in order to align your conent on the page. :darkred:`Plan` :ref:`Plans ` are simple ToDo lists consisting of tasks. You can add your plans as blocks into your pages. :darkred:`Portfolio` Portfolios gather stuff, i.e. learning artefacts and evidence. In Mahara you place your artefacts into :ref:`pages ` which you can bundle up into :ref:`collections `. A page or a collection can then already be your portfolio. Thus, you can create many different portfolios. You decide whether you want to share your portfolios with others or keep them for yourself. You can create portfolios for many purposes, e.g. * reflecting on courses; * creating and reflecting on projects; * personal reflecting on individual development or separate learning processes; * creating résumés and your learner biography; * creating a showcase of your best work and much more. :darkred:`Privacy statement` Information about the use of private data from the Mahara site. Usually, there is a link in the page :ref:`footer