Glossary resource settings
  • 21 Jun 2022
  • 5 minutes to read

Glossary resource settings


Article Summary

Glossary settings 

When adding a glossary activity to a course you can configure the following settings.

Setting
Description
Notes

Name

The name of the glossary. This appears on the course page.

-

Description

Add a description, this might include instructions for using the glossary.

-

Display description on course page

Tick to display the description on the course page.

-

Is this glossary global?

Site Administrators can make a global glossary, with entries linking throughout the whole site. Any course may contain a global glossary, though usually they are only included on the site front page.

-

Glossary type

The glossary can be either:

  • Main glossary: Only Trainers can edit the main glossary
  • Secondary glossary: Can be configured to allow Learner entries and comments

You can export entries from any secondary glossary into the main glossary. There can only be one main glossary in a course.

If glossary entry import is not required, all glossaries in the course can be secondary glossaries.

Approved by default

If trainees are allowed to add entries, you can allow entries to be automatically approved and added to the glossary, or they can require your approval before other trainees are able to see them.

-

Always allow editing

If you want entries to be always editable, set this to Yes.

-

Duplicated entries allowed

This allows the entry of more than one definition for a given word.

-

Allow comments on entries

Allows comments on glossary definitions. The comments are available via a link at the bottom of the definition.

-

Automatically link glossary entries

Totara has a text filter feature that automatically creates a link from a word in the course to its glossary definition. Linked words are highlighted.

The auto-linking feature only works if your Site Administrator has enabled it. Auto-linking can be very processor intensive, so if it doesn’t seem to be working for you, your Site Administrator may have turned it off to speed up the system.

Display format

You can select how the glossary appears when trainees list the entries. There are a number of styles for you to explore. Other options include:

  • Continuous without author: This shows the entries one after another without any kind of separation, apart from the editing icons.
  • Encyclopedia: This is similar to the Full with author format apart from attached images being displayed in line.
  • Entry list: This lists the concepts as links.
  • FAQ: This is useful for displaying a list of Frequently Asked Questions. It automatically appends the words 'QUESTION' and 'ANSWER' in the concept and definition respectively.
  • Full with author: This is a forum-like display format with attachments shown as links.
  • Full without author: This is a forum-like display format that does not show author’s data with attachments shown as links.

-

Approval display format

When approving glossary items you may wish to use a different display format.

-

Entries shown per page

This sets the number of words and definitions your trainees will see when they view the glossary list.

-

Show alphabet links

You can use this option to display the alphabet for easier glossary browsing.

-

Show 'ALL' link

If you want trainees to see all of the glossary entries at once, set this to Yes.

-

Show 'Special' link

When users browse the glossary, they can select the first character of a word from a list. The Special link displays special characters such as @, #, $, etc.

-

Allow print view

This provides a printer-friendly version link for trainees. If you’ve set Allow print view to Yes, then you’ll see a little printer icon at the top right of the main glossary page. If you click the icon, Totara opens a new browser window and presents all the words and definitions in a printer-friendly format.

-

Grade category

This setting controls the category in which this activity's grades are placed in the gradebook.

-

Grade to pass

This setting determines the minimum grade required to pass. The value is used in activity and course completion, and in the gradebook, where pass grades are highlighted in green and fail grades in red.

-

Roles with permission to rate

You can grade entries yourself or allow students to grade entries as well. Select Only trainers or Everyone from the users menu. Then select a grading scale. You can also restrict when entries can be graded to a specific date range.

-

Aggregate type

The aggregate type defines how ratings are combined to form the final grade in the gradebook.

  • Average of ratings: The mean of all ratings.
  • Count of ratings: The number of rated items becomes the final grade. The total cannot exceed the maximum grade for the activity.
  • Maximum: The highest rating becomes the final grade.
  • Minimum: The smallest rating becomes the final grade.
  • Sum: All ratings are added together. The total cannot exceed the maximum grade for the activity.

If No ratings is selected, then the activity will not appear in the gradebook.

Scale

Select the type of grading used for this activity. If scale is chosen, you can then choose the scale from the scale dropdown. If using point grading, you can then enter the maximum grade available for this activity.

-

Common module settings

See common module settings to learn more.

-

Activity completion

See activity completion to learn more.

-

Restrict access

See restrict access to learn more.

-

Tag

See tags to learn.

-

Plugin settings

As a Site Administrator you can configure the site-wide settings for the glossary activity by going to Quick-access menu > Plugins > Activity modules > Glossary

SettingDescriptionNotes

Entries shown per page

Entries shown per page.

-

Duplicate entries allowed

Define if a glossary will allow duplicated entries by default.

-

Allow comments on entries

Define if a glossary will accept comments on entries by default.

-

Automatically link glossary entries

Define if a glossary should be automatically linked by default.

-

Approved by default

Define the approval status by default of an entry posted by a learner.

-

Enable RSS feeds

This switch will enable the possibility of RSS feeds for all glossaries. You will still need to turn feeds on manually in the settings for each glossary.

-

Automatically link glossary entries

Define if an entry should be automatically linked by default.

-

This entry is case sensitive

Define if an entry, when linked, is case sensitive by default.

-

Match whole words only

Define if an entry, when linked, should match the case in the target text by default.

-

Display formats setup

You can decide which display options will be available for glossary activities by using the show/hide icon (/). You can also configure the settings for each display option using the edit icon ().

-

© Copyright 2024 Totara Learning Solutions. All rights reserved. Some content originally obtained via GPLv3 license and continues to be available under GPLv3. All other content is the sole copyright of Totara Learning Solutions. 


Was this article helpful?

Changing your password will log you out immediately. Use the new password to log back in.
First name must have atleast 2 characters. Numbers and special characters are not allowed.
Last name must have atleast 1 characters. Numbers and special characters are not allowed.
Enter a valid email
Enter a valid password
Your profile has been successfully updated.