Flexiblelearning.net.au is an online service that provides vocational education and training tools and resources and supports communication and collaboration across the national training system.  Flexiblelearning.net.au is a hub for the exchange of ideas about incorporating flexible learning, especially e-learning, into practice.  It is a place to explore, discover and experiment with issues, technologies, processes and ideas. Most importantly, flexiblelearning.net.au is about connecting people with people, providing opportunities to share knowledge and know-how, and contribute to the flexiblelearning.net.au knowledge store.  It is a space to contribute, discuss and debate.

Flexiblelearning.net.au is primarily for vocational education and training practitioners and training provider organisations.

Anyone in the wider community can access the public view of flexiblelearning.net au to search for and view content. You need to become a member to contribute.

To become a member:

• Click the link at the top of the page that says Join.
• Fill in all your details then click Create new account.
• You will be sent an automated email and from there, just follow the prompts.

Flexiblelearning.net.au provides you with the tools and resources to create content and share information and ideas with colleagues who are members of the site. Registration is free and only takes a minute. Every registered member has an account (Your Space) and access to tools they can use to develop and share content and ideas.

You can use the tools to create content such as a blog, an article or a wiki as well as upload files that you have developed to Your Space to share with collleagues.

Flexiblelearning.net.au also allows you to connect with other members and interest groups and access content that they have created.

 Flexiblelearning.net.au provides you with a range of services including:

• access to quality-assured tools, resources and learning content, through search and browsing.
• the ability to save and bookmark site resources to your personal Your Space area.
• access to information about new learning technologies.
• opportunities to comment on and exchange ideas about the relevance and usefulness of particular teaching modes, resources and strategies.
• the opportunity to create and/or join interest groups and share knowledge.

To log in:

1. Click on the Login button from the main menu bar.
2. Under the Login tab, enter your username in the Username field.
3. Enter your password in the Password field.
4. Click on the Login button.

If you forget your password, you can request a new password as follows:

1. Click on the Login button from the main menu bar on the right side of the page.
2. Under the tab Request new password, enter your Username or e-mail address.
3. Complete the Captcha test.
4. Click Email new password.
5. You will be sent an email which contains a link for a one-time login. This email contains a login link that you can use only once.
6. Click on the login link in the email.
7. Click on the Login button. Your profile page opens. You can now change your password.

To change your password:

1. Click on Your Space.
2. Scroll down and click My account from the menu on the left.
3. Click on the Edit tab.
4. Enter your new password in the Password and Confirm password fields.
5. Scroll down and click Submit.

You can add existing members of the flexiblelearning.net.au website as your colleagues, or you can send an email invitation to a non-member and encourage them to join.

To add an existing member:

1. Type the persons' name into the search field.
2. Navigate to their Your Space.
3. Scroll down and under Colleagues List, click Add Joe Bloggs to my colleagues list.
4. Confirm you want to add them by clicking the Add button.

To invite a non-member to join and become your colleague:

1. Go to Your Space.
2. Click on Invite your friends or colleagues from the block on the left hand side.
3. Type in the email address of the person you would like to invite in the To field.
4. Scroll down and you will see a preview of the message the system will automatically send out. You can add your own message to it using the field provided.
5. Click the Submit button.

Any invitations you send out will be listed under myInvitations on the right-hand side of your Your Space page. Each invitation has a status:

• Joined: The invitee has accepted your invitation and has joined flexiblelearning.net.au. This person's username is automatically added to your myColleagues list. A system message will inform you that this person has joined flexiblelearning.net.au.
• Pending: The invitee has still not accepted the invitation to register. If you want to delete the pending invitation, click on the Delete invitation link.
• Expired: The invitee has not accepted the invitation to register within the expiration period. If you want to delete an expired invitation, click on the Delete invitation link.

To log out, click on the

Logout

button in the top right-hand side of the screen.

If you have any trouble, please email Webadmin or click Contact us at the bottom of any page and use the online form to contact Webadmin.

To register with flexiblelearning.net.au:

1. Click the link at the top of the page that says Join.
2. Fill in all your details. Note: fields that have an asterisk (*) are mandatory.
3. Tick the box that says Accept terms & conditions of use.
4. Complete the Captcha test.
5. Click Create new account.
6. You will be sent an automated email which contains a temporary password and link for your first login.
7. Click this link to log into your new account; you will need to then change your password and you may also fill in more information about yourself from there.

An article is information that is relevant for a specific period of time, for example, announcements and notices.

An article consists of a title, a teaser and a body. The teaser is the opening paragraph of the article. It is meant to grab the reader's attention. If readers want to see the rest of the article, they can click on the title.

See also:

• How do I create an article?
• How do I delete an article?

To create an article:

1. Go to Create content > Article in the left-hand navigation bar. The Create article form is displayed.
2. Enter information in the fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. The other fields are optional. Enter information in these fields as applicable.
   

   Title*	The title of the article. Enter a concise, descriptive title.
   Body*	The text of the article.
   Attach files	You can upload a file from your computer and attach it to your article.
   Assign Categories	Vocabularies from which you can choose categories to classify your article.
   Assign tags	Terms (tags) that describe your article. If you enter more than one tag, insert a comma between the tags.
   Audience	If you want your content to be displayed in one or more of your groups, tick the check box next to the group's name.

3. If you want to see what the article will look like when it is published, click on the Preview button. If you want to publish your article, click on the Submit button.

You can only delete articles that you have created. To delete an article:

1. Go to Your Space > myContributions.
2. Locate the article that you want to delete and open it.
3. Click on the Edit tab.
4. Click on the Delete button if you are sure that you want to delete the article.

Once you delete an article, you cannot undo the deletion.

A blog (short for web log) is an online journal where you can:

• communicate your thoughts and opinions about learning and teaching in the VET sector
• share your knowledge about particular facets of learning and teaching in the VET sector.

As a flexiblelearning.net.au user, you have your own blog which is generated after you create your first blog entry. A blog entry is like an online journal entry. The latest blog entry is displayed first.

You can access your blog by either going to Your Space > myBlog or clicking on thelink at the bottom of a blog entry. In your blog, you can create blog entries, view the blog entries that you have created and respond to comments that other users have added to your blog entries.

See also:

• How do I create a blog entry?
• How do I delete my blog entry?

To create a blog entry:

1. Do one of the following to open the Create blog entry form:

• Go to Create content > Blog entryon the left-hand navigation bar.
• Go to Your Space > myBlog and then click on Post new blog entry

2. Enter information in the fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. Enter information in the other fields as applicable.
   

   Title*	The title should be concise and summarise your blog entry.
   Body*	The text of your blog entry.
   Attach Files	You can upload a file from your computer and attach it to your blog entry.
   Assign Categories	Vocabularies from which you can choose categories to classify your blog entry.
   Assign Tags	Terms (tags) that describe your weblink. If you enter more than one tag, insert a comma between the tags
   Audience	If you want the weblink to be displayed in one or more of your groups, tick the check box next to the group's name.

3. If you want to see what your blog entry will look like when it is published, click on the Preview button. If you want to publish your blog entry, click on the Submit button.

You can only delete a blog entry that you have created. To delete your blog entry:

1. Go to Your Space > myBlog.
2. Click on the title of the applicable blog entry.
3. Click on the Edit tab.
4. Click on the Delete button at the bottom of the form. Are you sure you want to delete? is displayed.
5. Click on the Delete button if you want to delete this blog entry.

Once you have deleted your blog entry, you cannot undo the deletion.

A bookmark is a shortcut to the web address of a flexiblelearning.net.au page. By creating bookmarks, you have an easy way to return to flexiblelearning.net.au pages that you find interesting without having to remember their web addresses.

See also:

• How do I add a bookmark?
• How do I view my bookmarks?
• How do I delete one of my bookmarks?

To add a bookmark:

1. Find and open the resource that you want to bookmark.
2. Click on the Bookmark this item link.
3. Enter the title of the bookmark in the Your bookmark title field.
4. Enter the description of the bookmark in the Add some notes field.
5. If you want to see what your bookmark will look like when it is published, click on the Preview button. If you want to publish your bookmark, click on the Submit button.

To view your bookmarks, go to

Your Space > myBookmarks.

To delete one of your bookmarks:

1. Go to Your Space > myBookmarks.
2. Locate the bookmark that you want to delete.
3. Click on the Delete button under the bookmark's name.

A book is a dynamic, collaborative, online document. It has an underlying hierarchical structure that consists of:

• a top level from which all book pages branch off
• parent pages with child pages.

The hierarchical structure is displayed on the right-hand side of the screen when you open a book (see example below).

Books have the following features:

• book outline - hierarchical order of content
• auto-navigation - next, previous, and up links
• printer-friendly view - text without navigation blocks
• book navigation - hierarchy of book pages and where you are currently in the book
• comments - readers can comment on a particular page, section or the whole book.

See also:

• How do I create a book?
• How to I add content to a book?
• How do navigate through a book?
• How do I delete a book?

To create a book:

1. Go to Create content > Book page on the left-hand navigation bar.
2. Enter information in fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. Enter information in the other fields as applicable.
   

   Parent*	The parent section in which to place this page. Note that each page whose parent is <top-level> is an independent, top-level book.
   Title*	The title should be concise and summarise your book.
   Body*	The text that will appear in the front page of your book.
   Attach files	You can upload a file from your computer and attach it to your book.
   Assign categories	Vocabularies from which you can choose categories to classify your book.
   Assign tags	Terms (tags) that describe your book. If you enter more than one tag, insert a comma between the tags.
   Audience	If you want your content to be displayed in one or more of your groups, tick the check box next to the group's name.

3. If you want to see what your book will look like when it is published, click on the Preview button. If you want to publish your book, click on the Submit button.

To add content to a book:

1. Go to Create content > Book page on the left-hand navigation bar.
2. Enter information in fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. Enter information in the other fields as applicable.
   

   Parent*	The parent section in which to place this page. Use the arrow to find the name of a book that already exists.  This will create a page within the book.
   Title*	The title should be concise and summarise your book.
   Body*	The text that will appear in the front page of your book.
   File attachments	You can upload a file from your computer and attach it to your book.
   Categories	Vocabularies from which you can choose categories to classify your book.
   Assign tags	Terms (tags) that describe your book. If you enter more than one tag, insert a comma between the tags.
   Audience	If you want your content to be displayed in one or more of your groups, tick the check box next to the group's name.

3. If you want to see what your book will look like when it is published, click on the Preview button. If you want to publish your book, click on the Submit button.

You can use the following features to navigate through a book:

• table of contents
• navigation links
• navigation block.

When you create book pages for a book, the table of contents (TOC) entries for these pages are automatically created. To go to a particular page, you can click on its TOC link.

To browse through a book, you can use the following navigation links at the bottom of the book.

• < (goes to the previous page of the book)
• > (goes to next page of the book)
• Up (goes to the parent page)

To see a particular page in a book, you can click on its link in the book navigation block on the right-hand side of the screen.

The navigation block shows you where you are in the book hierarchy.

You can delete a book only if the administrator has allowed you to access the Delete button in the book.

Once you delete a book, you cannot undo the deletion. If other users have contributed content to the book, you should check with them before you delete the book.

To delete a book:

1. Go to Your Space > myContributions.
2. Locate and open the applicable book.
3. Click on the Edit tab.
4. Click on the Delete button at the bottom of the form. The message Are you sure you want to delete book? is displayed.
5. Click on the Delete button if you are sure that you want to delete the book.

To add a calendar event in a group you must first be within a group:

1. Go to Create group event in the left-hand group navigation bar.
2. Enter information in fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. Enter information in the other fields as applicable.
   

   Title*	The title of the event.
   Body*	A short description of the event.
   Web address	The web address (URL) where information about the event is published.
   Attach files	You can upload a file from your computer and attach it to your calendar event.
   Coverage/Audience	The intended audience of the event, eg Administrator or Community Member and the State coverage.
   Start date/End date	The start and end dates of the event.
   Duration	The length of the event.
   Registration Details	When registration for the event needs to be completed by.
   Type of event	A drop-down list of event types, eg lecture.
   Event Mode	A drop-down list of event modes, eg online.
   Location	Where the event will be held, ie the address.
   Organiser	The name of the person or organisation responsible for organising the event.
   Audience	If you want your content to be displayed in one or more of your groups, tick the check box next to the group's name.
   Assign tags	Terms (tags) that describe your calendar event. If you enter more than one tag, insert a comma between the tags.

3. Click on the Submit button.

See also:

• How do I view calendar events?
• Can I download calendar events?
• How do I delete a calendar event?

To view site-wide calendar events:

1. Go to the calendar at the bottom left-hand side of the screen. The current month is displayed.
2. If you want to look at a previous month, click on previous until you reach the month. If you want to look at a future month, click on next until you reach the month. Calendar days associated with an event are bold.
3. Double-click on the applicable calendar day. The calendar event details for this day are displayed.

To view calendar events for a group:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on the name of the applicable group.
3. Click on Group calendar within the group block on the right-hand side of the page.

You can download a calendar event to any application that recognises icalendar (a standard for calendar data exchange).

To download your calendar event:

1. Open the site-wide or group calendar.
2. Click on the calendar icon at the bottom right-hand side of the calendar.
3. Choose the application where you want to download the calendar event and click OK.

You can delete a calendar event only if you created it. To delete a calendar event:

1. Go to Your Space > myContributions.
2. Locate the event that you want to delete and click on its title.
3. Click on the Edit tab.
4. Click on the Delete button at the bottom of the form.
5. Click on the Delete button under Are you sure you want to delete ...?

Once you delete a calendar event, you cannot undo the deletion.

A case study is a means of offering real-life examples of how to implement e-learning strategies with the assistance of AFL Framework products and services.

To create a case study:

1. Go to Create content > Case study on the left-hand navigation bar.
2. Enter information in fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. Enter information in the other fields as applicable.
   

   Title*	The title should be concise and summarise your case study.
   Body*	The text that will appear in the front page of your case study.
   File attachments	You can upload a file from your computer and attach it to your case study.
   Assign categories	Vocabularies from which you can choose categories to classify your case study.

3. If you want to see what your case study will look like when it is published, click on the Preview button. If you want to publish your case study, click on the Submit button.

You can only delete case studies that you have created. To delete a case study:

1. Go to Your Space > myContributions.
2. Locate the case study that you want to delete and open it.
3. Click on the Edit tab.
4. Click on the Delete button if you are sure that you want to delete the case study.

Once you delete a case study, you cannot undo the deletion.

A colleague is a regular contact in flexiblelearning.net.au. You can add the names of your regular contacts to a colleagues list (myColleagues). In this way, you can keep track of:

• what your colleagues have recently posted
• what details your colleagues have added to their profile pages
• who the colleagues are of your colleagues.

See also:

• How do I add a user to myColleagues list?
• How do I remove a user from myColleagues list?

To add a user to your myColleagues list:

1. Locate the user.
2. Click on the user's username. The user's profile page is displayed.
3. Click on Add beneath Colleague actions.
4. Click on the Add button. The user will receive a system message stating that you want to add them to your myColleague list. If the user accepts your request, their username will appear in your colleagues list and your username will appear in their myColleagues list.

To remove a user from your myColleagues list:

1. Go to Your Space > myColleagues. A list of your colleagues is displayed.
2. Click on the name of the colleague that you want to remove from your list.
3. Click on the following link: Remove <username> from my colleague list.
4. Click on the Remove button.

To add a comment to a resource:

1. Find and open the applicable resource.
2. Click on the Add new comment button at the bottom of the form.
3. Enter the subject of your comment in the Subject field.
   If you leave the Subject field blank, the system inserts the first few words that are in the Comment field.
4. Enter your comment in the Comment field.
5. Click on the Preview comment button, this will show you how the comment will look once you have posted it.
6. Once satisfied with how the comment will look, click on the Post comment to post the comment.

See also:

• How do I reply to a comment?
• Can I edit my comment?
• How do I delete my comment?

To reply to a comment:

1. Find the resource that has the comment.
2. Go to the comment and click on the Reply link.
3. Enter the subject of your comment in the Subject field.
   If you leave the Subject field blank, the system inserts the first few words that are in the Comment field.
4. Enter your comment in the Comment field.
5. Click on the Preview comment button, this will show you how the comment will look once you have posted it.
6. Once satisfied with how the comment will look, click on the Post comment to post the comment.

You can edit your comment if no other user has replied to it. If a user replies to your comment, the edit link is no longer available for this comment.

To edit your comment:

1. Find the applicable resource and go to your comment.
2. Click on the edit link.
3. Edit your comment.
4. Click on the Post comment button.

Comments cannot be deleted.

You can upload the following types of file:

• .acc (MS Image Composer)
• .avi (Audio Visual Interleave movie)
• .doc (Microsoft Word documents)
• .docx (Microsoft Word 2007 XML-based document
• .gif (Graphical Interchange Format)
• .html (Hypertext Markup Language)
• .jpeg (JPEG image)
• .jpg (JPEG Image)
• .mov (Apple QuickTime Movie file)
• .mp3 (Compressed audio, music file)
• .mp4 (Compressed audio, music file)
• .mpa (Compressed audio, music file)
• .mpp (Compressed audio, music file)
• .odp (OpenDocument presentation)
• .odt (OpenDocument text document)
• .ods (OpenDocument spreadsheet)
• .pdf (Portable Document Format)
• .png (Portable Network Graphic)
• .ppt (PowerPoint presentation)
• .pps (PowerPoint slide show)
• .pptx (PowerPoint 2007 XML presentation)
• .swf (ShockWave Flash)
• .txt (text file)
• .wmv (Windows Media Video)
• .xls (Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet)
• .xlsx (Excel 2007 XML workbook)
• .xml (XML)
• .zip (compressed archive file)

The maximum file size that you can upload is 8 MB.

To attach a file for your content:

1. On the Create content block on the left-hand side of the page, click on the type of content that you want to create.
2. Add information in the applicable fields.
3. Go the File attachments field.
4. Either enter the path in the Attach new file box (eg c:\example.doc) and then go to Step 6, or click on the Browse button to view the File upload dialogue box.
5. Locate the file on your computer and click the Open button in the File upload dialogue box.
6. Click on the Attach button in the Attach file field. If you want to add another file, go to step 4.
   Note: After you click on the Attach button, you will see a List check box. If you want to allow users to download this file, tick the List check box. If you do not want to allow users to download this file, leave the List check box empty.
7. Click on the Submit button.

A forum is an online message board where group members can discuss particular topics.

When a user creates a group, the system automatically creates a forum for the group. Any group member can create a forum topic and other group members can respond. The latest response is displayed first.

Forums allow group members to:

• exchange ideas about teaching practice
• share knowledge, experience and know-how
• debate and discuss issues with other practitoner.

 See also:

• How do I create a forum topic?
• Where can I find a forum topic?
• How do I respond to a forum topic?
• How do I edit my forum topic?
• How do I delete my forum topic?
• What is the difference between a forum and a blog?

Forums are for communities (groups). Blogs are for users. Users can create blog entries on the subject of their choice.

The main objective of the forum is to engage group members in an an online discussion about a particular topic. A group member posts a forum topic and other members respond. The latest response is displayed first. The main objective of a blog entry is for a user to share information. Other users can add comments to a blog entry. The latest comment is displayed last.

To create a new forum topic:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on the name of the applicable group. The group's home page is displayed.
3. Click on Create Forum topic in the group's menu on the left-hand side of the page.
4. Enter information in fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. Enter information in the other fields as applicable.
   

   Subject*	The subject should be concise and reflect the content of your forum topic.
   Body*	The text that you want other group members to read and then respond to.
   Attach files	You can upload a file from your computer and attach it to your forum topic.
   Audience	If you want your content to be displayed in one or more of your groups, tick the check box next to the group's name.

5. Click on the Submit button.

You can only edit a forum topic that you have created. To edit your forum topic:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on the name of the applicable group.
3. Locate the applicable forum topic. Click on its title.
4. Click on the Edit tab.
5. Make the required change(s).
6. Click on the Submit button.

Forums are available only in groups.

First find a group where you are a member, then click on the title of the forum topic.

To respond to a forum topic:

1. Find the forum topic.
2. Click on the forum topic's title.
3. Click on the Add new comment link on the bottom left-hand side of the forum topic.
4. Enter the subject of your response in the Subject field.
5. Enter the text of your response in the Comment field.
6. Click on the Preview comment button.
7. Click on the Post comment button.

You can only delete a forum topic that you have created. Once you delete a forum topic, you cannot undo that deletion. To delete your forum topic:

1. Find the applicable forum topic (see: Where can I find a forum topic?).
2. Click on the title of the applicable forum topic.
3. Click on the Edit tab.
4. Click on the Delete button.

To create content:

1. Click on the type of content that you want to create, eg Article in the left-hand navigation block.  The content creation form opens. You can now enter content.

You can only edit content that you have created.

To edit content:

1. Go to Your Space > myContributions.
2. Click on the title of the content that you want to edit.
3. Click on the Edit tab or button.
4. Make the required changes.
5. If want to see what your content will look when it is published, click on the Preview button. If you want to publish your content, click on the Submit button.

You can only delete content that you have created. Once you delete content, you cannot undo the deletion.

To delete existing content:

1. Go to Your Space > myContributions.
2. Click on the title of the content that you want to delete.
3. Click on the Edit tab.
4. Click on the Delete button at the bottom of the form.
5. Click on the Delete button under the message: Are you are sure that you want to delete <title>?

When you click on the Preview button at the bottom of a content creation form, you can see what your content will look like when it is published. What you see depends on how many characters your content contains. If your content exceeds a pre-defined teaser length, you will see the following:

• Preview a trimmed version of your content (teaser). The teaser text is a pre-defined number of characters of the body text. Teasers are meant to grab the attention of the readers. If readers want to see the rest of the content, they can click on the title. Teasers are displayed in search results and in RSS feeds.
• Preview a full version of your content. You can see what all of the text that you have entered will look like when it is published on flexiblelearning.net.au.

If your content does not exceed the pre-defined teaser length, only the full version of your content will be displayed in the Preview page.

When you create content and then click on the Submit button, your content is published on flexiblelearning.net.au.

Alternative text, also known as an Advisory Title plays an important part to web accessibility; allowing users with visual disabilities to browse the website just as effectively as any other website user.

Alternative text should be added to any hyperlinks and pictures that are used in content on the website.

To add alternative text to a hyperlink:

1. Right-click on the link or picture and select Edit Link
2. Click on the Advanced tab
3. In the box marked Advisory Title, enter a brief description about the link e.g. Links to FAQ on this website.
4. Click Ok.

To add alternative text to a picture:

1. Right-click on the image and select Image Properties
2. Click on the Advanced tab
3. In the box marked Advisory Title, enter a brief description about the image e.g. Image of Joe Blogs.
4. Click Ok.

All registered flexiblelearning.net.au users have their own personal online workspace called Your Space. You can use Your Space to:

• keep track of the content that you have submitted to flexiblelearning.net.au (myContributions)
• manage your blog entries (myBlog)
• create links to internal content (myBookmarks)
• create and manage your profile - upload a photo and update your personal details (myProfile)
• keep track of your regular contacts in flexiblelearning.net.au (myColleagues)
• invite people to join flexiblelearning.net.au and keep track of their invitations (myInvitations)
• keep track of the tags that you have used to describe content (myTags)
• keep track of the groups that you have created and joined (myGroups).

You can use myPreferences to re-arrange how the information above is displayed in the flexiblelearning.net.au page.

See also:

• Can I change where information is displayed in Your Space?
• How do I get to another user's Your Space?
• How can I tell whose Your Space I am in?
• How do I send an email to another user?

In Your Space, functions such as myBlog and myContributions are contained in blocks. You can re-arrange these blocks.

If you go to Your Space > myPreferences, you will see the names of your blocks listed. For each block, you can choose:

• whether you want the block displayed
• where in the page you want the block displayed, eg centre, top or bottom, or left or right sidebar
• how you want the blocks to appear. Weight determines where in a page a block will appear.

When you have completed your changes, click on the Save blocks button.

To view another user's Your Space, go to the user's profile page. You can get to a user's profile page by clicking on their name link. A user's name in the flexiblelearning.net.au always appears as a link.

After you click on the user's name link, their profile page is displayed. The user's Your Space menu is displayed on the left-hand navigation bar. The Your Space menu is displayed in the top navigation bar.

In the user's Your Space page you can:

• see personal information that the user wants to share, eg information about their organisation, grants, awards or projects
• see what content the user has contributed to flexiblelearning.net.au
• add the user to your myColleagues list
• see what the user has bookmarked
• see which groups the user has joined.

In the profile page, there are Your Space menus on the:

• Top navigation bar. This Your Space menu always belongs to the logged-in user.
• Left-hand navigation bar and blocks on the right-hand side.  These all belong to the other person.  This is identified by that person's name prefixing the title of each block.

To send an email to another flexiblelearning.net.au user:

1. Click on the user's name link. A user's name in flexiblelearning.net.au always appears as a link. The user's profile page is displayed.
2. Go to the user's Your Space menu on the left-hand navigation bar, and click on Contact. An email form is displayed.
3. Enter the subject of the email in the Subject field.
4. Enter your message in the Message field.
5. If you want a copy of the email, tick the Send yourself a copy check box.
6. Click on the Send email button.

Group News is a way of communicating to group members important information that you all want them to know.

To create a Group news item:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on the applicable group's name.
3. Click on Create Group News in the group description block on the left-hand side of the page.
4. Enter information in fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. Enter information in the other fields as applicable.
   

   Title*	The title of the news item. Enter a concise, descriptive title.
   Body	The text of your news.
   File Attachments	You can upload a file from your computer and attach it to your news item .
   Categories	Vocabularies from which you can choose categories to classify your news.
   Assign tags	Terms (tags) that describe your news. If you enter more than one tag, insert a comma between the tags.
   Audience	If you want your content to be displayed in one or more of your groups, tick the check box next to the group's name.

5. If you want to see what the news item will look like when it is published, click on the Preview button. If you want to submit the page, click on the Submit button.

You can only delete group news items that you have created. To delete a news item:

1. Go to Your Space > myContributions.
2. Locate the group news item that you want to delete and open it.
3. Click on the Edit tab.
4. Click on the Delete button if you are sure that you want to delete the news item.

Once you delete a group news item, you cannot undo the deletion.

A group is a network of registered flexiblelearning.net.au users who have a shared project or interest in a particular facet of teaching and learning in the VET sector.

Any logged-in user can create a group. If you create a group, you become its owner and its first member. You can decide who can see that your group exists and how users become members of your group.

Group members can:

• contribute resources to the group
• view the resources created for the group
• view a list of group members
• participate in forum discussions
• view the calendar events associated with the group
• create, edit and update wikis
• send an email to group members.

Groups can be used as an online project workspace.

To find a group, you can either browse or search for it.

You can browse for groups in the Groups and Projects directory. To view the groups directory, go to one of the following:

• Groups and Projects > All Projects in the top navigation bar
• Groups and Projects > <Group Type> in the top navigation bar

The groups directory contains details of the groups whose owners have allowed them to be listed. A private group can only be seen by its members.

To see a list of groups that you have created or joined, go to Your Space  > myGroups. Your myGroups page also displays the names of the moderated groups in which your request to join is pending. If you click on the name of one of these moderated groups, the group's home page is displayed, but you will not be able to access the group's menus.

Groups have the following access areas:

• A groups directory page that you can access through Groups and Projects > All Projects (or specific group type) on the top navigation bar. The groups directory lists the groups that group owners have allowed to be listed. If a group is private, only its members will see it listed.
• A user-specific page called myGroups (Your Space > myGroups) that lists all of the groups that you have created and joined.
  

  Note:

  Moderated groups in which your subscription request is pending will be listed in your myGroups page. You will not be able to access the moderated group's menus or contribute content to the group until the group owner accepts your subscription request.

In flexiblelearning.net.au, there are two types of group membership:

• open
• moderated
  

To join an open group:

1. Go to Groups and Projects > All Projects or Groups and Projects > <Group Type> on the top navigation bar.
2. Click on the Join link on the right-hand side of the group's name.
3. Click on the Join button under Are you sure you want to join the group?

You are now a member of the group, and you can contribute content to the group.

To join a moderated group:

1. Go to Groups and Projects > All Projects or Groups and Projects > <Group Type> on the top navigation bar.
2. Click on the Request Membership link on the right-hand side of the group's name.
3. In the Additional details text box, you can enter information that might be relevant to your subscription request.
4. Click on the Join button.

An email is sent to the Group Administrator with the request to join the group.  The Group Administrator is able to decide whether to accept or decline the request.  You will receive an email either accepting or rejecting your request to join the group. If your submission request is successful, you can contribute content to the group.

If you change your mind and no longer want to join the group, you can delete the subscription request if the group owner has not yet accepted or rejected it.

If you subscribe to join a moderated group and you change your mind, you can delete your subscription request if it has not been approved or declined.

To delete your subscription request:

1. Go to Groups and Projects > All Projects or Groups and Projects > <Group Type> on the top navigation bar.
2. Click on the name of the applicable group. The following block appears on the top left-hand side of the group's home page.
   
3. Click on the delete request link.

To send an email to group members:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on the name of the applicable group.
3. Click on the Contact tab.
4. Enter the subject and the body text of the email.
5. Click on the Send email button.
6. Your email will be sent to all group members.

See also:
Can I send an email to another user?

Open and moderated groups

To unsubscribe from an open or moderated group:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on the name of the applicable group. The group's home page is displayed.
3. Click on Unsubscribe from this group in the Group tools block on the right-hand side of the page.

The following message is displayed: Are you sure you want to unsubscribe from <username> from the group <group name?>.

4. Click on the Unsubscribe button.

Group owner

Group owners cannot unsubscribe from the groups that they created.

The user who creates the group is the group's owner and its first member.

Group owners can manage the group and decide who can see that the group exists and how users become members of the group.

See also:

• How do I manage subscription requests?
  
• How do I grant group administration rights to a group member?
• How do I revoke group administration rights?

Note: You can only invite registered flexiblelearning.net.au users to join your group.

To invite a user:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on your group's name.
3. Click on Invite friend in the Group tools block.
4. Enter the email address or the username of the user you want to invite to join your group.

You can invite up to 10 users at a time. Use a comma to separate the email addresses or usernames, or enter each email address or username on a separate line.

If the group is an Open group the invitee can accept instantly.  If the group is a Moderated group the invitee needs to respond with a request back to the owner who will then accept then into the group.

If you create a moderated group, users can subscribe to join your group. To manage the subscription requests:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on your group's name.
3. Click on View <number> subscribers in the Group tools block on the right-hand side of the page.
4. Click on the List tab in the Subscriptions page.
   A list of subscribers is displayed. New subscribers will have approve and deny links next to their name. You will also get an email titled: Subscription request for <group name> from <user name>. The email contains links to approve or reject the subscription request.
5. To approve the subscription request, click on approve. To reject the subscription request, click on deny. You can also approve or reject the subscription requests through links in the email that you receive.

If you have a large group, you may need help to manage the group. You can grant group administration rights to a member of your group as follows:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on your group's name.
3. Click on <number> members in the Group tools block.
4. Click on the List tab in the Members page.
5. Click on Admin: Create next to the name of the user to whom you want to grant the group administration rights.
6. Click on the Confirm button.

To revoke group administration rights:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups on the top navigation bar.
2. Click on your group's name.
3. Click on <number> members in the Group tools block.
4. Click on the List tab in the Members page.
5. Click on Admin: Remove next to applicable user's name.
6. Click on the Remove button.

To create a group:

1. Go to Create group on the left-hand navigation bar.  The Create group form is displayed.

Enter information in the fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. Enter information in the other fields as applicable.

Note: All Project and Groups require approval from the site administrator before that are published.  You can still edit the content but it will not be published until the site administrator has published the group. 

The group block is for use by group owners only. Only the owners of groups on the Framework website are able to edit these blocks and change the information in them.

You can put any information you like in the group block; contact details, latest news, upcoming events, etc.

As the group owner of a group you have editing rights to change the content in the group. You will need to navigate to your group in order to view the group block and edit it. Once there, follow the below steps:

1. You can either click on Edit in the group block, or select Group block from the tabs underneath the group name.
2. Type in a Title for the block.
3. In Content put any information you want displayed in the group block.
4. Click on Submit.

Your block will be displayed on the right-hand side of the page, you can go back and change any of the content at any time by clicking on Edit.

A poll consists of a multiple-choice questionnaire that users can answer.

See also:

• How do I create a poll?
• How do I vote in a poll?
• Can I vote more than once in a particular poll?
• Can I cancel my vote?
• Can I delete a poll that I created?

To create a poll:

1. Go to Create content > Poll. The Create poll form is displayed.
2. Enter information in the fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. Enter information in the other fields as applicable.
   

   Question*	The question that you want the voters to answer.
   Attach files	You can upload a file from your computer and attach it to your poll.
   Choices*	You must enter text in at least two choice boxes. If you need more than five choices, tick the Need More Choices check box and then click on the Preview button.
   Poll duration	The timeframe for the poll to be open. Choose the applicable timeframe.
   Assign categories	Vocabularies from which you can choose categories to classify your poll.
   Assign tags	Terms (tags) that describe your poll. If you enter more than one tag, insert a comma between the tags.
   Audience	If you want your content to be displayed in one or more of your groups, tick the check box next to the group's name.

3. If you want to see what the poll will look like when it is published, click on the Preview button. If you want to submit the poll, click on the Submit button.

To vote in a poll:

1. Find the poll and open it.
2. Click on the option button next to the option that you want to choose.
3. Click on the Vote button.

You can vote only once. When you submit your vote, the Vote button will no longer be displayed.

To cancel your vote:

1. Find the poll and open it.
2. Click on Cancel your vote. 

You are able to delete a poll that you created.

Your profile page is located in Your Space > myProfile. Your myProfile page contains information about you.

After you register with flexiblelearning.net.au, you can add information about yourself in your profile page. Choose My account in your create content block on the left-hand side, and then click on the Edit tab in the User account page. The following links are displayed:

• Account settings
• Personal information.

You can change or add details to any of these fields.

You can rate content contributed by other flexiblelearning.net.au users.

There are two groups of stars at the bottom of content pages (see example below).

The second group of stars (Rate this) allows you to rate the content. The number of stars that you choose reflects your opinion of the content:

• one star - limited value
• two stars - some value
• three stars - valuable
• four stars - very valuable
• five stars - excellent.

The first group of stars (Average rating) shows the average rating of all users who have rated the content.

See also:

• How do I rate content?
• Can I cancel my rating of content?

If you have rated content, you can cancel this rating by clicking on the cancel rating icon between the Average rating and Rate this groups of stars.

To rate content:

1. Find the content that you want to rate.
2. Go to the group of stars under Rate this.
   If you want to know what each star means, hover your mouse over it (see example below).
   
3. Click on the applicable number of stars.

RSS (really simple syndication) is a way to make content available to users without them having to visit particular flexiblelearning.net.au pages or other websites.

When new content is posted on the flexiblelearning.net.au or a change is made to a particular external web page, an RSS reader keeps track of these changes and delivers them to users as feeds. A feed is a collection of the latest items of information.

RSS feeds can be:

• external
• internal.

Group owners and group administrators can subscribe to the RSS feeds of an external website in order to receive the latest information from that website. Each item of information in the RSS feed comes in the following form:

• a title that is a link to the full article
• a description of the article.

A feed reader or RSS aggregator in the flexiblelearning.net.au collects information from external websites and organises it in a single location.

You do not have to visit these external sites to get the latest information. The latest information comes to you.

See also:
How do I add an external RSS feed?
How do I view external RSS feeds?

To subscribe to an external RSS feed:

1. Go to Your Space > MyGroups.
2. Click on the applicable group's name.
3. Click on the Aggregator tab.
4. Click on the add feed link.
5. Enter information in fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. Enter information in the other fields as required.
   

   Title	The title of the feed. Enter a brief, descriptive title that you can easily find.
   URL	The RSS feed's URL (web address). Enter the feed URL exactly as it appears in the source website. If a website offers RSS feeds, one or more of the following icons will be displayed . Clicking on one of these icons will display the RSS feed's URL in the address bar of your browser.
   Update interval	How often the remote site is checked for updates.
   Keyword	You can streamline the feeds. You can specify one or more keywords that the feeds should contain. Only feeds containing these keywords will be displayed.
   Anti keyword	You can also specify one or more anti-keywords that feeds should not contain. If feeds contain these anti-keywords, they will not be displayed.

6. Click on the Submit button.
7. Test the new feed. Click on the feed overview link and then click on the update items link to see that the latest items are retrieved from the external website.

To view external RSS feeds:

1. Go to Your Space > MyGroups.
2. Click on the applicable group's name.
3. Click on the Aggregator tab.

An RSS Feeds tab is displayed in the footer of flexiblelearning.net.au. When you click on the RSS Feeds tab, an RSS Feeds page is displayed. When you click on the RSS Feeds tab, you will automatically be taken to a page where you can subscribe to an RSS Feed for the entire website.

When any new content is added to the flexiblelearning.net.au website an RSS reader will collect the new information and display it for your viewing.

To subscribe to an internal flexiblelearning.net.au RSS feed, you will first need to choose an RSS reader from applications such as:

• web browsers with built-in RSS readers, eg Internet Explorer 7+ or Firefox 2+
• web-based RSS readers, eg Google Reader or Bloglines
• email software - Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

See also:

How do I subscribe to internal RSS feeds?

You can subscribe to an internal RSS feed using a number of different methods.

The RSS Feeds tab in the footer of flexiblelearning.net.au will provide you with a feed for the whole website. Simply click the link then select the RSS reader you use and click the Subscribe Now button.

Or, wherever you see the RSS icon  simply click on the icon to subscribe to that particular feed.

  Flexiblelearning.net.au has the following classification methods:

• Vocabularies. A fixed system of vocabularies and their categories. You can choose pre-defined categories to classify your content.
• Tags. User-generated terms (tags) that allow you classify your content. For example, if your content is about workstation ergonomics, you may want to use tags such as workstations, ergonomics and posture.

Tags organise content in flexiblelearning.net.au, and make it easy for you to navigate to related information.

Tags are displayed as links:

• between the title and the body of contributed content
• in site-wide tag clouds
• in the Group tags block in your group's home page
• in myTags (Your Space > myTags).

Clicking on a tag link displays all content classified with the same tag.

See also:

• How do I find tags?
• How do I add tags?
• What is a tag cloud?

You can find tags:

• between the title and the body text of contributed content
• in site-wide tag clouds
• in the tag clouds of your groups
• in myTags (Your Space > myTags).

Enter the tags in the Free tags or Group tags field in the Assign tags section of content creation forms. Insert a comma between tags, for example surgery, medical students, medical studies.

As you start to enter a tag, a list of tags starting with the same letters is displayed. If the tag you want to type appears in the list, you can select it (see example below).

A tag cloud visually depicts the popularity of tags in flexiblelearning.net.au. Size reflects popularity. The larger the font, the more often users have used this tag to categorise their content (see example below).

A vocabulary contains a fixed set of categories that you can use to classify your content in flexiblelearning.net.au.

See also:

• How do I apply categories to my content?

When you create content, you will see Categories on the content creation form.

Select the terms that apply to your content. Holding down the ctrl button while selecting allows you to choose multiple categories.

A weblink is a shortcut to an external web page. By creating weblinks, you have an easy way to return to external web pages that you find interesting without having to remember their web addresses.

See also:

• How do I create a weblink?
• How do I delete a weblink?

To create a weblink:

1. Go to Create content > Weblink on the left-hand navigation bar. The Submit weblink form is displayed.
2. Enter information in the fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. Enter information in the other fields as applicable.
   

   Link Name*	The title of the web resource.
   URL*	The web address (URL).
   Link Description	The description of the weblink as it displays on the resource.
   Attach Files	You can upload a file from your computer and attach it to your weblink.
   Assign Categories	Vocabularies from which you can choose categories to classify your weblink.
   Assign Tags	Terms (tags) that describe your weblink. If you enter more than one tag, insert a comma between the tags.
   Audience	If you want the weblink to be displayed in one or more of your groups, tick the check box next to the group's name.

3. If you want to see what your weblink will look like when it is published, click on the Preview button. If you want to publish your weblink, click on the Submit button.

You can only delete weblinks that you have created. To delete a weblink:

1. Go to Your Space > myContributions.
2. Locate the weblink and click on its title.
3. Click on the Edit tab.
4. Click on the Delete button.

Once you delete a weblink, you cannot undo the deletion.

A wiki is a collaborative, knowledge-sharing tool that is available to group members.

A group member can create a wiki and other group members can edit or update the wiki content.

Wikis reflect the collective knowledge of the group members who have contributed the content.

Example

A group has organised a conference to be held in North Sydney. Group members will be coming from all over Australia to attend the conference.

User A, who is a train commuter in Sydney, creates a wiki titled Travel information and adds information about trains to North Sydney.

User B, who is a bus commuter in Sydney, adds information about North Sydney buses. User B's revision overrides User A's revision to become the current revision.

User C, who uses private transport in Sydney, adds information about driving to North Sydney. User C's revision overrides User B's version to become the current revision.

The wiki comes to reflect the collective knowledge of User A, User B and User C.

See also:

• How do I create a wiki?
• How do I edit a wiki?
• How do I revert to an earlier revision of a wiki?
• How do I delete a wiki revision?
• Can I delete a wiki?

To create a wiki:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on the applicable group's name.
3. Click on Create Wiki topic in the group description block on the left-hand side of the page.
4. Enter information in fields that have an asterisk (*). These fields are mandatory. Enter information in the other fields as applicable.
   

   Title*	The title of the wiki. Enter a concise, descriptive title.
   Body	The text of your wiki.
   Log message	Why you are creating the wiki.
   File Attachments	You can upload a file from your computer and attach it to your wiki.
   Assign tags	Terms (tags) that describe your wiki. If you enter more than one tag, insert a comma between the tags.
   Audience	If you want your content to be displayed in one or more of your groups, tick the check box next to the group's name.

5. If you want to see what the wiki will look like when it is published, click on the Preview button. If you want to submit the page, click on the Submit button.

Any group member can edit a wiki. A new revision is created each time the wiki is edited.

To edit a wiki:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on the applicable group's name.
3. Go to Group wiki topics on the right-hand side of the group's home page and click on the desired wiki topic.
4. Click on the Edit tab.
5. Make the required change.
6. Enter your reason for making the change in the Reason for entry field.
7. Click on the Submit button.

To revert to an earlier version of a wiki:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on the applicable group's name.
3. Find the Group wiki topics on the right-hand side of the group's home page and click on the desired wiki topic.
4. Click on the Revisions tab.
5. Click on the Revert link next to the applicable revision date.
6. Click on the Revert button if you are sure that you want to make this revision the current revision.

To delete a wiki revision:

1. Go to Your Space > myGroups.
2. Click on the applicable group's name.
3. Click on the title of the applicable wiki.
4. Click on the Revisions tab.
5. Click on the Delete link next to the revision that you want to delete.
6. Click on the Delete button if you are sure that you want to delete this revision.

Only content moderators, site administrators and super administrators can delete wikis.