Instructor Guide

This guide covers all the features and functionality available to instructors in the Learning Management System.

Dashboard

As an instructor, your dashboard provides:

• Overview of your courses
• Recent student activity
• Pending grading tasks
• Course analytics
• Quick access to course management tools

Course Management

Creating a Course

To create a new course:

1. Click "Create Course" from your dashboard
2. Fill in course details:
   • Course name
   • Course code
   • Description
   • Start and end dates
3. Configure course settings
4. Click "Create" to finalize

Editing Course Information

To update course details:

1. Navigate to your course
2. Click "Course Settings"
3. Update the necessary information
4. Save changes

Course Structure

Organize your course using modules:

• Each course contains multiple modules
• Modules contain chapters
• Chapters contain content items (files, assignments, quizzes)

Managing Course Content

Creating Modules

To add a module:

1. Navigate to your course
2. Click "Add Module"
3. Enter module name and description
4. Set the order/sequence
5. Save the module

Adding Chapters

Within each module, create chapters:

1. Select a module
2. Click "Add Chapter"
3. Enter chapter title
4. Add chapter content
5. Save the chapter

Uploading Course Files

To upload course materials:

1. Navigate to the Files section
2. Click "Upload Files"
3. Select files from your computer
4. Organize files into folders (optional)
5. Set file permissions and visibility
6. Upload

Supported file types include:

• PDF documents
• Word documents
• PowerPoint presentations
• Images
• Videos
• Audio files
• Zip archives

TIP

You can drag and drop files for faster uploading.

Organizing Content

Best practices for content organization:

• Use clear, descriptive module names
• Follow a logical sequence
• Group related materials together
• Use folders to categorize files
• Add descriptions to clarify content purpose

Managing Students

Enrolling Students

To enroll students in your course:

1. Navigate to "Members" in your course
2. Click "Add Members"
3. Search for students by name or email
4. Select students to enroll
5. Confirm enrollment

Managing Enrollment

You can:

• View all enrolled students
• Remove students from the course
• Change student roles
• Export enrollment lists

Student Permissions

Configure what students can do:

• View course materials
• Submit assignments
• Participate in discussions
• View grades
• Access specific modules

Assignments

Creating Assignments

To create an assignment:

1. Navigate to the Assignments section
2. Click "Create Assignment"
3. Fill in assignment details:
   • Title
   • Description and instructions
   • Due date and time
   • Point value
   • Submission type (file upload, text, etc.)
4. Configure settings:
   • Allow late submissions
   • Number of attempts allowed
   • Submission restrictions
5. Publish the assignment

Grading Assignments

To grade student submissions:

1. Navigate to the assignment
2. Click "View Submissions"
3. Select a student's submission
4. Review their work
5. Enter a grade
6. Provide feedback comments
7. Save and publish the grade

TIP

You can download all submissions at once for offline grading.

Assignment Settings

Configure assignment options:

• Due dates and late policies
• Grading rubrics
• Peer review settings
• Submission file types
• Plagiarism detection (if enabled)

Quizzes

Creating Quizzes

To create a quiz:

1. Navigate to Quizzes section
2. Click "Create Quiz"
3. Enter quiz details:
   • Title and description
   • Available date range
   • Time limit (optional)
   • Number of attempts
4. Add questions
5. Configure quiz settings
6. Publish the quiz

Question Types

The LMS supports various question types:

Multiple Choice

• Single correct answer
• Multiple correct answers
• With or without partial credit

True/False

• Simple boolean questions

Short Answer

• Text-based responses
• Can be auto-graded with specific keywords

Essay Questions

• Long-form responses
• Requires manual grading

Fill in the Blank

• Complete the missing word(s)
• Auto-graded based on expected answers

Question Banks

Organize questions efficiently:

1. Create question banks by topic
2. Reuse questions across quizzes
3. Randomize questions from banks
4. Import/export questions

Quiz Settings

Configure quiz behavior:

• Shuffle questions
• Shuffle answer options
• Show one question at a time
• Allow backtracking
• Show correct answers after submission
• Provide immediate feedback

Grading Quizzes

For auto-graded questions:

• Grades are calculated automatically
• Review grade distribution
• Adjust point values if needed

For manually-graded questions:

• Review student responses
• Assign points based on rubric
• Provide feedback

Discussions

Creating Discussion Topics

To create a discussion:

1. Navigate to Discussions
2. Click "New Discussion"
3. Enter discussion title and prompt
4. Configure settings:
   • Pin to top
   • Lock replies
   • Allow anonymous posts
5. Post the discussion

Moderating Discussions

As an instructor, you can:

• Edit or delete posts
• Pin important threads
• Lock discussions
• Mark best answers
• Receive notifications for new posts

INFO

Active participation in discussions increases student engagement.

Grading and Assessment

Grade Book

The grade book provides:

• Complete view of all student grades
• Assignment and quiz scores
• Overall course grades
• Grade statistics

Grading Options

You can:

• Weight different assignment types
• Drop lowest scores
• Curve grades
• Set grade policies
• Export grades to CSV

Providing Feedback

Types of feedback:

• Comments on assignments
• Inline annotations on documents
• Audio/video feedback
• General course feedback

Course Calendar

Managing Course Events

Use the calendar to:

• Schedule assignment due dates
• Set quiz availability windows
• Create office hours
• Schedule course events
• Send calendar invitations

AI Chat Integration

Enabling AI Chat

Configure the AI chat assistant for your course:

1. Go to Course Settings
2. Enable AI Chat
3. Configure AI behavior:
   • Scope (course-specific or general)
   • Response style
   • Content restrictions
4. Save settings

Monitoring AI Interactions

Review AI chat analytics:

• Common student questions
• Topics needing clarification
• Engagement metrics
• Effectiveness indicators

Analytics and Reports

Course Analytics

View comprehensive course data:

• Student engagement metrics
• Content access patterns
• Assignment completion rates
• Quiz performance statistics
• Time spent on activities

Student Analytics

Track individual student performance:

• Activity timeline
• Progress tracking
• At-risk indicators
• Engagement levels

Content Analytics

Understand how students interact with content:

• Most viewed materials
• Time spent on content
• Download statistics
• Video playback analytics

Exporting Reports

Generate and export reports:

1. Navigate to Analytics
2. Select report type
3. Configure date range and filters
4. Export as CSV or PDF

Communication

Announcements

Send course-wide announcements:

1. Navigate to Announcements
2. Click "New Announcement"
3. Write your message
4. Choose notification method (email, in-app)
5. Post announcement

Messaging Students

Contact students directly:

• Individual messages
• Group messages
• Class-wide communications
• Automated notifications

Course Settings

General Settings

Configure course-wide options:

• Course visibility
• Student permissions
• Enrollment settings
• Grading policies

Integration Settings

Configure external integrations:

• Calendar sync
• Video conferencing
• External tools
• Learning analytics platforms

Best Practices

Course Design

• Start with clear learning objectives
• Organize content logically
• Use consistent naming conventions
• Provide clear instructions
• Include diverse content types

Student Engagement

• Post regular announcements
• Respond promptly to questions
• Use discussions to build community
• Provide timely feedback
• Vary assessment types

Time Management

• Set up courses before semester starts
• Create assignment templates
• Use rubrics for consistent grading
• Schedule announcements in advance
• Batch similar grading tasks

Accessibility

• Provide text alternatives for images
• Use clear, readable fonts
• Include captions for videos
• Organize content with headings
• Test content with screen readers

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Students can't see content:

• Check content visibility settings
• Verify student enrollment
• Check module release dates

Gradebook issues:

• Ensure assignments are published
• Check grading settings
• Verify score calculations

File upload problems:

• Check file size limits
• Verify file type restrictions
• Test with different browsers

Getting Help

For technical support:

1. Check this documentation
2. Contact system administrators
3. Submit a support ticket
4. Join instructor community forums

Additional Resources

• Developer Guide - Technical documentation for customizations
• Course Design Templates
• Rubric Library
• Assessment Best Practices