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

Coming Soon

Assignment creation and grading features are currently under development. The functionality described below represents planned features.

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

The LMS supports AI-powered chat assistants for your course. Configure AI settings to customize the experience for your students.

AI Configuration

1. Navigate to Course Settings → AI Configuration
2. Configure the following options:

AI Provider

Select the AI provider for your course:

Provider	Description	Use Case
OpenAI (default)	GPT-4 models	General-purpose AI
Anthropic	Claude models	Complex reasoning tasks
Google	Gemini models	Multimodal capabilities
Custom Backend	Self-hosted LLM	Self-hosted solutions (Ollama, LM Studio)
Mock	Simulated responses	Testing and development

Custom Backend Settings

For Custom Backend provider:

• Base URL: Enter your LLM endpoint (e.g., http://localhost:11434 for Ollama)
• API Format: Select OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google compatible format
• API Key: Optional course-specific API key
• Model: Override the default model

Enabling/Disabling AI

Toggle AI chat availability for your course:

• Enable AI: Students can access the AI chat assistant
• Disable AI: AI features are hidden from students

Detailed Configuration Guide

For comprehensive AI configuration including provider setup, model selection, custom backend configuration, and troubleshooting, see the AI Configuration Guide.

Managing AI Tools and Permissions

Control which tools the AI assistant can use and configure permission scopes for tool access.

Available Tool Categories

Category	Tools	Description
Calendar	View/Create Events	AI can help students track deadlines and schedule
Course Content	Browse Modules/Chapters	AI can navigate and reference course materials
Quiz	View Attempts/Questions	AI can help with quiz review and preparation
Discussion	Search/View Posts	AI can find relevant discussion threads

Permission Scopes

Control how tool permissions work:

• Always: Tool can be used anytime (best for read-only tools)
• Conversation: Permission lasts for the current chat session
• Once: Single-use permission, requires re-approval each time

Configuring Tool Permissions

1. Navigate to Course Settings → AI Configuration
2. Scroll to Tool Permissions section
3. For each tool category:
   • Enable or disable the category
   • Set the default permission scope
   • Configure auto-approval for specific tools
4. Click Save Configuration

Best Practice

Enable read-only tools (viewing content, checking calendars) with "Always" scope for seamless student experience. Use "Conversation" or "Once" scope for tools that make changes to ensure instructor oversight.

For more details on tool permissions and advanced configuration, see the AI Configuration Guide.

Monitoring AI Interactions

Review AI chat analytics:

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

Analytics and Reports

Course Analytics Dashboard

Access comprehensive analytics to understand student engagement and content effectiveness.

Content Analytics

Track how students interact with your course content:

Key Metrics:

• View Count: Number of times content has been accessed
• Unique Viewers: Number of distinct students who viewed
• Average Time: Average time spent on each content item
• Completion Rate: Percentage of students who finished viewing
• Download Stats: For file downloads

Available For:

• Modules and chapters
• Course files
• Quiz questions
• Discussion posts

Accessing Content Analytics:

1. Navigate to Course Analytics from your course
2. Select Content Analytics tab
3. Filter by content type or date range
4. Export data for further analysis

User Activity Analytics

Monitor individual and aggregate student activity:

Activity Types Tracked:

• Course logins and session duration
• Content views (modules, chapters, files)
• Quiz attempts and completions
• Discussion participation
• AI chat interactions
• File downloads

View Options:

• Aggregate View: Overall course activity trends
• Individual View: Per-student activity timeline
• Comparison View: Compare students or time periods

Using Activity Data:

• Identify at-risk students with low engagement
• Find popular content vs. content that needs improvement
• Track assignment progression
• Understand peak activity times

AI Chat Analytics

When AI chat is enabled, track usage and effectiveness:

Metrics:

• Total conversations per student
• Messages exchanged
• Token usage (for cost tracking)
• Common topics and questions
• Tool usage frequency
• Student satisfaction indicators

Insights:

• Identify confusing course topics
• Discover frequently asked questions
• Monitor AI chat effectiveness
• Adjust AI tool permissions based on usage

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