Metacourse: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 15:20, 10 August 2021

What is a metacourse?

A meta course is a course that is "with" or linked to one or more courses for its student enrolment (enrollment to some). Adding or subtracting participants in a metacourse can only be done from the courses it is linked to. The linked courses push enrolment information to the metacourse(s) every time cron is run. There are many uses for a metacourse.

The course meta link option must be turned on by the site adminstrator. Settings > Site administration > Plugins > Enrolments > Manage enrol plugins > Course meta link. The standard package default is to hide this feature.

Concept note: When using a meta course, Moodle calls the courses it is linked to child courses. Some people like to think of them as parent courses. In any case a meta course has a kinship with one or more non-meta courses when it comes to enrolment.

In the simplest form, a linked course only needs to contain just the Students who are to be enrolled in a meta course. There do not need to be resources, assignments, or wikis, etc., just the Students in the linked course. In the simplest form, a meta course cannot enroll Students, but will have resources and activities for students in the linked courses.

Created - a child course and a meta course.	Associating one child course and one meta course.

Examples: one "child" course (a course linked to a meta course) can be associated with many meta courses. Or one meta course can have many child courses associated with it. Both the child courses (non-meta courses) and the meta courses are independent and can be recycled many times, that is, each can be associated with many of the other.

2 child courses and a meta course.	1 child course and 2 meta courses.	3 child courses and 2 meta courses.

Creating a meta course

For information on how to create a metacourse, see Course meta link plugin and see this screencast How to make a metacourse in Moodle 2.0

Tips and Tricks

For Administrators

You must change permissions and capabilities for Teachers to allow them to link Meta courses. To do this go to:

Site Administration > Users > Permissions > Define Roles

Select the Teacher Role and click on the Edit button. Scroll down to Course Meta Link as shown in the images below:


The default setting is "Not Set"

When the Edit button is clicked, the panel changes to "Allow" and a checkbox

Change to "Allow" by a click on the checkbox.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to Save your changes.

Example Procedure for Experimenting with Metacourses

In this example, there are 2 sections of students in the "Parent" course: "Section 001" and "Section 002". Students are enrolled in the section courses.

Turn Metacourses on by going to Site administration -> Plugins -> Enrolments -> Manage enrol plugins and enabled Course meta link.
Created the following courses:
1. Parent
2. Section 001
3. Section 002
Enroll users into Section 001 and Section 002. Leave Parent enrollment empty.
Go to Parent course. Go to Settings -> Course admin -> Users -> Enrolment methods. On that screen, add method "Course Meta link" and choose Section 001. Repeat steps for Section 002. If you look at participants for the parent course, you will see the users from Section 001 and 002.
If you log-in as a student from section 001, you will see section 001 and parent in your course listings. If you want only students to see the parent course, then go to:
1. Site Administration -> Courses -> Add/edit courses. Choose the category for the section 001 course. Find the course section 001. Click the eye icon to hide the course.
2. OR search for the course from the home page logged in as site admin. Click the eye icon to hide the appropriate courses.
Repeat above for section 002. If you log in as a student, you can't see/search for section 001. However, an admin can still see/search for these now hidden child courses. The will be grayed out to indicate that they are hidden.

Draw a map of your courses

Get an oversized piece of paper (A3 or 11"x17'), draw boxes for courses and give them names. Add lines to connect the boxes to show relationships. Label the meta courses (alternatively, color the meta course boxes). Add arrows to the lines so you will know where enrolments come from. This is a great tip from the Business Uses forum.

Groups do not transfer

Meta course enrolments do not transfer groups from the and enrolment does not happen immediately, but occurs next time the cronjob runs.

Transfer of roles

By default all role assignments from child courses are synchronised to meta courses. However, the "Roles that are not synchronised to metacourses" setting in Site administration > Plugins > Enrolments > Manage enrol plugins > Course meta link > Settings enables administrators to exclude particular roles.

Restoring a meta course

When restoring a meta course with the option "deleting the course first", you will notice that the enrolments that were used by the course previously are now gone. In order to re-link the course, navigate to the new course and select the link "Child Courses" from the "Administration" block on the main course page and re-link the course to its parent.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-A '''meta course''' is a course that is "with" or dependent upon one or more courses for student enrollment. A meta course automatically enrolls participants from one or more other courses.
+==What is a metacourse?==
+A '''meta course''' is a course that is "with" or linked to one or more courses for its student [[Enrolment|enrolment]] (enrollment to some). Adding or subtracting participants in a metacourse can only be done from the courses it is linked to. The linked courses push enrolment information to the metacourse(s) every time [[Cron|cron]] is run. There are [[Metacourse examples of use|many uses for a metacourse]].
-==Enrollments==
+The course meta link option must be turned on by the site adminstrator.
-Students cannot enroll in the meta course directly. A teacher or administrator cannot enroll students directly in a meta course but enrollments occur ''' only''' through another course that the meta course links to - its '''child course'''.
+''Settings > Site administration > Plugins > Enrolments > Manage enrol plugins > Course meta link''.  The standard package default is to hide this feature.
-For the sake of clarity, a child course should contain nothing but the Students who are to be enrolled in the metacourse. There should be no resources, no assignments, no wikis, etc., nothing but the Students. The metacourse '''cannot''' contain Students, only resources, assignments, wikis, etc.
+''Concept note:'' When using a meta course, Moodle calls the courses it is linked to '''child''' courses. Some people like to think of them as parent courses.  In any case a meta course has a kinship with one or more non-meta courses when it comes to enrolment.
-:Examples: one child course can be associated with many meta courses (Scenario 2, 3 and 5).  Or one meta course can have many child courses associated with it (Scenario 1, 4 and 6). Both the child courses and the meta courses are independent and can be recycled many times, that is, each can be associated with many of the other. Child courses cannot be associated with other child courses and meta courses cannot be associated with other meta courses.
+In the simplest form, a linked course only needs to contain just the Students who are to be enrolled in a meta course. There do not need to be resources,  assignments,  or wikis, etc., just the Students in the linked course.  In the simplest form, a meta course '''cannot''' enroll Students, but will have resources and activities for students in the linked courses.
+{| class="wikitable" align="center"
+|-
+![[Image:simplemetacourse0.png|thumb|left|200px|Created - a child course and a meta course.]]
+![[Image:simplemetacourse1.png|thumb|left|200px|Associating one child course and one meta course.]]
+|}
-==Creating a meta course==
+Examples: one "child" course (a course linked to a meta course) can be associated with many meta courses. Or one meta course can have many child courses associated with it. Both the child courses (non-meta courses) and the meta courses are independent and can be recycled many times, that is, each can be associated with many of the other.
-To create a meta course, set "Is this a meta course?" to yes in the [[Course settings|course settings]]. After saving the course settings, you will see a list of "child courses" to choose from.
+{| class="wikitable" align="center"
-[[Image:Meta Course - select children.jpg|thumb|center|600px|Select screen, one course has been selected so far.]]
+|-
+![[Image:simplemetacourse2.png|thumb|left|200px|2 child courses and a meta course.]]
+![[Image:simplemetacourse3.png|thumb|left|200px|1 child course and 2 meta courses.]]
+![[Image:simplemetacourse4a.png|thumb|left|200px|3 child courses and 2 meta courses.]]
+|}
-It is possible to add more courses for this one to get it's enrollments.
+==Creating a meta course==
+For information on how to create a metacourse, see [https://docs.moodle.org/20/en/admin/setting/enrolsettingsmeta Course meta link plugin] and see this screencast [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA5QcTb13no&feature=player_embedded| How to make a metacourse in Moodle 2.0]
-'''Note: Do not be misled by the "Child Courses".   You are adding courses that the meta course will be dependent upon for its students.'''
+==Tips and Tricks==
-In Moodle 1.5 and 1.6, if a meta course is chosen, the [[Students|students]] page changes from listing/searching for students to listing/searching for courses.  In Moodle 1.7 onwards, "parent courses" appears in the teacher's administration block.
+===For Administrators===
+You must change permissions and capabilities for Teachers to allow them to link Meta courses. To do this go to:
+ Site Administration > Users > Permissions > Define Roles
+Select the Teacher Role and click on the Edit button. Scroll down to Course Meta Link as shown in the images below:
+{| class="wikitable" align="center"
+|-
+|[[Image:metacoursepermissionset00.png|Permission block for allowing Teachers to link Meta courses.]]
+|-
+| style="text-align: center;"| The default setting is "Not Set"
+|-
+|[[Image:metacoursepermissionset01.png|Permission changes for editing.]]
+|-
+| style="text-align: center;"| When the Edit button is clicked, the panel changes to "Allow" and a checkbox
+|-
+|[[Image:metacoursepermissionset02.png|Setting permission to allow Teachers to link Meta courses.]]
+|-
+| style="text-align: center;"| Change to "Allow" by a click on the checkbox.
+|}
+Scroll to the bottom of the page to '''Save''' your changes.
-==Meta course examples==
+=== Example Procedure for Experimenting with Metacourses ===
-Meta courses may be used in a variety of ways.  Here are a few:
+In this example, there are 2 sections of students in the "Parent" course: "Section 001" and "Section 002".  Students are enrolled in the section courses.
-===Scenario 1===
+# Turn Metacourses on by going to Site administration -> Plugins -> Enrolments -> Manage enrol plugins and enabled Course meta link.
-course that gets its enrollment from 4 other courses.
+# Created the following courses:
+## Parent
+## Section 001
+## Section 002
+# Enroll users into Section 001 and Section 002. Leave Parent enrollment empty.
+# Go to Parent course. Go to Settings -> Course admin -> Users -> Enrolment methods. On that screen, add method "Course Meta link" and choose Section 001. Repeat steps for Section 002. If you look at participants for the parent course, you will see the users from Section 001 and 002.
+# If you log-in as a student from section 001, you will see section 001 and parent in your course listings. If you want only students to see the parent course, then go to:
+## Site Administration -> Courses -> Add/edit courses. Choose the category for the section 001 course. Find the course section 001. Click the eye icon to hide the course.
+## '''OR''' search for the course from the home page logged in as site admin. Click the eye icon to hide the appropriate courses.
+# Repeat above for section 002. If you log in as a student, you can't see/search for section 001. However, an admin can still see/search for these now hidden child courses. The will be grayed out to indicate that they are hidden.
-X is a meta course and Courses 1, 2, 3, 4 are normal courses with standard student enrollments. Students enrolling in Courses 1 or 2, or 3 or 4,  are automatically enrolled onto Meta course X.  The meta course is dependent upon its enrollments from each of the non-meta courses.
-[[Image:Metacourses1_en.jpg|Standard Meta course usage|center]]
-For example, a math teacher has 2 algebra and 2 geometry courses and wants a "home room" to place things of interest for all of their students. The teacher creates a meta course called "Teacher's home room" and links the algebra and geometry courses as the "child" courses.
-:More advanced. The math department has 4 teachers who have each created a "home room" meta course.  The department has several "after school" activities, such as a math club, student tutors bulletin board and job shadow program.  The department creates a meta course called "Math lounge".  This meta course gets its enrollments from each of the teachers home rooms.  The department had to create a course for students who no longer were taking a math class, who wanted to be enrolled in the "Math Lounge" meta course.
-===Scenario 2===
-course that sends its enrollments to 4 other courses.
-Meta courses 1-4 each have created a "child" link to Y which is a normal course. Students enrolling on Course Y are automatically enrolled in Meta courses  1-4.
-[[Image:Metacourses2_en.jpg|Upsidedown Meta course Usage|center]]
-For example: this would be used, when all five courses are intended to have exactly the same students.
-===Scenario 3===
-One or more meta courses are used as a library of resources and activities.
-For example, the English department has collected material useful in writing papers. Teachers can direct or embed a link to a specific reference about citations, or how to select a topic for a paper or suggested reading compiled by students. Thus an English 101 course should be one of the links in the "Writing Papers" meta course.  This Meta course holds a resource called "Citations made easy", a Lesson "Select a topic" and a Wiki or database called "Suggested readings from classmates".
-===Scenario 4===
-A Diploma course sends its enrollment to meta courses.
-A Diploma program  involves courses D1, D2, D3, and D4.  In this case, you would create a "Diploma" course as a normal course (non-meta course).  You would then designate programs D1 through D4 as meta courses and each would show the Diploma course as the "child" course.  When a student enrolls in "Diploma", he or she will be automatically enrolled in courses D1 through D4.
-===Scenario 5===
-*You have 3 course subjects and want to offer them for sale in different packages.  The meta courses will contain your subjects.  A normal (non-Meta course) course will be the gateways to the meta course(s).  Course 1 is your gold package.  Meta course A, Meta course B and Meta course C all link to Course 1.  The silver package is Course 2.  Meta courses A and B link to Course 2.  You have also set up individual courses that have a link from a specific Meta Course to them.  Thus you can offer and charge for each meta course separately or in some combination.
-===Scenario 6===
-* You have one "Wizbang" course but want to charge a different rate based upon the type of user.  The "Wizbang" meta course is the one that holds the content.  You create a courses for "Wizbang for Large Corporation users" and "Wizbang for Small Business users". The Wizbang meta course is linked to "Wizbang for Large Corporation users" and "Wizbang for Small Business users" courses.
-The key point is that the meta courses hold the content which can be "shared" by students enrolled in other courses. The gateway courses might have some specific package information or added bonus information, but a student enrolled in the gateway course will see and be able to get into the meta course(s) associated with it.
-==Tips and Tricks==
 ===Draw a map of your courses===
-Get a piece of A4 paper (oversized), draw boxes for courses and give them names. Add lines to connect the boxes to show relationships. Label the meta courses (alternatively, color the meta course boxes). Add arrows to the lines so you will know where enrollments come from.  This is a great tip from the Business Uses forum.
+Get an oversized piece of paper (A3 or 11"x17'), draw boxes for courses and give them names. Add lines to connect the boxes to show relationships. Label the meta courses (alternatively, color the meta course boxes). Add arrows to the lines so you will know where enrolments come from.  This is a great tip from the Business Uses forum.
 ===Groups do not transfer===
@@ Line 70: / Line 72: @@
 ===Transfer of roles===
-By default all role assignments from child courses are synchronised to meta courses. However, the "Roles that are not synchronised to metacourses" setting in ''Administration > Users > Permissions > [[User policies]]'' enables administrators to exclude particular roles.
+By default all role assignments from child courses are synchronised to meta courses. However, the "Roles that are not synchronised to metacourses" setting in ''Site administration > Plugins > Enrolments > Manage enrol plugins > Course meta link > Settings'' enables administrators to exclude particular roles.
 ===Restoring a meta course===
-When restoring a meta course with the option "deleting the course first", you will notice that the enrollments that were used by the course previously are now gone.  In order to re-link the course, navigate to the new course and select the link "Child Courses" from the "Administration" block on the main course page and re-link the course to its parent.
+When restoring a meta course with the option "deleting the course first", you will notice that the enrolments that were used by the course previously are now gone.  In order to re-link the course, navigate to the new course and select the link "Child Courses" from the "Administration" block on the main course page and re-link the course to its parent.
 ==See also==
+*[https://docs.moodle.org/22/en/admin/setting/enrolsettingsmeta Enroll Settings for meta courses in 2.x]
+*[[Metacourse examples of use]] -  Why use a metacourse? here are many examples
 *[[Related courses block]] - contributed code that shows meta or child course relationships
 Using Moodle forum discussions:
 *[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=48901 Metacourses?]  Forum discussion
-*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=54389 Metacourses and Roles in 1.7] Forum discussion
 *[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=39438 Best reference for describing a metacourse] Forum discussion
 *[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=89741 Assign student in course] Forum discussion
+*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=156900#p686857 Confusion over meta-courses] Forum discussion
-[[Category:Teacher]]
-[[Category:Enrolment]]
 [[cs:Metakurzy]]

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