OER Exchange quick links block
| OER Exchange quick links block | |
|---|---|
| Type | Block |
| Set | N/A |
| Downloads | https://marketplace.moodle.com/plugins/block_oerexchangequicklinks |
| Issues | https://github.com/adamjenkins/moodle-block_oerexchangequicklinks/issues |
| Discussion | https://marketplace.moodle.com/plugins/block_oerexchangequicklinks |
| Maintainer(s) | Adam Jenkins (WiseCat) |
The OER Exchange: quick links block is a Dashboard block for an OER Exchange site. It lists the resources you have recently tried in the Exchange's sandbox, with Try it and Download buttons, so you can reach them again without going back through the catalogue. It is one of several Dashboard blocks for the OER Exchange; see OER Exchange for the whole platform.
Installation
Install the plugin from the Moodle plugins directory, or download the ZIP file and follow Installing plugins. The files go in the folder blocks/oerexchangequicklinks. The plugin supports Moodle 5.0 to 5.3.
The block needs the OER Exchange plugin (local_oerexchange) on the same site, and cannot be installed without it. It reads the Exchange's data and links to its pages. Install it on the Exchange site, not on a client site.
Adding the block
- On your Dashboard, turn on edit mode and add the OER Exchange: quick links block (see Blocks).
- Turn off edit mode.
The block can be added only to the Dashboard. It has no settings of its own apart from the usual Block settings, and there are no site settings.
Using the block
The block shows up to five resources that you have tried, the most recently tried first. A resource you tried several times appears once. For each resource it shows:
- Its cover image thumbnail (a plain panel of the same size if the resource has no cover). Click the thumbnail to open the resource's page in the catalogue.
- Its title.
- Try it: starts a new sandbox trial of the resource in a new browser tab.
- Download: downloads the latest available version of the resource. If a newer version has been published since your trial, you get the newer one.
The Try it button is left out when the sandbox is turned off on the site or has no base URL set, when the resource's author has turned off Try it for that resource, and for data resources. The Download button is always shown.
Resources that are no longer published (hidden or removed since your trial), and resources with no version available to download, are left off the list.
Until you have tried a resource, the block shows: Resources you try from the OER Exchange will appear here for quick access.
Only trials you start while logged in are listed: a trial started before you log in is not linked to your account. The sandbox is optional on an OER Exchange site. Where the administrator has not set it up, no one can try resources, and the block stays empty. See OER Exchange for how the sandbox works.
Capabilities
- block/oerexchangequicklinks:myaddinstance (Add a new OER Exchange: quick links block to Dashboard): add the block to your own Dashboard. Allowed for authenticated users by default.
- block/oerexchangequicklinks:addinstance (Add a new OER Exchange: quick links block): add the block to other pages. Allowed for editing teachers and managers by default, although the block can only be placed on the Dashboard.
Privacy
The block stores no data of its own. It shows a read-only view of the sandbox trial records that the OER Exchange plugin already keeps, and that plugin's privacy provider handles them.
