PolyLearn Support

Information Technology Services

Block Options

1. Select Turn editing on.
2. Locate the block named Add a block on the bottom right side of the main course page.
   
   
3. Click Add... and choose the block to be added.

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Editing a block

Instructors can edit where a block appears on a page, and which page(s) it appears on.

1. Turn Editing On
2. Click on the hand tool of the block for editing.
   
   
3. Adjust settings of the block as needed:
   • Display on page types controls which pages on the course website the block appears on.
     Note: Choose Any Page to display the block on every page within the site.
   • Default region places the block on either the left or right side of the page.
   • Default weight controls the placement priority of the block.
   Note: A smaller number means the block will appear higher on the page (with respect to other blocks); a larger number means the block will appear lower.
   
   • The On this page section is for customizing block placement on the current page--other pages will abide by the default settings above.
4. Click Save changes.

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Moving a block

Move blocks wherever necessary. Each one can be placed on the left or right sides of the page.

1. Turn Editing On
2. Click on the move tool.
   
   Note: Notice that dashed boxes appear--these are possible locations to move the block.
   
3. Click on the dashed box that corresponds to where the block needs to be.

Docking

Docking is a useful feature, particularly if there are a lot of blocks displayed on the page, which can cause a page to be unnecessarily long. Docking reduces blocks to tabs on the far left side of the page which expand when clicked on, minimizing clutter while still allowing for easy access of block content.

1. Click on the docking icon (located in the top right corner of the block).


2. The block now appears on the dock:
   
   

Clicking on the block expands to reveal its contents:

3. To remove a block from the dock, click the same docking icon (located next to the 'X').

Note: To remove all blocks from the dock, click on the docking icon at the bottom of the dock.

4. To "un-dock" a block, rollover the docked block with your cursor to open up its menu and click on the "Undock this item" icon.
   
   

Block Types

Activities

The Activities block allows for easy access to all activities in the course. Activities are separated into categories; clicking on one will show all the activities of that particular category.

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Calendar

The Calendar block is useful for keeping track of important dates for students. These important dates are separated into four color-coded categories:

• Global (green): Events that are set by site administrators and appear in all courses. An example would be a national holiday.
• Course (pink): Events that are set by the instructor and appear to all students in a course. An example is an assignment due date.
• Group (yellow): Events that are set by the instructor and appear to all students within a group. An example is a deadline that the group must meet.
• User (blue): Events that are of a personal nature, and can only be seen by the person who set the event.

Hovering the mouse over a date will display a list of event(s) for that day (if any). Clicking on the event brings up a more detailed display.

Adding an event

To manually add an event to the Calendar:

1. Scroll through the months by clicking the arrows, and then click on the desired month.



2. Click on the New event button near the top of the page.
3. Select the Type of event, enter the Name of the event, and its Date.
   Options
   • Type a Description for the event.
   • Select the Duration of the event if it spans a fraction of the day or covers multiple days.
   • Choose to Repeat this event, as well as the amount of times it is repeated.
4. Click Save changes.
   
   Note: A PolyLearn activity will automatically appear in the Calendar if its due date is set. Activities that do not have due dates can be inserted into the Calendar using the method outlined above.
   

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Comments

The Comments block can be used to quickly gather feedback from those in the course without having to set up a separate activity. Anyone can post a comment, and everyone can see it.

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My Courses

The My Courses block shows the instructor all of his/her course websites. It appears in the left column of blocks by default and has been enabled by te administrator (and thus cannot be removed).

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Navigation

The Navigation block is an important block that appears at the top of the left column of blocks by default. It provides links to My profile, where there's access to your profile, blogs, messages, and My private files. Also, it shows a list of the courses.

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Quickmail

The Quickmail block is a valuable block that allows the instructor to send emails to students in the course. To send an email:

1. Click Compose New Email.
2. Select the student to send an email to, and click Add. Repeat if necessary.

Note: Send an email to the entire class by clicking Add All.

3. Add any attachment(s), if necessary.
4. Type the Subject (required) of the email, and the Message.
5. Click Send Email.
   

The Quickmail block also offers options to customize signatures, view drafts and history, and customize the configuration of emails.

Note: To enable students to use this block, click Configuration, and select Yes for the Allow students to use Quickmail option.

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Settings

The Settings block appears in the left column by default. It is one of the most important blocks because it shows settings for every page, and thus is constantly changing to accommodate the current page.

Note: The gradebook can only be accessed from the main course page via the Settings block, through the Grades link.