Target Catalogues
A target catalogue, or just catalogue, is a grouping of courses that can be targeted to certain sets of users (through the selection of a community). Catalogues are then associated with one or more courses. Catalogues provide an alternate means for users to locate the courses that they want or need to take.
When searching for learning activities in User mode, only users within the selected community(s) can see the courses in that catalogue. For example, a course called LMS Demo belongs to a catalogue called Tutorials, and the catalogue Tutorials is associated with a community called New Users. A learner or administrator belonging to the community Expert Users would not be able to see the LMS Demo course in searches as they do not belong to the correct community. If a catalogue is not associated with any community, then users in all communities can see the catalogue.
Catalogues and Subject Areas
Courses do not need to reside solely within a catalogue. Within a catalogue can be one or more subject areas, which provide an additional level of course organization. Subject areas are used solely to organize courses within target catalogues. This is useful when the number of courses within a catalogue is quite extensive, an can help users locate the course for which they want to register. Subject areas are also used throughout LearnFlex to help narrow down results in searches, both in Admin and User modes. Subject areas are only displayed in searches when they are associated with at least one course.
In Admin mode, catalogues and subject areas are created as separate entities, and are connected in Course Basics. You first associate one or more catalogues with the course, and then you assign a single subject area. That subject area will be displayed within each of the selected catalogues. The order in which subject areas are listed in each catalogue is determined by priority ranking when configuring the subject area.
Sessions inherit the catalogue and subject areas of the course.
Priorities and Search Results
When searching for courses by catalogue (and then possibly subject area), your search results are generally listed alphabetically. However, you can optionally indicate how and where each type of catalogue should be listed, or prioritized, in relation to other catalogues.
Configuring Catalogues and Subject Areas
1. Make sure that security setting 32: Function permissions has been enabled. This affects both catalogues and subjects areas.
2. Create and manage your catalogues.
3. Create and manage your subject areas.
4. In your course:
· Assign one or more catalogues.
· Assign a subject area.
· Optionally set a priority for the course.
5. Enable security setting 165: Catalogue Search so that users can search for courses by catalogue.