common_features
Table of Contents
Common Features and Customisation
These pages comprise;
- documentation of features common to all XOT page types (e.g. Toolbar, Media Browser), or to a smaller subset of page types (e.g. Hotspot Editor, Tracking and Weighting)
- guidance on getting more from XOT by working in the source view.
Features common to all XOT page types
| Feature/tool | Description |
| Project Properties | These are the properties round, for example, making your project accessible to learners, working collaboratively on it with other authors/editors. They are accessed through the orange 'i' button in the Workspace. |
| Project Settings | These are the settings related to Navigation, Theme, Default Text Size, Display Mode, Responsive Text etc., which apply to the whole project, and are accessed in the editor at the top level in the Project Structure. |
| Toolbar | The Toolbar can be used to: format text; add styles; add images, audio and video; and much more. Most of the icons will be familiar to those used to word-processing, but it is worth learning about the less obvious icons as they may offer additional optionality and efficiencies. |
| Workspace | The Workspace comprises the left-hand pane in the authoring interface, in which you can see all the projects and folders that you have access to. This is where you open, move, copy, share and delete projects though the Project Properties icons. |
| Sharing projects and folders | This page provides an explanation of how you can work collaboratively with other authors, editors and reviewers. |
| Media Browser | Images, audio, video, PDF files and other assets are all added, and managed, through the Media Browser. An understanding of how Media Browser works will optimise page design, and also offer efficiencies. |
| Accessibility | It is important to author with accessibility at the forefront of your mind. The Accessibility button on the XOT footer provides some ready-made options for learners, but issues such as colour contrast, Alt Text descriptions for images, use of transcripts need to be checked by authors. |
| Working with audio | Audio and video can be added to any XOT page, but there are also specific page types which integrate these with other media or with interactivity, in particular ways. It is useful to understand the range of options that are open to you when working with audio or video. |
| Working with video | |
| Using colour | This page offers advice on using colour, and selecting colour palettes, taking into account issues round accessibility and consistency of use. |
Features common to a subset of XOT page types
| Feature/tool | Description | Applies to these XOT page types |
| Tracking and weighting | Tracking allows for learner performance on interactive tasks to be recorded. Weighting refers to the relative value of different tasks in contributing to a score combining several inputs. | Interactivity > Answer X of Y, Categories, Gap Fill, Matching Texts, Model Answer, Multiple Choice Question, Opinion, Quiz, Sortable Grid, Text Correction, Timeline/Matching Pairs |
| Hotspot Editor | Allows hotspots to be created on an image, allowing different interactions, depending on the page type. | Interactivity > Annotated Diagram, Drag and Drop Labelling, Hotspot Image, Hotspot Question Media > 360º Image Connector > Hotspot Image Connector |
| Table Editor | You can insert a static table anywhere on an XOT page, but on some page types, tables are used to offer interactivity or manage data. | Interactivity > Sortable Grid, Documentation (Editable Table) Charts > Table Glossary |
| Mark word | Some page types involving marking up words or phrases in a text so that they are either replaced with gaps, or produce some kind of interaction when clicked on. | Interactivity > Gap Fill, Interactive Text |
Customisation
Some understanding of HTML, and CSS or Javascript can help you to enhance your projects and fix issues that sometimes occur when editing. This can be daunting for the non-IT specialist, but useful skills and knowledge can be acquired, little by little, without making a major initial commitment of time and energy.
| Source View | Provides some basic guidance on using Source View to embed iframes, and to locate and fix formatting issues. |
| Styles and Script | Explains the basic idea of CSS and Javascript to tweak your project, with links to resources to help you get started. |
common_features.txt · Last modified: 2023/09/27 17:29 by jsmith