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OLAT Feature List and Some Screenshots

Click on the screenshots to get a full-size view!

General Overview

  • Open Source (Apache 2 License)
  • Java based framework (Brasato) with special Accessibility-mode, HTML based frontend GUI (XHTML 1.0) and REST API support
  • AJAX/Web 2.0 enabled
  • Packaged deployment (WAR) consistent with the Java Web Specification thereby simplifying the rollout of the application
  • Entirely multilingual, UTF8 supported, online translation tool
  • Supports standards such as termIMS CP, IMS LTI, termSCORM 1.2, QTI 1.2 (built-in editor) and QTI 2.1 (using ONYX plugin)
  • Server requirements: With OLAT, there is no need for a high-end server!
  • Scalability: Install an OLAT cluster if one server alone does not meet your requirements!
  • CSS framework YAML: Increased robustness and browser-compatibility of entire layout.
  • Portlets on HOME-tab are configurable

Users & Groups

  • Unlimited number of accounts
  • Different roles
  • Various authentication methods
  • Administrators can add, modify or delete users
  • Personalized authoring and learning environment
  • Manage your files via HTTP or WebDAV
  • Configure your personal home portal
  • Calendar (per course, per group and combined personal calendar), also via ical, notifications (via eMail or RSS)
  • Be up-to-date as regards news and changes via e-mail or RSS feed
  • Full-text search
  • Share resources with other authors (learning resource repository)
  • Form your own project groups and invite buddies
  • Use discussion forums, file share space, contact forms etc.
  • Instant Messenger: See who is online and chat with others using either the integrated chat client (AJAX based) or an external Jabber client

Authentication Options

  • Users can create their own accounts (with/without approval by administrators)
  • Direct login into OLAT with OLAT user name and password
  • Access file system via WebDAV login
  • Full Shibboleth integration
  • Single sign-on e.g. via Switch AAI
  • Control access to courses by means of AAI attributes

Course Management

  • Flexible course system
  • Based on termIMS Learning design concepts
  • Create a personalized course structure according to your needs
  • Course wizard: quickly create simple OLAT courses with just a few mouse clicks
  • Course editor: create your course with your own structure using OLAT course elements
  • Group management: manage your learners
  • Rights management: grant specific users access to course tools
  • Assessment tool: assess your learners
  • Archive tool: download log files or runtime data and import/export courses
  • Create your own course layout using termCSS

Course Elements OLAT Offers

  • Wiki, Blog and Podcasts
  • Single pages with integrated WYSIWYG HTML editor (+ jsMath)
  • Include external pages or sites via tunneling
  • Both termSCORM 1.2 and termIMS Content Packages (+ CP editor)
  • Forums and "file dialog" element to discuss papers
  • Folders for download material
  • Tasks with drop box, sample solution and scores
  • Topic assignment: Distribute and manage projects or bacchelor thesis
  • Tests (with scores) and self-tests (anonymous, no scores) based on QTI 1.2 standard or QTI 2.1 using the ONYX plugin
  • Questionnaire for course evaluations
  • Enrollment for groups (by student or tutor or both) with wait lists
  • Contact forms and calendar for easy communication with group members or tutors
  • Basic Learning Tools Interoperability (V1.0 Basic LTI Conformance). Have a look at the reults of the Basic LTI Conformance Test.

Online Help and Documentation

  • Extensive context-sensitive help
  • User manual available as HTML or PDF
  • Demo courses and course templates
  • Comprehensive help, manual, tutorials and discussion forum

Multilingual

  • Entirely supports UTF8
  • Our main translations: German, English, French and Italian
  • Community translations: Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Czech, Polish, Greek, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Brazilian, Bulgarian, Japanese and some more less complete.
  • Under development: Afrikaans, Albanian, Arabic, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian (Bahasa), Rumantsch and Turkish
  • The online translation tool has been rebuilt in 2009 and is simpler than ever!
  • More information in the translations chapter
Wikis were one of the new features in OLAT 5Wikis were one of the new features in OLAT 5The group tab lists all groups a user is subscribed toThe group tab lists all groups a user is subscribed toThe OLAT calendar shows personal events along with group and course eventsThe OLAT calendar shows personal events along with group and course eventseFeed: an e-learning course in OLATeFeed: an e-learning course in OLAT

For a more detailed description of the features OLAT offers please refer to the functional survey (also available in German: "OLAT Funktionsübersicht"). Click on the image to see bigger screenshots in the right column.

The resource list displays all available courses according to a student's roleThe resource list displays all available courses according to a student's roleThe OLAT administration offers tools to log, modify and delete sessions, errors, log levels, locks etc.The OLAT administration offers tools to log, modify and delete sessions, errors, log levels, locks etc.
In the user management you can add, modify or delete OLAT usersIn the user management you can add, modify or delete OLAT usersIn OLAT each user can modify his or her personal settings in the home tabIn OLAT each user can modify his or her personal settings in the home tab