The Activity Monitor (AM) is continually undergoing user interface development. As such, this guide will be modified as the AM undergoes additional development. To make sure you have the latest version of the AM, visit cansaware.com. This guide was last modified on March 16, 2009. Check back for updates on April 16, 2009.
1. Overview
The Activity Monitor (AM) is a tool, located within Sakai, which allows instructors to configure the CANS notification preferences for their course. The AM allows you to create customized “notifiers”, or notifications of activity within that course.
As shown above, multiple notifiers can be made for a class, resulting in the ability for instructors to receive more detailed information than students, or for collaborative teams to receive notifications solely about their own work group.
The delivery for notifications come in two forms:
the email digest (below) and
the interactive web page.
Example email digest.
Example interactive web page
Coming Soon--Homepage Widget:
Homepage Widget:
2. List View
List View is what you will first see upon viewing the AM. List View is the starting point for:
adding, editing, viewing, duplicating, and deleting notifiers
Setting Site (entire course) Settings
Setting Permissions
Want more details? Continue Reading below...
A quick 30-second tour:
NOTE: If you encounter any error messages, you will need to download and install the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player: .
2.1 Deleting a Notifier
To delete a notifier:
Check the box on the right next to the notifier under "Remove?"
Click the "update" button below.
Note: You can only delete and edit the notifiers you created.
Note how Jane's List View (right) doesn't allow her to delete or edit others' notifiers. However, she can still duplicate and view them. This will depend on (and can be adjusted by) the Permissions section (link at the top of the List View page.)
2.2 Duplicating or Viewing a Notifier
To View or Duplicate a notifier:
Below each notifier, there is a "Duplicate" or "View" link. Click the appropriate one.
Note: Permissions setting (link at top of list view) dictates who can view, edit, and delete various notifiers.
2.3 Symbols & Sorting
Several symbols let you know at a glance about the notifiers:
The notifier is active (monitoring and sending out notifications).
The notifier is inactive (NOT monitoring or sending out notifications).
The notification is an email digest.
The notification is an interactive web page.
<-- You can also sort the notifier list by clicking on the column headers (similar to Excel).
3. Add/Edit Notifiers
Notifiers specify whose activities to track and who gets those notification summaries. Within the add/edit notifier view, you can:
Specify whose activities to track and who gets those notifications
Make the notifier active or inactive
Set title and description
Want more details? Read more below...
A quick 30-second tour:
NOTE: If you encounter any error messages, you will need to download and install the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player: .
3.1 Add or Edit Notifier
<-- Add notifier by clicking on "Add Notifier" link in List View (top)
OR
<-- Edit notifier by clicking on "Edit Settings" link in List View underneath the notifier you want to edit.
1. Set Title, Type, and Description:
The title you set will be in the subject heading of the email digest (notification). (It's good to use the class name here.)
2. Set Activities to Monitor and Schedule Delivery:
The checked activities will be tracked, recorded, and sent in the notifications.
"Resources" are items in the resources section and any attachments to the discussion board.
Select who is monitored and who gets notifications:
Highlight from the site member list and move over to the "list of members to monitor" or "notify" list.
"List of members to monitor": These selected members' actions will be tracked and recorded.
"Notify": These selected members will receive a notification about the recorded activities.
Tip: Some instructors may want their own notification (supplying specific or more detail than what students receive). In this case, the instructor would "monitor" all students, but only "notify" himself/herself.
Set activity status and save:
"Active" status will track and record the member activities AND send notifications.
"Inactive" status will NOT track or record the member activities nor send notifications.
Save this notifier by clicking "add notifier."
3.2 Sample Activity Events
Below are some examples of activity events and what types of activities that event would record (example of activity event). Not all events are covered, but it is shown to help get an idea of what the different activity events represent.
Activity Event
Example of Activity Event
Announcement post
Dr. Smith posted an announcement to her class.
Read Assignment
Dr. Smith looked at Gloriaʼs assignment.
Revise Assignment
Gloria posted her assignment and saved it, or edited it (not necessarily submitted yet).
Submit Assignment
Gloria submitted her assignment to Dr. Smith.
Chat Add
Gloria posted a question in the chat room at 2:05.
Discussion Post
Gloria posted a new thread in the discussion forum.
Discussion View
Gloria looked at Stanʼs discussion post.
Resource Add
Gloria uploaded a document to the resources section.
Resource View
Both Stan and Dr. Smith downloaded Gloriaʼs document.
4. Edit Site Settings
The purpose of Site Settings is two-fold:
Activate (turn on or off) CANS notifications for all of your notifiers at once, and
Set up activity events and members that you want to include (or exclude) from all of your notifiers. The notifiers will inherit these properties you set up here in the site settings.
Want more details? Read more below...
A quick 30-second tour:
NOTE: If you encounter any error messages, you will need to download and install the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player: .
4.1 - Edit Site Settings
The activities in site settings have the same meanings as those when adding a notifier (see "Add/Edit Notifier" for more activity descriptions).
To edit site settings:
Select activities you want to include in your monitoring. (If you don't check an activity, NONE of your notifiers will be able to monitor that action.)
Select members you DO NOT want to monitor.(Excluded members will not be able to be monitored by ANY of your notifiers.)
Activate: "Off" turns off all tracking and notifications for the entire course; "On" turns on all tracking (notifiers which are inactive will stay inactive, however.)
Note: By default, NO activities are checked and NO members are included. This must be done before you can add any notifiers and track activities.
5. Permissions
Each member who has access to the Activity Monitor will be assigned permissions. (You can assign permissions to site members via the "Site Info" menu item in Sakai.) The AM Permissions allow you to select what each member has permission to do within the AM.
Want more details? Read more below...
A quick 30-second tour:
NOTE: If you encounter any error messages, you will need to download and install the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player: .
<--Select the "Permissions" link at the top of List View.
To edit AM Permissions:
For those that have a role of "access", check all of the actions you grant permission for them to perform. (Example: Those that have access only can deleteOwn but cannot deleteAny.)
For those that have a role of "maintain" (higher than "access"), check all of the actions you grant permission for them to perform.
Note: There are explanations at the bottom of the page that explain the meanings of "read", "deleteAny", "deleteOwn", etc.
6. Scenarios
This section describes various fictional scenarios in which instructors found the activity monitor useful in their courses. Select a person to see how they created notifiers and used the tool in their course.
Dr. Richard Bolling
Profile: Class: Psychology 1010 Class Size: 263 Uses Sakai for: Holding outside discussions for class, storing class resources Hopes CANS: will help with grading discussion participation, being aware of who is reading resources and not, who is participating in discussion
Profile: Class: Education 9045 Class Size: 12-20 Uses Sakai for: Collaborative work groups, posting information and resources. Students are assigned online discussion and work while student teaching. Hopes CANS: will help with the awareness involved with collaborative workgroups when not sharing the same physical space.
Profile: Class: Physics 2250 Class Size:20-30 Uses Sakai for: Posting materials, submitting assignments, providing feedback Hopes CANS: will allow students to generate notifiers if they want, help spur students to be reminded about upcoming assignments and materials others are reading
Profile: Class:In Physics 2250 Class Size:20-30 Uses Sakai for: Reading materials and submitting assignments, collaborating with a group on an assignment. Hopes CANS: will allow her to see if other group members for an assignment are reading materials, accessing the materials and participating.