Section 9.2. Using the Glossaries

9.2. Using the Glossaries

Once you've created your glossary, it's time to start adding words and definitions. Even if you want to have a student-built glossary, it's a good idea to seed it with a couple of definitions so students have a model to work from.

The main view of the glossary can be a bit confusing at first, as you can see from Figure 9-2. Under the main Moodle navigation bar, you'll find the glossary name. Directly below the name, you'll see the glossary description. Almost lost beneath the description, you'll see the search bar. If you select the full-text option, you and your students can use this to search for glossary terms or definitions.

Figure 9-2. Main glossary page

9.2.1. Adding Entries

Below the search bar are eight tabs detailing the glossary functions:

Add a new entry

Clicking this gives you access to the definition entry page.

Import entries

You can import glossaries from within this course or from other courses.

Export entries

You can use this to export your course glossary to an export file stored in the course files area. You can then download it to your computer and upload it to another class.

Waiting approval

If your default approval is set to No, all entries awaiting your approval will be listed under this tab.

Browse by alphabet

Students can look for glossary entries by the first letter of a word when they select this tab.

Browse by category

You can create word categories and make them available for students to use when they are searching the glossary

Browse by date

You can view entries based on the date they were last edited.

Browse by author

If you want students to add entries, this is a useful way to keep track of who has entered what.

Once you've oriented yourself to the page, you can add an entry to the glossary.

To add a glossary entry:

1. Go to your main course page and click on the glossary name.

2. From the glossary page, click "Add a new entry." It's the upper-left tab in the default view.

3. Enter the word you want to define in the Concept text field, as shown in Figure 9-3.

   Figure 9-3. New glossary entry

   
   
   

4. If there are synonyms you want to include with the entry, add them to the Keyword(s) text area. Enter one word per line.

5. If you've defined categories in the "Browse by category" tab, you can categorize your entry here. We'll cover how to add a category in the next section.

6. If you want this particular entry to be linked automatically within the course, click the checkbox next to "This entry should be automatically linked" below the Keyword(s) box. If you select automatic linking, the two options below the checkbox determine whether the links are case-sensitive.

7. Add the definition of the word or concept.

8. If you want to add an attachment, such as a picture or an article, you can attach it below the definition.

9. Click Save Changes to add your word to the glossary.

9.2.2. Glossary Categories

You can create categories to help organize your glossary entries. If you've enabled autolinking, the category names can be linked along with individual entries.

To create a glossary category:

1. Click on "Browse by category" in the main page of the glossary.

2. Click "Edit categories" on the left side of the screen.

3. Click the "Add category" button on the resulting Category page.

4. Give the category a name.

5. Choose whether you want the category name autolinked as well.

6. Click Save Changes.

If you autolink the category name, any occurrence of those words will be linked. When a student clicks on the link, she will be taken to the "Browse by category" page of the glossary.

9.2.3. Autolinking

Once you've added an entry to the glossary and enabled autolinking, any instance of a glossary term anywhere in Moodle will have a link to its definition. For example, if you create an entry for the word "Moodle" in the glossary, whenever someone uses the word in a forum, assignment, HTML , or text page, or even in a description field, it will be clickable, as shown in Figure 9-4.

Figure 9-4. An autolinked word in a forum

Once you click on the word, a new window with the glossary entry will pop-up.

9.2.4. Importing and Exporting Glossaries

As you build your glossaries, you may want to share them between classes or with other instructors. Fortunately, there's a way to export and import specific glossaries without needing to share the entire course structure.

Exporting your glossary is easy. When you click the "Export entries" tab, the system automatically generates a file you can save to your computer. At the bottom of the export entries screen, you'll see a link labeled "Exported file" (see Figure 9-5). You'll need to right-click or Control-click on the link and save the file to your desktop. Otherwise, your browser may display the raw XML file, which isn't a pretty sight at all.

Figure 9-5. Export glossary

Once you've saved the file to your desktop, you can import it using the "Import entries" tab. To import glossary definitions into your class:

1. Click the "Import entries" tab on the main page of your glossary.

2. Browse for the exported glossary file you have saved on your computer.

3. Select the destination for the new entries, either the current glossary or a new one.

4. If you want to import category information, select the checkbox.

5. Click Save Changes. You'll then see a report of the entries and categories added to the glossary. If you enabled duplicate entries when you created the glossary, the import process will add all of the new definitions. Otherwise, it will not allow you to import duplicate entries.

9.2.5. Commenting on Entries

If you enabled comments on the glossary entries, users can annotate the definitions in the word list. When you look at a word in the glossary list, you'll see a little cartoon speech balloon in the lower righthand corner of the definition block, as shown in Figure 9-6.

Figure 9-6. Glossary comment link

When you click on the balloon, you'll be taken to the comment entry page. From here, you can add a comment to the definition and then click Save Changes.

Once you've saved your comment, Moodle will display all of the comments for the term. When you return to the main glossary page, you'll see a new message next to the speech balloon telling you how many comments there are for the entry.

9.2.6. Printing a Glossary

There is also an easy tool for printing a glossary. At the top of the glossary list, you'll see a little printer icon. If you click the icon, Moodle will open a new browser window and present all the words and definitions in a printer-friendly format.

To print the glossary:

1. Click the printer icon at the top of the main glossary word list.

2. From the newly opened window, choose Print from the File menu of your browser.

3. Once the word list has printed, close the glossary window.