Create and collaborate with Glossary guide

A Glossary activity can be used by staff and students to create and maintain a list of module-specific dictionary definitions. Entries can be searched or browsed in many different formats. Definitions can display over instances of the word whenever the term appears in the module. As well as building up definitions, you can use the FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) Glossary type to build a bank of questions and answers. In all glossaries, student entries are approved by default, but you can change this setting to require staff approval of student entries before they are displayed to other students. Students can also comment on entries.

Glossary entries can be exported from one module to be imported to a Glossary in a different module.

1. Turn Edit mode on.
2. Open the relevant section, select Add an activity or resource and choose Glossary from the Activities tab.
3. Provide a descriptive Name and add a Description (which can be displayed on the module page).
4. Select Glossary type. The default option Secondary glossary is used in most teaching activities. A Main glossary is a Glossary that enables you to choose particular entries from any number of secondary glossaries on the module and add them to the Main glossary. You can only have one main glossary per module.

5. Choose your Entries settings. The options are:

   • Approved by default: Default to Yes, students entries are automatically visible to other students. If set to No, entries require approval by a lecturer before they are viewable to other students.
   • Always allow editing: This setting specifies whether entries are always editable or whether students can only edit their entries during a configured editing time (usually 30 minutes).
   • Duplicate entries allowed: If set to yes, multiple entries can have the same concept name.
   • Allow comments on entries: If set to yes, all users with permission to create comments will be able to add comments to glossary entries.
   • Automatically link glossary entries: If set to Yes, this setting allows individual entries in this Glossary to be automatically linked whenever the concept words and phrases appear throughout the rest of the module. This includes forum postings, internal resources, week summaries.
     • You can turn on auto-linking in individual activities or resources or on the module as a whole.

       To turn on auto-linking for the Module or for specific activities or resources, open either the module or the activity. Select Settings on the contextual navigation menu. Choose Filters. Set Glossary auto-linking to On.

6. Choose your Appearance settings for how your Glossary displays. The options are:

   • Simple, dictionary style - Shows concepts, definitions and keywords but no details of author or when written. Browse the entries by letter of the alphabet.
   • Continuous without author - Shows concepts and definitions but no keywords, details of author or when written. Browse entries by alphabet, category or date.
   • Encyclopaedia - Shows concepts with details of author and when written. Browse entries by alphabet, category, date or author.
   • Entry list - shows a list of concepts but no definition. Browse entries by alphabet, category, date or author.
   • FAQ - displays the concepts as a question and the definition as an answer. Browse entries by alphabet, category, date or author.
   • Full with author - Shows full details of each entry plus author. Browse entries by alphabet, category, date or author.
   • Full without author - Shows full details of each entry excluding author. Browse entries by alphabet, category, date or author.
     Leave the other settings as default.
7. Set Ratings if the Glossary is being assessed. Review the Ratings for Forum, Database and Glossary guide.
8. Scroll to the end of the page and select Save and display.

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