Ubuntu Wiki

We have recently added two new items to for the Ubuntu Classroom. The first item is the iCalendar schedule and the second item is ClassBot.

ClassBot takes the schedule from the iCalendar, and converts it into usable information for it to do the tasks needed, such as changing the topic, setting the channel to moderated, and voicing the instructors and session helpers. This also allows instructors and session helpers access to the Question's feature of ClassBot.

In order for all of this to work, there needs to be a format that is followed on all entries into the Learning Events Calendar.

The Format

What

The what section should be the name of the class. Example: Learning Django Part 1

When

This should be the date and time of the class. It should be entered in your timezone, and will be converted to UTC by the iCalendar.

Where

This line MUST contain #ubuntu-classroom in order for ClassBot to recognize it.

Description

The description has one required item, and two other optional items. The format is:

Instructors: cjohnston, jono, dholbach
Event: Ubuntu Opportunistic Developer Week
Helpers: dpm, jcastro
Moderated: yes
Slides: http://linkto.my/slides.pdf

Instructors

Defining the instructor(s) for a class is a required item. This would be done by putting: Instructors: cjohnston, jono, dholbach

The instructors must be listed by the IRC nick that they will use to teach the class, otherwise it will not work.

If you only have one instructor, that is fine. If you have more than one instructor, in order for ClassBot to parse it properly, there must be a comma and a space between each instructor.

The optional items:

Event

If the class is part of an event such as Ubuntu Opportunistic Developer Week, this would be where you would enter that information. The format: Event: Ubuntu Opportunistic Developer Week

If the class is not part of an event, leave this line out.

Helpers

If there are session helpers for the class they would also need to be defined in the Description section. This item follows the same comma space rule as the instructors item between nicks. The format would be: Helpers: dpm, jcastro

If there are no session helpers for a class, leave this line out.

The session helpers must be listed by the IRC nick that they will use in the class, otherwise it will not work.

Moderated (Coming Soon)

This is an optional field. There are a few different defaults for the channel being moderated. If the class is part of an event, the default is that the channel is set to moderated. If the class is not part of an event, the default is that the channel is not moderated.

If you would like your class to be moderated, and it is not a part of an event, a Classroom Manager can put Moderated: yes in the description field for you, and ClassBot will automatically moderate #ubuntu-classroom for you.

If your class is part of an event, and you do not want #ubuntu-classroom to be moderated, a Classroom Manager can put Moderated: no and ClassBot will not moderate the channel.

This setting can also be modified at any time by a Session Leader or Session Helper by following these instructions.

Slides (Partially Implemented)

If your class uses slides, we will add this field to the description. This field is how Lernid gets the slides (if the Lernid config file is set to use the Learning Events Calendar) and will also put a link to your slides in the /topic and post a message in both #ubuntu-classroom and #ubuntu-classroom-chat.

That's it.. If you have any questions, please contact cjohnston or nhandler