Getting Started in ella

Introduction

"ella" is Mount Holyoke's new learning management system. Behind the scenes, ella is powered by Sakai, an open-source collaboration and learning environment that offers an alternative to a traditional, commercial course management systems such as WebCT.

• Quickstart Guide (includes login info)

• Browser Requirements

• Student access to courses for Spring 2008
  

• A summary of the tools available to build a course or project site in ella may be found in the Features area 
  
• Getting started with a few functions/tools:
  (Flash Player is necessary for some items below, if not already loaded on your machine)
• My Workspace Overview
• Moving Content Between Ella Sites
• Adding Resources/ Course Files
  
• Publishing a New Site
  
• Removing yourself from an ella course ("Unjoin")
  
• Adding Web Links
  
• Message Center/Discussion Tool Overview
  
• Posting Announcements (assumes you've already added the Announcements Tool under "Site Info")
  
• Fostering Student Writing/ "Writing Tool" Options
  
• Customizing Your Worksite Tabs (yes, you can prioritize how they appear!)
  
• Wiki (Wiki Quickstart , Add a Wiki, More on Wiki)
  
• Adding an Image to Your Profile

  
  
• Below are links to training materials that other institutions have developed for those who like to explore on their own, please note that the look and feel of these will differ from ella and that some tools mentioned on these pages may not yet be available at MHC:
  UCLA Office of Instructional Development
  Indiana University Online Short Demos
  Texas State Demos and Handouts
  
• If you'd like to learn more about the Sakai Project in general, please visit its web site or check out this ten-minute video: Sakai Video Report: Overview from the Sakai Project