Friday, March 30, 2012

Gilly and EduBrite

Gilly is a training and assessment plugin created by EduBrite Systems. This plugin works in conjunction with an EduBrite microsite. Administrators create content on the microsite, and users access that content from Confluence or the microsite.

Adding and Configuring

  1. Use the Universal Plugin Manager to install Gilly on Confluence.
  2. Access EduBrites' Pricing page to select a service and create a microsite. (NOTE: all business additions include Gilly.)
















  3. During the microsite configuration, a Getting Started wizard opens.
  4. When the Customize - Integration Options window opens, use the Click here to open the Integration settings link to establish a connection between the microsite and Confluence.


















  5. The Integration tab opens.















  6. Select the Enable API Encryption checkbox.
  7. Click the Generate Api Key link.
  8. From the API Access (to configure Gilly) section, save the URL, username and password.













  9. Access Gilly from the Plugins page on Confluence (Browse > Confluence Admin > Plugins).
  10. Select the plugin's Configure link.








  11. The Gilly - Configuration page opens.
  12. Enter the URL, username and password in the corresponding text fields.
  13. Select the Enable Encryption checkbox.
  14. Press the Submit button.
  15. Click the Generate Public/Private Keys link.
  16. If necessary, click the (Re)Connect link.





Cost

Gilly is free. The EduBrite service is a monthly, user-based fee. Fees range from free to $599 a month. Visit the Personal Editon and Business Edition Comparison page to view the differences between editions. A 30-day trial of the full business edition is available.

Use

The EduBrite microsite contains several features and options. The following is a high-level view of how to use the EduBrite microsite and Gilly plugin.


EduBrite Microsite

Key features for an administrator include the following.
FEATURE DESCRIPTION IMAGE
User accounts add and manage users (learners, instructors, administrators) from the Users tab.
Training groups add and manage groups from the Groups tab.
Courses create, publish and schedule courses from the Courses tab.
Tests* create, import and schedule tests from the Tests tab.
Exams* create exams by going to the menu bar and selecting Exam > Create Exam.
Surveys create surveys by going to the menu bar and selecting Exam > Create Survey.
360° feedback create 360° feedback surveys by going to the menu bar and selecting Exam > Create 360 Degree Feedback.

* One or more tests make up an exam.

Instructors have similar privileges as administrators. However, they cannot:
  • manage the microsite
  • manage users
  • create test centers
  • schedule tests

Learners are only allowed to view, search or complete the following, provided they have permission.
  • courses
  • programs
  • groups
  • tests
  • exams


Gilly

From the bottom of the Browse menu in Confluence, microsite users can access their:
  • test collections and history
  • personal and private exams
Additionally, Confluence administrators are able to access:
  • test attempts
  • Gilly settings
Users who can access the URL of an EduBrite course, can embed the course into a Confluence page. To embed the course:
  1. Locate and select the course in the EduBrite microsite.

















  2. Copy and save the course's URL.













  3. Edit a Confluence page.
  4. Select the Insert/Edit Macro icon.
















  5. The Select Macro window opens.
  6. Search for and select EduBrite Course Player.














  7. Enter the course's URL in the Course Embed URL text box.
  8. Set the width and height of the course using the corresponding text boxes.
  9. If necessary, refresh the Preview area.














  10. Press the Insert button.
  11. The wiki markup appears.












  12. Press the Save button.
  13. The course appears on the page.




Documentation and Support

While working in a microsite, the interface provides context-sensitive help. Video tutorials are also available, along with a knowledgbase and user community. For direct support, send an email to: support@edubrite.com. Customer support is very responsive and friendly. Manish Gupta (co-founder) responds to emails and voicemails quickly. If he cannot help, Ajay Upadhyaya (co-founder) has also been helpful.

Issues

For a list of current issues and questions, see the EduBrite Users Community page.

Conclusion

I have little experience using Gilly or EduBrite. However, I was able to quickly learn most of what I needed to use the microsite and plugin. There were a few bumps. For instance, it took me a while to figure out that I must publish a test to make it viewable in Confluence. I also had some trouble associating users with tests and exams. Most likely, I am missing a step. One negative aspect about tests and surveys is the inability to edit numbers in an ordered list.

The EduBrite interface could use the touch of a UX designer, but it does the job. Major pluses are the video tutorials, context-sensitive help and Gilly support for Confluence 4.

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