Chat

The Chat Activity enables participants to have real time discussions. This enables user get understanding of the topic being discussed and of each other.

Add Chat to Course

• Click "Turn on editing", in the section you want to add chat activity - Click "Add an activity or resource".

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• From the menu, select "Chat". Expand all settings using the "Expand All" button.

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Chat Settings

General

1. Name of this Chat room - Give your chatroom a name that reflects it`s purpose. It is on this name that students will click to get to the chat room.
2. Description - Add the description of the Chatroom. May include instructions regarding the subject of discussion.
3. Display description on course page - When this box is checked, the chat description will appear on the course page.
4. Chat session - use this section to specify time and date the session will take place.
5. Next chat time - Ignore if you don`t wish to set chat time. When you set a chat time, students will be able to see it on the calendar and are able to access the chatroom at any time. Hide chat room to prevent students from accessing it before a chat session.
6. Locally assign role - Through:

Administration > Chat administration > Locally assigned roles. 

The assigned user can have capability such as to delete a chat.

Entering a Chat

• Click on the chat link on the course page. You will be presented with two or three options:

1. "Click here to enter the chat now" - this takes you to the chat using the chosen site default chat method.
2. Use more accessible interface - this gives a simpler chat room without frames and javascript.
3. View past sessions - if this has been enabled and the user is allowed to view past chat sessions, this takes them to a list of past sessions with links to the chat.

Participating in a Chat session

• Normal view of a chat, the screen is divided into two parts; with the participants on the right, the messages on the left and a box at the bottom into which users type their message and press "Send" to make contribution.
• Users can change the appearance of the messages by clicking on "Themes" next to the "Send" button. Alongside the default course theme, there are two other available themes: "Bubbles" and "Compact".
• CNM Cert has more features to make chat more interesting -

1. Smiles - Smiley face (emoticons) can be typed in CNM Cert.
2. Links - Internet address to websites.
3. Beeps - You can send a sound to other people by hitting the "beep" link next to their name.
4. Talk - When you click the 'Talk' link by a person's name, it will then add their name in the chat box to show your message is directed at that particular person,
5. HTML - Participants with HTML Code knowledge can use it in your text to do things like insert images, play sounds or create different colored and sized text.

Chat reports

To view previous chats, only users with this permission can do this; click on the "View past chat sessions" link. Teachers can also access past chat sessions from the Chat administration in the Course administration block.

See also

Forum