In this page, the user flows related to a selected number of the main functionalities of the platform as listed in the previous section are presented and examined in depth, in order to provide a narrated simulation of the practical experience of a potential user of the platform.
The tree main functionalities of the Training Platform selected for this exercise are:
- 2.8 - Publishing capabilities to respond to different publishing needs (PDF, HTML5, Flash, and Microsoft PowerPoint)
- 6.1 - Users access to course and related learning contents
- 9.1 - Platform registered users and the administrator access trainers’ directory page and enjoy access to their profile (personal data, background, expertise, experiences, courses developed, contact details, etc.)
and
9.2 - External users (not registered to Platform) access trainers’ directory page but get limited access to trainers’ profile (no personal data, no contact details)
To illustrate the user flows, a narrative description of each use case will be specified. In particular, the description of the scenario will include: the name of the use case; the involved actor(s); the detailed description; what happens in case of successful completion (the default scenario) broken down into steps that illustrate the interaction between the actor(s) and the system; the potential alternatives; the list of pre and post conditions necessary for the scenario completion; the list of potential assumptions.
Functional Specification 2.8 - Publishing capabilities to respond to different publishing needs
- Use case: eLearning authoring tool publishing mechanism (different formats).
- Actor: Course author/instructional designer.
- Description: The course author/instructional designer manages the creation of the course interactive component. The course author/instructional designer develops the interactive component, namely the lessons, using the chosen authoring tool. When the development is completed, shares the file with the content experts or the subject matter experts for review. Not all contents experts have access to licenses of eLearning authoring tool. This software must therefore give the possibility to publish the document in a variety of formats (PDF, HTML5, Flash, and Microsoft PowerPoint) so that it can be open and reviewed on different machines.
- Successful completion:
- The course author/instructional designer creates a new interactive component/lesson following the indications of the content experts or the subject matter experts.
- The eLearning authoring software allows for the publication of the interactive component in format PDF, HTML5, Flash, and Microsoft PowerPoint.
- The interactive component document can be opened and reviewed on all machines even without the eLearning authoring tool software.
- Alternatives: If the software rejects the creation of the document in PDF, HTML5, Flash, and Microsoft PowerPoint format, only the instructional design can access the developed interactive component and the review by the content experts is impossible.
- Pre-condition: The course author/instructional designer has to get a license for the use of the eLearning authoring tool.
- Post-conditions:
- The instructional designer successfully creates interactive components in format PDF, HTML5, Flash, and Microsoft PowerPoint.
- Content experts and subject matter experts can correctly open the file on their machines and review the document.
- The reviewed version is correctly saved and the instructional designer can correctly open it and proceed to the revision of the draft.
- Assumptions: None.
Figure 4. User flow: Publishing capabilities to respond to different publishing needs.
Functional Specification 6.1 - Users access to course and related learning contents
- Use case: Course and related learning contents access
- Actor: User
- Description: The user, in each course, gets access to a predefined set of learning materials, interactive components, open Q&A forum, final test and completion certificate. Further, the user can provide feedback through a specific form and receives information and contact details about the course resource person and external experts.
- Successful completion:
- The user, clicking on the selected resource, is prompted to the course page where finds the list of training materials arranged by introduction to the course (course guide, LOs, video introduction and preparatory readings; by lessons (interactive components, discussion forum, activities and self-assessment test; and by evaluation (final test and completion certificate).
- By completing successfully one lesson of the course is prompted to the following one.
- By completing all lessons and passing the final test (with the pre-set mark), finishes the course and gets the completion certificate.
- Alternative: The system does not move to the following lesson and/or does not issue the completion certificate, if not all materials for that lesson are studied and/or if the user does not get the required minimum mark during the final test.
- Pre-condition: The user has to be logged in and has to enrol into the course in order to access the course page.
- Post-condition: The user receives a completion certificate.
- Assumptions: None.
Figure 5. User flow: Users access to course and related learning contents.
Functional Specifications 9.1 and 9.2 - Access to trainers’ directory page for Platform registered users and Administrator vs. External users
- Use case: Access to trainers’ directory page.
- Actor: Platform registered users, the administrator, and External users.
- Description: Platform registered users and administrator get full access to the trainers’ directory page and see their profile (personal data, background, expertise, experiences, courses developed, contact details, etc.); external users – those not registered to Platform – get access to the trainers’ directory page but get limited access to the trainers’ profile. In particular, external users do not access personal data and contact details of the trainers.
- Successful completion:
- The users, after completing the registration to the platform, and the administrator access trainers’ full profiles (personal data, background, expertise, experiences, courses developed, contact details, etc.).
- The external users – those that access the platform but choose not to create a profile – see the trainers’ directory with their names, expertise, courses developed and so on but do not see contact details and personal data of the trainers and cannot contact them.
- Alternatives: None.
- Pre-condition: The users and the administrator have to create a personal profile and be logged in, in order to access the full trainers’ directory.
- Post-conditions: None.
- Assumptions: None.
Figure 6. User flow: Access to trainers’ directory page for Platform registered users and Admins vs. External users.
