Curriculum Search
The Curriculum Search tool is available to all users of Elentra by default and uses boolean search logic to look for content within Learning Events. The search algorithm scans Learning Event titles, descriptions, required preparation, and mapped curriculum objectives. Additionally, through Advanced Options > "Search within files attached to Learning Events", users can look search term matches within the contents of PDF, PowerPoint, Word, and Text documents attached to Learning Events.
You can watch a recording about Curriculum Search at collaborate.elentra.org (login required).
How to use Curriculum Search
Type your search term(s) into the search space.
By default Elentra requires a minimum four character word to search. This is to prevent returning thousands of results for searches of three or fewer letters.
If you want your search results to include files attached to Learning Events, click 'Advanced Options' and click the checkbox just below the search bar.
Click 'Search' and your results will display on the screen.
Elentra searches event titles, event descriptions, and curriculum tag names for the word you entered.
Your search term will be highlighted if it is in the description of a relevant learning event.
You can toggle between three different views of your search results:
List view: This view shows you a list of all returned events. Export your results as desired.
Timeline view: This view displays the returned events by cohort on a timeline. Scroll through the results or quickly jump from year to year using the links on the right above the timeline. Mouseover an event for its course affiliation and length. View a total count of results returned per cohort in the left sidebar.
Table view: This view shows you course name, learning event, date, duration, description, unit (if enabled), event types, and teachers. Export your results as desired.
How to use advanced options
Advanced options let you further refine your curriculum search results.
Click 'Advanced Options'.
Select parameters to apply to your search including cohort, academic year, curriculum tag sets, filter fields, course and weeks (weeks will only appear if units/weeks in enabled in your installation).
To add a Tag Set click on the name of the desired tag set and click 'Add' just below the list of tag sets. You can hide this list as desired by clicking 'Hide List'. Adding a Tag Set to your search means only events with something from that tag set will be included in the results.
To use the Search Filter Fields and Search Filter Operator options, imagine creating a sentence to limit your results. For example, "If Event Description is ----" return results. You can create multiple filters to apply to a search and the returned results will only include events that meet the filter parameters.
The Search Filter Operator options include: is, is not, contains, does not contain, starts with, does not start with, ends with, and does not end with.
After you've set your filters, click 'Search'.
To clear just some existing filters click the small x on each filter card. To remove all filters, click 'Reset'.
Make sure to click 'Reset' to clear all filters before beginning a new search.
An example of using advanced search might be that I want to find all events on a certain topic NOT taught by one faculty member. I may already know that Dr. Greene teaches about heart disease but I want to find other instances in the curriculum where another faculty member is addressing heart disease. If I search for "heart disease" and add a "Teachers is not Dr. Greene" filter, the results will give me what I want.
Exporting events: Include or exclude child events
Elentra includes the ability to link multiple repeating events in a parent-child relationship. This is most often used when small groups of learners will complete the same activities in repeating learning events. For example, there may be 10 events scheduled for 10 small groups but each event is essentially identical in terms of content, curriculum tags applied, etc. If you use the parent-child feature some reports will look only to the parent event to collect data and therefore help to report accurately from the perspective of a single learner.
When you export events from Curriculum Search you can choose whether to include or exclude child events.
Searching for key content in your curriculum, and exporting the results can be really useful for external reporting (e.g. research projects, interest group surveys, coroner's office, etc.). Similarly, these exports can help in gap analysis and planning an intentional curriculum.
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