Calendar

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Overview

The Calendar tool provides a centralized scheduling system that displays important dates, deadlines, and events. It automatically aggregates deadlines from assignments and assessments while allowing instructors to add custom events, creating a comprehensive timeline of course activities.

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Key Features

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Calendar Views

Multiple view options for different needs:

• Day view: Detailed hourly schedule for a single day
• Week view: Seven-day overview with time slots
• Month view: Traditional calendar grid showing entire month
• List view: Chronological list of upcoming events
• Agenda view: Text-based upcoming events summary

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Event Types

The calendar displays various event types:

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Creating Events

Add custom events to the calendar:

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Event Properties

Detailed options when creating events:

• Title: Short descriptive name for the event
• Date and time range: When the event occurs (calendar/calendar-api/api/src/java/org/sakaiproject/calendar/api/CalendarEvent.java:42)
• Location: Physical or virtual location information (calendar/calendar-api/api/src/java/org/sakaiproject/calendar/api/CalendarEvent.java:72)
• Description: Detailed information about the event
• Event type: Classification for color coding and filtering
• Frequency: One-time, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly
• Attachments: Supporting documents or resources
• Groups: Limit visibility to specific course groups

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Recurring Events

Automate repetitive event creation:

• Daily: Repeat every day or every N days
• Weekly: Repeat on specific days of the week
• Monthly: Repeat on specific day of month
• Custom end date: Set when recurrence stops
• Number of occurrences: Specify total number of repetitions
• Edit series: Modify all occurrences or just one instance

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Automatic Integration

Calendar automatically displays deadlines from:

• Assignment due dates: All assignment deadlines appear automatically
• Assessment windows: Test and quiz availability and due dates
• Lesson Builder requirements: Completion deadlines from lessons
• Sign-up events: Scheduled appointment slots
• Group meeting times: Collaboration session schedules

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Calendar Subscriptions

Integrate external calendars:

• iCal subscriptions: Import events from external calendar URLs
• Export to external: Subscribe to Sakai calendar in Outlook, Google Calendar, etc.
• Institutional calendars: Merge university-wide academic calendar
• Refresh frequency: Control how often external calendars update

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Notifications and Reminders

Stay informed about upcoming events:

• Email reminders for upcoming deadlines
• Configurable reminder timing (1 day, 1 week before, etc.)
• Push notifications on mobile devices
• Daily or weekly digest of upcoming events
• RSS feeds for calendar subscriptions

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Permissions

Control calendar access and editing:

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Group Events

Schedule events for specific groups:

• Create events visible only to selected groups
• Useful for section-specific sessions or group meetings
• Multiple groups can be assigned to single event
• Students only see events relevant to their groups

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Event Management

Organize and maintain calendar events:

• Edit events: Modify details of existing events
• Delete events: Remove cancelled or incorrect events
• Duplicate events: Copy event details to create similar events
• Bulk delete: Remove multiple events at once
• Filter display: Show/hide specific event types
• Search events: Find events by keyword or date range

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Color Coding

Events are color-coded by type for easy identification:

• Different colors for assignments, exams, activities
• Customizable color scheme per event type
• Visual distinction between event sources
• Legend available to explain color meanings

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Time Zone Handling

Support for distributed courses:

• Display times in user’s local time zone
• Automatic adjustment for daylight saving time
• Time zone indicator on event details
• Consistent time storage across locations

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Best Practices

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Course Setup

• Add all major deadlines and exam dates at start of semester
• Create recurring events for regular class meetings
• Use clear, descriptive event titles
• Include location information for all in-person events
• Add virtual meeting links in event descriptions

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Event Organization

• Use consistent naming conventions for similar events
• Assign appropriate event types for proper color coding
• Include relevant attachments (agendas, prep materials)
• Set reminders for important deadlines
• Review and clean up past events periodically

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Student Communication

• Encourage students to subscribe to calendar in their personal calendars
• Refer to calendar when announcing deadlines
• Update calendar promptly if dates change
• Use event descriptions to provide context and expectations
• Don’t duplicate announcements and calendar events unnecessarily

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Integration Usage

• Rely on automatic integration from Assignments and Tests
• Only create manual events for items not auto-generated
• Double-check that tool-created events are accurate
• Use external calendar subscriptions for institutional events

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Common Use Cases

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Class Schedule

Create recurring events for all class sessions:

• Set weekly recurrence for each meeting time
• Include virtual meeting links if applicable
• Add location and any special instructions
• Set to recur through end of semester

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Office Hours

Schedule regular availability:

• Create recurring weekly office hours events
• Include location (room number or video link)
• Note any exceptions or cancellations
• Update as needed for special availability

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Exam Schedule

Plan assessment dates:

• Add midterm and final exam dates early in semester
• Include location and time details
• Set reminder notifications
• Update with review session information

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Guest Speakers

Schedule special events:

• Create one-time event for guest lecture
• Include speaker name and topic in title
• Attach speaker bio or related materials
• Send announcement linking to calendar event

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Technical Details

The Calendar tool is implemented using:

• Core Interface: CalendarEvent and Calendar APIs
• Event Model: TimeRange for event scheduling (calendar/calendar-api/api/src/java/org/sakaiproject/calendar/api/CalendarEvent.java:29)
• Integration: Event aggregation from multiple Sakai tools
• Export: iCal format support for external calendar clients
• Attachments: Integration with Content Hosting Service