Mahara-One Page Handout

What is Mahara?

An open source, e-portfolio system.

An e-portfolio is a system in which students can record "evidences of lifelong learning" - such as essays, artwork or other such things they produce that can be stored digitally. Such things are known as artefacts in Mahara.*

What can you do with Mahara?

1. Use the built-in resume tool to create modules of information about yourself
2. Control access to your information from within Lehigh and also for external viewers
3. Create a repository of items that can be organized into custom views for different audiences (e.g. prospective employers, advisors, teachers, fellow students)
4. Export your content out of Mahara after graduation, so you can import the views on another system. (My Portfolio, Export, Standalone HTML Website)

1. Use the built-in resume tool to create modules of information about yourself
2. Control access to your information from within Lehigh and also for external viewers
3. Create a repository of items that can be organized into custom views for different audiences (e.g. prospective employers, advisors, teachers, fellow students)
4. Export your content out of Mahara after graduation, so you can import the views on another system. (My Portfolio, Export, Standalone HTML Website)

With Mahara, you control which items and what information within your portfolio other users see. Such items and information are termed artefacts. To facilitate this access control, all artefacts you wish to show to other users need to be arranged into one area. In Mahara this compilation of selected artefacts is called a View. You can have as many Views as you like, each with a different collection of artefacts, and intended purpose and audience. Your audience, or the people you wish to give access to your View, can be added as individuals or as a member of a Group. It can even be made publicly available.*

How do you access it?

From Course Site home page, see block named “Additional Resources”, click on Mahara, you will be automatically logged into to Mahara and taken to the Home Page.

The online Mahara User Guide is at:

http://wiki.mahara.org/User_Guide  

Alternatively, you can go directly to Mahara at:

http://mahara.cc.lehigh.edu

Why Mahara?

1. Use throughout your career at Lehigh to collect and organize your work into an online portfolio.
2. Collaborate and share with fellow students, professors, and advisers.

How do you Add and Create Items?

General Tips:

• Always pay attention to saving your work! Typically, there will be a green Save button on the page.
• Take a few minutes to investigate the interface, click on the tabs to see what’s available to you.
• The workspace layout is tabular, with the tabs across the top.
• Clicking on one tab will disclose a new set of sub-tabs.Use the small, blue question mark icons for context-specific help.
• You can always go back and edit views by clicking on the small, grey gear icon associated with an item in a view.

Try These Steps:

• Edit Your Profile (add content, then add to profile page): Profile, Edit Profile (Contact Info, Messaging, General), Edit Profile Page

Edit profile and add some basic contact information - Save it. Click on Picture icon to upload and add your picture. Drag and drop blocks below the grey line to add to your page, choose items from your profile to add to your profile page. Display your view, review security (e.g. Lehigh only viewing?) for the profile page.

• Edit Your Online Resume (add content, then go back and add to profile page): Profile, My Resume, My Goals, My Skills

Think of each of these sections and their sub-sections as discrete pieces of information that you can make available based on the audience as an online resume.

• Create Views for Specific Purposes (add existing content, also can upload files and link to them: My Files, set access rights -- Edit View Access

                My Portfolio, Create View
The different types of content are available under the tabs. When you locate a piece of content, simply drag it down below the grey line. When content blocks are added, drag them around the page to organize them. Depending on the type of content, you may need to enter additional information. If you want to upload documents, pictures, videos, etc, go to the My Files tab. This will then make them available to be added to a view.

How do You Make it Available to an Individual Outside the University?

My Portfolio, My Views, Edit View access, “Add Secret URL"

Questions?

Submit a ticket with the Instructional Technology team at help.lehigh.edu