TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Overview
- Getting Started
- Kenai - Front Page (Home)
- Kenai - Catalog
- Kenai Icon Management
- Language Pack
- Versioning
Overview
Kenai is a custom, premium theme that offers an editable front (home) page and course/ program catalog. The Kenai theme is a great way to provide logged in users with a structured home page to highlight featured content and a catalog to advertise offerings. This theme extends core functionality with features that improve how learners engage with their content and learning progress.
Note: The Kenai catalog will show courses and programs if your site is running Moodle Workplace. Core Moodle sites will show only courses in the catalog.
The theme provides two pages:
Catalog displays courses and programs as cards or lists that include images and descriptions, with a variety of filters that make it easy for learners to explore and access content based on their goals and preferences; programs can be configured so learners self-allocate via the catalog. The catalog can also include the display of in-progress and completed curriculum to learners.
Home (front page) provides flexibility for adding a variety of components, so you can build a page that acts as a portal, dashboard, or both. This page can include announcements, a video or a gallery of navigable slider images, a carousel of featured content, and sections for displaying programs and courses by access and progress status.
The Home page can be configured differently for each Workplace tenant, while the Catalog page will only display content and filters according to what a learner can access, based on course category permissions and tenant membership.
In addition to these pages, the Kenai theme also inserts custom fields into all courses and programs, to provide filter and information values. The Kenai theme includes an option to display a fixed, plain-text footer banner; and supports injection of CSS code as well as configuration of custom site navigation nodes.
Getting Started
As a proprietary product, Kenai requires purchase. If you do not already have the Kenai theme available on your Moodle Workplace site, but are interested in using it please reach out to your Moodle Account Manager. If you have already purchased Kenai, it will be installed on your site by the Moodle team. Please note that the theme requires the Ratings plugin (local_ratings) to also be installed on the Moodle site. The Ratings plugin requires no configuration beyond it being enabled.
If you have read about our new Enhanced native catalog feature, which is included with Kenai as of release 4.23, please submit a support ticket to request the installation of that component. It will not be automatically bundled for clients who are already using the Kenai theme.
Once the Kenai theme has been installed on your site, you must set it as the default theme in order to use it. To do this, go to Site administration > Appearance > Themes and select Kenai as the default theme.
Kenai functionality can be configured in three ways:
General settings applied at the site level
Front page (Home) settings applied per tenant or to the default front page
Course and program settings
In Site Administration, Kenai “General Settings” and “Front Page Settings” can be directly accessed by navigating to Site administration > Appearance > Custom theme settings and then selecting the specific settings option you’re looking for.
To configure courses and programs for alignment with Kenai’s features, you will manage course and program custom fields. Values added to Kenai filter fields will correspond with filter dropdown menus on the catalog page. We elaborate more on this later on in the user guide in the Catalog section.
Kenai - Front Page (Home)
Keep in mind that while Kenai front pages can be configured uniquely for each tenant, their configuration settings are not available to tenant administrators; a Site administrator must configure all Kenai settings.
The Kenai Home page can include the following elements:
Banner - this can be either a video, a single image, or a scrollable carousel of multiple images; a text overlay and a navigation path can be added to the video and each image.
Please note that the video option does not include audio within the video.
Banner images are set to a fixed height of 450 pixels, and resizing your browser will reveal more/ less of the image. The image's width, however, will resize automatically according to browser size. To ensure appropriate resolution, we recommend a width of at least 3K pixels.
Announcements - if configured, site-level announcements display as a scrollable carousel at the top of the banner; each announcement can also be configured with a navigation path for a "Read More" link.
Welcome - this section will display output from a rich text editor placed directly below the Banner area.
Collapsible sections - this section offers a setting to collapse or expand each section you display on the front page; by default, sections are expanded
Recent courses - displays catalog cards (maximum of four) based on the learner's last access.
Mandatory training - displays either course or program cards (maximum of four), based on the learner's progress in curriculum flagged as mandatory via custom Kenai settings.
Top in-progress training - displays either course or program cards (maximum of four), based on due date.
Recently completed - displays either course or program cards (maximum of four) based on completion date.
Explore by Industry images - configure multiple images in a grid (maximum of four images in a row); each image can include text and a navigation path.
Featured items - configure multiple cards, for courses, programs or custom items; after four images, the section will display as a carousel.
Note: these cards display differently than standard catalog cards; course/program cards will not include progress indicators and the layout for other information will differ, while cards for custom items will display one custom-field value directly beneath the image, and a second custom-field value as a banner at the bottom of the card.Content block - this block is pre-configured with HTML, and has options for populating text, navigational button/ link, and image.
The Kenai Front page also allows additional block regions including:
between the image carousel/video and the “Available courses” section.
between the “Available courses” section and the welcome section.
between the welcome section and the “Recent courses” section.
between the “Recent courses” section and the “Mandatory training” section.
between the “Mandatory training” section and the “Top in Progress” section.
between the “Top in Progress” section and the “Recently Completed” section.
between the “Recently Completed” section and the “Get Certified” section.
after the “Get Certified” section.
To utilize these available block regions, all you need to do is turn editing on and add your block. Blocks will need to be added to the right-hand block drawer, but then you can drag and drop to the content page in the location of your choosing.
Front Page Settings (Tenant Level Settings)
To configure the tenant specific front page:
Make site home available on the site. Go to Site Administration > Appearance > “Navigation” and set the “Start page for users” to Home.
Go to Site Administration > Front Page > “Site Home Settings” and verify that the settings ONLY include “Full site name” and “Short name for site”.
IMPORTANT: Remove any other specifications from “Site home summary”, “Site home”, and “Site home items when logged in” or they will also be applied to the theme’s front page and can produce unexpected results.
Visit the Kenai “Front page settings” page to configure the settings for each tenant. Go to Site Administration > Appearance > Custom theme settings > “Front page settings” to customize the following:
Tenant - Note that the tenant displayed in the dropdown menu provided here is the tenant you’re customizing a front page for, and if “Default Front Page” shows as the selected item in the dropdown menu then you are designing a front page for all tenants which do not have their own front page customized.
Enable Frontpage - Should the custom front page be enabled for this tenant? If disabled, the front page will redirect to the dashboard.
Video - Should the video be displayed on the front page? If this selection is made it will override the image slider.
Slider images – Select the number of slide images to configure on the front page. This will affect how many sections appear below.
Announcements - if configured, site-level announcements display as a scrollable carousel at the top of the banner; each announcement can also be configured with a navigation path for a "Read More" link.
Welcome section – An optional but fully customizable HTML section on the front page.
Collapsible sections - this section offers a setting to collapse or expand each section you display on the front page; by default, sections are expanded
Recent courses - displays catalog cards (maximum of four) based on the learner's last access.
Mandatory training - displays either course or program cards (maximum of four), based on the learner's progress in curriculum flagged as mandatory via custom Kenai settings.
Top in-progress training - displays either course or program cards (maximum of four), based on due date.
Recently completed - displays either course or program cards (maximum of four) based on completion date.
Explore By Industry – Select the number of industry cards to configure on the front page. This will affect how many sections appear below.
Featured/Trending Items – Select the number of featured item cards to configure on the front page. This will affect how many sections appear below.
Get Certified – A customizable section that can include text, image, and a customizable button/link.
Don’t forget, you can set the Default Front Page by selecting that value in the tenant dropdown at the top of the page. When in use, the settings you have put in place will apply to all tenants who have no other settings configured.
Kenai - Catalog
The Kenai Catalog page consists of two main elements: cards and filters. Cards represent courses and programs. Each card can display the following:
Image—displays the image provided for a course or program; if no image has been loaded, a system-generated image will display which will pull available color palettes from the “Course card colors” page in the Site administration menu. The image will display according to the aspect ratio set in Kenai general settings.
Keep in mind that the Kenai catalog will initially display 24 cards by default, so image file size can impact page load times. We recommend the smallest image dimensions that will support appropriate resolution. In addition, we recommend aligning image ratio to the "forced card image ratio" setting, if it is enabled (options are 3:2, 4:3, or 5:4), so that images are not cropped. For these aspect ratios, appropriate dimensions might be:
3:2 - 300px by 200px
4:3 - 400px by 300px
5:4 - 500px by 400px
In addition, you may want to consider using a solution to compress image file size (without impacting image quality), as an alternative to reducing the image's pixel dimensions.
Star rating—once enrolled and the course is completed, learners can rate the curriculum based on a five-star system.
Filter value—displays a value (if one exists) from the first of three custom filter fields that Kenai adds to courses and programs.
Title—displays course full name or program name.
Information fields—displays values (if they exist) from the two "information" fields that Kenai adds to courses and programs; you can also configure these values to display with icons via font-awesome.
Other card elements display depending on whether a learner has accessed the curriculum:
If the learner has not yet accessed the card or is not enrolled, the card will display a "View more" button; clicking this button will launch a modal that displays the image and the description for the course or program, along with a "Start" button for access. Keep in mind that course self-enrollment and program self-allocation must be configured at the course/program level.
If the learner has already been enrolled, the card will display a "Launch" button for immediate navigation; depending on the learner's status, the card will also include either a "Completed" label or a progress bar with percentage to indicate progress based on the curriculum's configured completion requirements.
Filters provide tools to learners for exploring and finding curriculum in the catalog. The following dropdown menus can be displayed at the top of the page:
Course/program selector—displays automatically if the catalog is configured for both courses and programs.
Categories—displays all parent categories, based on each learner's access.
Custom filters—values for the next three menus correspond to what is populated in the custom Kenai fields that the theme adds to courses and programs.
Competencies—displays all competencies configured in the system, and lets learners filter for courses linked to a selected competency.
The catalog also includes a menu to sort alphabetically, as well as a Search field. In addition, the catalog can be configured to display:
A Modify View button that launches a modal for controlling which catalog menus display, as well as for excluding the learner's existing curriculum.
Tabs so that a learner’s already accessed curriculum (in-progress or completed) can be separated ("My Cards”) from curriculum not yet accessed ("Cards").
A viewing toggle so learners can switch between a grid (card) or list view of curriculum.
For a comparison chart outlining the differences between the catalog included in the Kenai theme and the native workplace catalog, please read our Knowledge base article titled ‘Catalog comparison: Kenai and Workplace’.
Catalog Settings (Site Level Settings)
To configure the site level settings:
If the Kenai Catalog is enabled you will have access to the features described above and the Kenai Catalog link will appear in your site’s navigation bar. To set, go to Site Administration > Appearance > Custom theme settings > “Kenai” and ensure that “Enable Catalog?” is set to “Yes”.
You can applying styling via Raw initial SCSS or Raw SCSS within the Kenai theme.
After enabling the Kenai theme, additional Kenai fields will become available in course and program settings. These fields can be used to create catalog filters and control how course/program information is displayed in the catalog.
For courses, go to Site administration > Learning > Locate the Course you wish to edit > Edit course settings > locate “Kenai Fields” towards the bottom of the course settings page. For Programs, go to Site administration > Learning > “Programs” > Select the Program you wish to edit > Edit Details > locate “Kenai Fields” towards the bottom of the program settings page.
To add additional information to the course cards you can use:
kenaiinfo1
An icon can be set to accompany this field in the general theme settings. Go to Site administration > Appearance > Custom theme settings > “Kenai” and enter the code for the desired icon in “Kenai Info 1 Icon”.
kenaiinfo2
The default icon “fa-clock-o” is set for kenaiinfo2.
You can change this icon in the general theme settings. Go to Site administration > Appearance > Custom theme settings > “Kenai” and enter the code for the desired icon in “Kenai Info 2 Icon”.
To determine if a Program can allow for self-registration:
“kenaiprogallocate” - This enables program self allocation and allows a program card to appear in the catalog. This setting is located inside each Program, below kenaiinfo2.
To add a custom filter property:
“kenaifilter1”, “kenaifilter2”, and “kenaifilter3” – Adds one, two, or three additional filter categories to the catalog. You will find these filters within Site administration > Learning > “Course custom fields”. If you edit the “Name” of these fields, that “Name” will display in the catalog as a filter open.
Note: Do not edit the “Short name” value.
If courses don't have any values set, the filter will not appear.
kenaifilter1 also adds additional info to the course cards.
An additional custom checkbox field (kenaimandatory) is also within the “Course custom fields” list, and can be found in each course settings page under “Kenai Fields”. This field determines if a course should be considered mandatory.
You may also edit the “Name” of this field if something other than “Mandatory” is more appropriate for your organization.
If a user is enrolled in a course, the course is flagged as mandatory, and the course is incomplete, then it would display in the mandatory section.
You can add custom nodes to the navigation bar:
Go to Site Administration > Appearance > Custom theme settings > “Kenai” and in the section “Custom navigation” enter the syntax following the guidance noted on the page.
You can add a footer banner by entering text in the field “Footer Banner”.
You can enable a “go to top” button on your Catalog. This value is set to “Yes” by default.
Enhanced Native Catalog
In Kenai release 4.23, we introduced the enhanced native catalog. Leaning on the native Workplace catalog, this enhanced native catalog is an optional alternative to the regular Kenai catalog. It leverages the flexible settings and streamlined interface of the native Workplace catalog, while also providing alphabetical sorting capability, on-demand control of the filter pane, and toggle selection of grid or list view. The enhanced native catalog is only available for Moodle Workplace versions; as with the native Workplace catalog, at present it does not support display of programs.
With the enhanced native catalog you will find the following features:
Learner progress view
With the enhanced native catalog, the optional “My Progress” view can be added as a separate page, accessible by a link in the main navigation header configured via the “Custom navigation” field in Kenai general settings. With this option enabled, a learner’s enrolled courses are excluded from the enhanced catalog and displayed on the “My Progress” page. The page’s custom filter pane can be configured for mandatory, in-progress, and completed status, and the page can be configured to display a progress bar and percentage for each course.
Kenai custom field migration
To optimize configuration of the enhanced native catalog, Kenai custom text fields can be converted to native Moodle dropdown fields, so they are available for display in the catalog filter pane.
To configure the enhanced native catalog
To use the enhanced native catalog you must have both the Kenai catalog and the core/ native Workplace catalog enabled.
To turn the Kenai catalog on, go to Site Administration > Appearance > Custom theme settings > “Kenai” and ensure that “Enable Catalog?” is set to “Yes”.
To enable the core/ native Workplace catalog, go to Site Administration > Learning > “Learning catalog settings” and ensure that “Enable learning catalog” is set to “Yes”.
For more detail on all that the native catalog offers, which you can leverage, see Moodle docs on Catalogue.
To use the “My Progress” view, go to Site Administration > Appearance > Custom theme settings > “Custom catalogs” and ensure that the “Enable “My Progress” catalog view” is enabled. By default, this feature is disabled. Once you enable this view, users' currently enrolled courses will no longer appear in the regular view of the catalog page.
To make this view accessible to learners, add /course/index.php?mycourses=1 to your main site URL and place it in the “Custom navigation” setting under the Kenai “General Settings” tab, as shown below:
To show completion progress on the “My Progress” view, enable the “Show completion progress on “My Progress” view” setting within the “Custom catalogs” tab of theme Kenai. This setting will display a progress bar at the bottom of the card or list item for each course that has completion enabled.
To provide a filter which allows a learner to either include or not include their “In Progress” courses within the “My Progress” view, ensure that the “Enable “In Progress” filter” setting is on. This applies to any course a user is enrolled in but has not completed.
To provide a filter which allows learners to either include or not include courses that they have completed, ensure that the “Enable “Completed” filter” setting is on.
To allow users to filter by training that is mandatory or not mandatory, you will need to enable the “Mandatory” filter in the native catalog settings. To do so, go to Site Administration > Learning > “Learning catalog settings” and ensure that the eye is open for the “Mandatory” filter within the section titled ‘Fields to display in the learning catalogue filter’.
In the enhanced native catalog, if you would like to use the values already entered into your Kenai custom text fields as filters, you will first need to convert them to dropdown custom fields using the migration tool. To use the tool, go to Site Administration > Appearance > Custom theme settings > “Kenai” > “Text field to dropdown field migration tool.”. Select the field you would like to migrate and click “Submit”. An adhoc task will be queued to perform the migration process. When the task is finished, the existing text custom field will be renamed with “backup” appended to its shortname and a new dropdown field will be created with options for all of the values that were used for that text field.
Kenai Icon Management
The Kenai theme allows you to use your own icons for each activity type installed on your Moodle site, including 3rd party plugins. To use your own custom icon, simply “edit” the icon for each activity and replace the default icon with one of your choosing. Accepted file types include .jpg, .gif, and .png.
Language Pack
You can adjust the language pack for the theme. Go to Site Administration > General > Language > “Language Customization”, and search for “theme_kenai” strings. The label on catalog filters can be changed in Moodle's string editor. They are named like this: filter:kenaifilter1.
Versioning
Releases will be numbered with the following format:
Primarymoodle.secondarymoodle.patch
and following these guidelines:
primarymoodle.secondarymoodle will match the version of Moodle the theme is built for (ex 3.11).
The patch will be the latest release on that Moodle version.