--- loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Slot_About.tex 2006/11/28 03:03:12 1.1
+++ loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Slot_About.tex 2007/08/18 22:43:10 1.4
@@ -1,7 +1,15 @@
\label{Slot_About}
+Usually, you will set things like open dates, due dates, etc, using Parameters, will affect all students in a course or in a particular section.
-A course coordinator can add slots, by going clicking \fbox{parm} (Managing Parameters) on the main menu and then clicking on the link Managing Slots. The link will guide you to a page showing all available slots. You can control which slots to show based on opening date, as well as what slot information to show.
-
-Each slot can be edited or deleted according to your needs. When a slot is deleted, students cannot use that slot anymore, even if they have been scheduled to take it before deletion.
+There are however situations where you want students to schedule themselves into certain ``slots (or windows) of availability'' for a set of resources. An example would be that students can schedule themselves into certain laboratory or exam times and rooms, and you want the students to only access a set of resources when they are there (for example, by in addition setting IP-restrictions).
+
+With slots, you can accomplish this. Slots can not only manage availability, but also deal with limited capacity (for example, room or lecture hall seating limits). So, if you are running an open lab in a number of rooms, LON-CAPA can do the scheduling for you.
+
+A course coordinator can add slots, by pressing \textbf{parm} (Managing Parameters) on the main menu and then clicking on the link Managing Slots. The link will guide you to a page showing all available slots. You can control which slots to show based on opening date, as well as what slot information to show.
-There are two ways of creating slot, using the web interface in LON CAPA and uploading a comma delimited file. Uploading a file allows you to use other applications in creating a comma delimited file, and automate the entry of multiple slots (See Upload Slot File \ref{Slot_CommaDelimited}).
+There are two ways of creating slot, using the web interface in LON CAPA (see Adding Slot Using the Interface \ref{Slot_AddInterface}) and uploading a comma delimited file. Uploading a file allows you to use other applications in creating a comma delimited file, and automate the entry of multiple slots (see Upload Slot File \ref{Slot_CommaDelimited}).
+
+Each slot can be edited or deleted according to your needs (see Editing and Deleting Slots \ref{Slot_EditDelete}). When a slot is deleted, students cannot use that slot anymore, even if they have been scheduled to take it before deletion.
+
+Once slots have been created, you must set the parameters of the resource that uses that slot (see Slots and Resources \ref{Slot_ResourceParameter}). Once this is complete, students will not be able to see the resource unless they are the correct students at the correct time and place.
+