Improve personalised student emails by using iLearn Insights ‘Variables’

iLearn Insights now have the capability to make your emails visually appealing by adding bold, clickable links and different types of headings. You can also use iLearn Insights variables to add dynamic content to your emails to students with minimum effort and time.

“I believe it’s time to move from text based emails toward visual emails as more visuals will allow students to comprehend information quickly and more efficiently.“

‘Variables’ in iLearn Insights are a group of keywords that can dynamically fetch student data and/or modify part of email text to make an email personalised to the individual student. Depending on the context of an email a set of related variables can be found in ‘compose email’ page as shown in the following screenshot –

To use a variable in an email –

1. Place cursor in the compose email text area where you want to add a variable.
2. Select a variable from the variable list, which will copy the variable to the place where you have placed the cursor.

Some variables require to replace the default text with the intended text. Find below a list of all available iLearn Insights variables, context of use, and output to an email.

Student-related variables

To add first, last or full name of a student use {#FIRSTNAME#} , {#LASTNAME#} or {#FULLNAME#} respectively

Unit-related variables

To add unit code, clickable unit link or clickable unit guide link of an unit use {#UNITCODE#} , {#UNITTITLE#} or {#COURSE_UNIT_GUIDE_LINK#} respectively

To add most accessed activity list of a unit use {#MOST_ACCESSED_ACTIVITY_LIST#}

Zoom session related variable

To add Zoom link select Add Zoom link from the variable select box.

This will generate following code, where you just need to replace add_date_and_time with Zoom session date and time, and add_your_zoom_link_here with Zoom session link.

{#UNDERLINE_START#}{#HEADING_2_START#}Zoom access details{#HEADING_2_END#}{#UNDERLINE_END#}
{#HEADING_3_START#}Session date and time:{#HEADING_3_END#} {#BOLD_START#}add_date_and_time{#BOLD_END#}
{#HEADING_3_START#}Session link:{#HEADING_3_END#} {#ZOOM_LINK_START#}add_your_zoom_link_here{#ZOOM_LINK_END#}
{#HEADING_3_START#}Note: {#HEADING_3_END#}This session may be recorded and when recording a meeting, any chat, video or audio content may be recorded.

Student support-related variable

To add available support services for students use {#SUPPORTSERVICES#}

Activity-related variables

To add clickable activity title and due date of an activity use {#ACTIVITYTITLE#} and {#ACTIVITY_DUE_DATE_AND_TIME#} respectively

To add activity submissions number and activity participants number of an activity use {#ACTIVITY_SUBMISSIONS#} and {#ACTIVITY_PARTICIPANTS#} respectively

To send feedback to students who received a grade use {#STUDENTMARK_CLASSAVERAGE_HIGHESTMARK_GRAPH#}. Depending on the received grade students will receive one of the following –

Engagement related variable

To add unit engagement details for a students use –

{#LOGGED_INTO_THIS_UNIT_X_TIMES_IN_THE_LAST_7_DAYS#}
{#YOU_SUBMITTED_X_OUT_OF_X_ASSESSMENTS_ON_TIME_IN_THIS_UNIT#}

HTML variables

To add a clickable link replace add_your_link_here with the link {#LINK_START#}add_your_link_here{#LINK_END#}

Bold, Italic, Underline, Heading 1, Heading 2 and Heading 3 can be added in an email using following variables –

{#BOLD_START#}add_your_text_here{#BOLD_END#} {#ITALIC_START#}add_your_text_here{#ITALIC_END#} {#UNDERLINE_START#}add_your_text_here{#UNDERLINE_END#} {#HEADING_1_START#}add_your_text_here{#HEADING_1_END#} {#HEADING_2_START#}add_your_text_here{#HEADING_2_END#} {#HEADING_3_START#}add_your_text_here{#HEADING_3_END#}

Outcome of the above variables are shown below.