What is ILIAS?

What exactly is ILIAS?

ILIAS is a learning platform or Learning Management System (LMS), which can be used to create and provide learning and teaching materials and allows you to structure and share knowledge and training activities. ILIAS offers a flexible course management and can be used for different learning scenarios – supporting university lectures or seminars or as a means of developing whole new learning environments like LIB(e)RO.
ILIAS is an abbreviation for „Integriertes Lern-, Informations- und Arbeitskooperations-System“ (Integrated Learning, Information and Cooperation System). It was originally developed in 1998 at the University of Cologne. Today, it is being used by many universities, schools and other educational institutions as well as public administrations, corporations and other organisations. Today, ILIAS has millions of users worldwide.

Did you know that ILIAS has millions of users worldwide?

By using ILIAS through LIB(e)RO, you will become a part of that learning community!

ILIAS is an open source software, which means that everyone can use ILIAS without having to pay for a licence. ILIAS can be used free of charge and can also be further developed by its users. Once installed at its home institutions, ILIAS works as an online tool, which means that you only need your internet browser and do not need to install any software. In the case of LIB(e)RO, we are making use of the ILIAS learning platform of the University of Passau in order to provide you with the teaching and learning materials developed within our project. This means that in order to use LIB(e)RO you will only need an internet connection and a recent version of your browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer). Under these conditions you can access all materials from all end devices and at all times. Generally, ILIAS is responsive, meaning that it cannot only be used on desktop PCs and laptops but also on tablets and smart phones.

ILIAS is also easily accessible and user friendly. The layout and design of ILIAS is simple: it does not offer many varieties (e.g. regarding the choice of fonts or the page layout) but this simple design makes it particularly recognizable and user friendly. The consistent layout makes it easier for learners to discover new learning contents.

While the layout of ILIAS is simple, the system consists of various different elements to enhance learning experiences and can accommodate different media formats. For example, ILIAS can contain tools for course management, learning modules, tests and exams, Wikis and blogs (although not all of them will appear in LIB(e)RO; we will tell you more about the ILIAS content elements used in LIB(e)RO later on) as well as texts, audio files, videos and links. This variety makes ILIAS particularly suitable for online learning and is why we chose to use it to establish our e-learning platform LIB(e)RO.

Authors responsible for this learning module: Filiz Keser Aschenberger, Danube University Krems, and Marielle Ratter, University of Passau

This is a test version of the learning module "Working with LIB(e)RO" in the frame of the eLearning platform LIB(e)RO. You can find further information on the project website.