What do I do now that my course package is pushed to QA?

Now that your course is published to QA, as an author with a QA account, you have access to create course sections for review before the next step of publishing to Production (oli.cmu.edu) for use with students.


How do authors create a course section for review on QA?

(Don't have an account? Register for an account at qa-01.oli.cmu.edu and email oli-help@cmu.edu for access to your course package.)


Sign In with your existing account at qa-01.oli.cmu.edu.

1. Create a course section using "Create a new course ..." and choose the new course package.

2. Follow prompts to create a course section and to assign a unique course key.

Note: Consider identifying the course title/key by date for later reference and differentiation from other course sections.

3. Review the course including any recent changes and especially for components that cannot be changed in live production courses such as the course organization (pages and page order).

4. Make any revisions in Echo.

5. Request publishing to QA again for additional rounds of review by using the Workflow tab in Echo.

Note: Minor changes show up in existing course sections on QA. Major changes such as changes to the organization (pages, page order) require a new section to be created on QA. If a change does not appear on QA, consider creating a new section.

6. When the course is ready for production, double check that the course organization is final as this cannot be changed on production, and use the Workflow tab in Echo (echo.oli.cmu.edu) to request production.


How do I invite my team members to review?


Team members must have an account on QA to enroll in an existing course section created by an author. Ask your team members to either sign in or register for a new account, then enroll in the course section for review as follows:


1. Create an account on QA: Click Register at qa-01.oli.cmu.edu and follow the prompts to create an account. Email oli-help@cmu.edu to add instructor access or access to see a course package on the create a new course menu.


2. Enroll in an existing QA course section for review: Enter the unique course key provided by your team member in the Course Key box and click GO to be enrolled. Email oli-help@cmu.edu to be enrolled as instructor.


My course looks great and is ready for students! I am sure that there are no issues with the pages and order of the pages. What is the next step?
From the Workflow tab in Echo, request publication to Production.


Frequently Asked Questions


What is QA?
QA refers to quality assurance and also the nickname for the QA server that serves as the test environment for newly published or edited course packages. Courses are authored in Echo, then reviewed for quality assurance on QA by authors and team members, then finally published to Production for use with students.


Where is QA?

qa-01.oli.cmu.edu


What if I do not have an account on QA?

Create an account by clicking Register in the upper right at qa-01.oli.cmu.edu. Email oli-help@cmu.edu for instructor access if you need to create your own course section for review. Alternately, enter the Course Key for a course section created by a team member.


What if I don't see a "Create a new course ..." link on the My Courses page?

Email oli-help@cmu.edu to request instructor access and indicate which course package(s) you expect to build. Another option is to ask your team members to create a course section and give you the Course Key for enrollment by entering the course key in the Course Key box and clicking GO.


What if I can't see the course package in the drop-down list when I'm creating a course section?

Course packages are visible to course authors who have a QA account at the time of publishing. To request access, email oli-help@cmu.edu.


Do I have to review my course on QA before publishing to Production?

Yes.


Why can't I just publish my changes directly to Production?

In order to ensure consistent quality in live courses, please review your course package changes in the QA test environment before publishing to Production.


What is Production?

The OLI platform is oli.cmu.edu where courses are live with real students - referred to as Production. There are other variations of production: kth.oli.cmu.edu, suny.oli.cmu.edu, community.oli.cmu.edu, k12.oli.cmu.edu.


What is Echo?

Echo is the authoring platform located at echo.oli.cmu.edu.


What is the publishing process from Echo to Production?

https://olihelp.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/32000025699-the-publication-process-moving-from-echo-to-the-live-oli-site


Don't see your answer here?

Let us know. Email us at oli-help@cmu.edu! We can go into more details or schedule some time to talk with you. We exist only to help!