Monitor Creation

Monitors gather data around instructor and student activity such as:

  • Page visits
  • Element clicks or views that trigger across all LMS pages and trigger restricted to specific pages.

Monitoring Certain Actions

If you are interested in monitoring a certain action, first check whether a monitor already exists Out of the Box inside the Dashboard to avoid duplications; you can find the monitor conditions by clicking the Context connected to the monitor.

In case the desired monitor does not exist in the Dashboard, you can create a new one through your Impact Inline Editor.

Making Decisions about Monitors

These tips will help you leverage monitor placement and behavior to achieve the most valid and accurate data.

Element monitors
  • Element monitors: place a monitor when the user interacts with the element rather than when they see it.
  • Whenever possible, try to place monitors on the last action of a workflow that way, you can be confident that they have performed the action you want to monitor.
Assignments Page
Create New Assignment
  • If a transitional button or link leads to a new page, it is usually recommended to monitor the page it leads to, instead of the button clicks, as this is the last step of the workflow. For example, it is recommended to monitor the New assignment page visits instead of the +Assignment button clicks.
  • In some use cases, it is worth comparing two actions; therefore you can create monitors on the first and last steps of a workflow. For example, you might be interested in how many students visited the Take assignment page compared to how many of them submitted the assignment (clicked on the Submit assignment button) so you can then make campaign decisions on assisting students to finalize their assignments.

Naming Convention Recommendations

Monitor Name

  • The monitor title should align with the template name.
  • When a page restriction is selected, the page name should be included in the title as well.

Specifically:

  • Page monitor: Same as template name
Element Monitor - On every page
  • Element monitor - On every page: Template name; Restricted to a page: Page name: followed by element name (e.g. Assignments page: save button)

Note: You can set a monitor to be specific to pages by switching the toggle.

Monitor Description

Once you set the monitor title, you need to add a clear monitor description. The description needs to include monitor's:

  • Behavior (click or page load)
  • Page restriction (if any)
  • Your target user (instructor, student, observer, all users)

Use the template below for monitor descriptions:

Page level context:

  • "This monitor triggers when (insert users/an instructor/a student/an observer)(insert clicks on/sees) the (insert element name)."

Element level context:

  • On Every page: "This monitor triggers when (insert users/an instructor/a student/an observer)(insert clicks on/sees) the (insert element name)."
  • Restricted to a page: “This monitor triggers when (insert users/an instructor/a student/an observer) (insert clicks on/sees) the (insert element name) on the (insert page name).”
Create Monitor

Now click the Create Monitor button.

After the monitor has been created, refresh your dashboard as well as the LMS pages. Locate the monitor inside your Dashboard and test whether the monitor triggers successfully by accessing or clicking the respective pages or elements, accordingly. If it functions correctly, add the monitor inside a reporting template, so that it generates meaningful data inside your Insights area on the Dashboard.