Kolibri User Guide¶

Kolibri is an open-source educational platform specially designed to provide offline access to a wide range of quality, openly licensed educational contents in low-resource contexts like rural schools, refugee camps, orphanages, and also in non-formal school programs.

Kolibri can serve high quality education content from several publicly available content channels, collections of educational resources (exercises, videos, audio or document files) and associated metadata, prepared and organized for their use in Kolibri. It works in conjunction with Kolibri Studio, the curriculum tool used to organize content and build custom content channels, aligned to the local curricula, or according to specific learning needs.

Some of the publicly available learning content that you can use with Kolibri.

Learners - start here ¶

Whether you are using Kolibri at your school, in a training center or at home, learn how to open it on your device, what kind of content and activities can you work with, and how to submit exams created by your coaches or tutors.

For Coaches using Kolibri¶

Read how to monitor activity and track the progress of your learners on whole topics and exercises, all the way to single answers to particular questions. Create and manage different learner groups, assign lessons, administer exams and view reports.

For Admins and Super admins of Kolibri¶

Begin by reading how to install and start Kolibri server on the supported platforms, and configure other devices in the local network to access its content. Proceed on how to import content channels, create and manage users and classes. Configure the settings for your facility, and assign or edit permissions for other users. Learn how to work with Kolibri from the command line, troubleshoot network issues, and ask for support on our Community Forums.

Happy learning with Kolibri!

Install Kolibri¶

See the Kolibri changelog here to review specific changes in each version of Kolibri. Documentation for previous Kolibri versions are available here.

Hardware requirements¶

To install Kolibri on a device that will act as a server, check the hardware requirements first, and then follow the procedure for the operating system on your device.

Tip

Below you will find general recommendations regarding hardware requirements to run Kolibri. To read more detailed information and find out examples of hardware setups that have been implemented by our users, download the full Kolibri Hardware Guide and examples of Hardware Configurations for Kolibri (PDF documents).

Servers¶

Minimum hardware requirements to run Kolibri as a server:

500 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)

500 MHz CPU (1 GHz recommended)

Hard drive space depends on the size of the content channels you intend to import from Kolibri Studio or a local storage device.

If you have a facility with less than 30 computers, a device as simple as a Raspberry Pi is known to work fine as a server.

Clients¶

Very old desktops and very low-power computers can be used as client devices to access Kolibri. For instance, some implementations are known to use first-gen Raspberry Pi as desktop computers.

It is always a good idea to do a practical test, but when you want to implement Kolibri, usually it’s not necessary to scale your hardware. The main requirement is that your system needs a video card and driver that can play the videos.

Windows¶

Compatibility¶

Supported: Windows 7, 8.1 and 10, with IE 11+, Chrome or Firefox
Not supported: Windows XP cannot be used to install Kolibri server, but could potentially work as a client device if the browsers are as up-to-date as possible.

Install¶

Download the Windows installer for Kolibri version 0.11.
Double-click the downloaded .exe file.
Select the language for the installation.
Python 3 installer is included, confirm the installation or the upgrade to proceed.
Follow the rest of the instructions in the Kolibri installation setup wizard.
Once the installation finishes, Kolibri will auto-start and open in the default browser on your computer at http://127.0.0.1:8080. This may take a moment, so please be patient.
Proceed with the Initial Setup of your facility.

Warning

Windows firewall will prompt you to allow the Python process needed to run Kolibri. Click Allow access to accept and proceed.

Allow the Python process needed to run Kolibri.

Uninstall¶

Open the Windows Control Panel.
Select Programs and Features option.
Select Kolibri from the list of programs.
Click the button Uninstall/Change and follow the instructions.

Upgrade¶

To upgrade Kolibri, follow these steps.

Download the new version of Kolibri Windows installer.
Double-click the downloaded .exe file.
Follow the instructions in the installation wizard window.
Once the installation of the upgrade is finished, Kolibri will auto-start and open in the default browser on your computer.
Go explore the new and improved Kolibri features!

Debian/Ubuntu¶

Compatibility¶

Debian 8 (Jessie), Debian 9 (Stretch), Ubuntu 14.04+ and up - anything that’s not end-of-life. Ubuntu-based distributions count a number of flavours, for instance Xubuntu and Mint.

Install from PPA repository¶

In Ubuntu-based distributions, use the following commands in Terminal to add the PPA and install Kolibri:

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common dirmngr
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:learningequality/kolibri
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install kolibri

In Debian-based distributions you need to use these commands to point to our Launchpad PPA:

sudo apt-get install dirmngr
sudo su -c 'echo "deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/learningequality/kolibri/ubuntu cosmic main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/learningequality-ubuntu-kolibri-cosmic.list'
sudo apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv-keys DC5BAA93F9E4AE4F0411F97C74F88ADB3194DD81
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install kolibri

Install from a .deb file¶

The advantages of downloading a .deb file is the portability: you can copy the file from device to device and install Kolibri without internet access.

Download the latest .deb installer for Kolibri version 0.11, or have it copied to your local drive.
Run this command from the location where you downloaded the DEB file:
```
sudo dpkg -i kolibri-installer-filename.deb
```
Wait for the installation to finish and run this command to start Kolibri:
```
kolibri start
```
Note

If you choose to install Kolibri as a system service, you will not need to start it manually.
When the command finishes, open the default browser at http://127.0.0.1:8080 and proceed with the Initial Setup of your facility.

Uninstall¶

Open Software on Ubuntu and locate the Kolibri. Press Remove.
Or from the command line: sudo apt-get remove kolibri.

Upgrade¶

When you use the PPA installation method, upgrades to newer versions will be automatic, provided there is internet access available.

To upgrade Kolibri on a Debian device without internet access, bring the updated .deb file and follow the same steps as in Install from a .deb file.

Changing the owner of Kolibri system service¶

The system service is the script that runs Kolibri in the background when your system boots on Debian-based distributions.

You may need to change the system service to run with the permissions of a different user account. Prior to v0.10, kolibri user account was the owner of the system service, while from v0.10 and later, desktop user’s account is preferred, in order for Kolibri to access the local USB storage.

To change the system service owner, you need to change the configuration of the system service: move the .kolibri data folder (containing channels, databases etc.), and assign owner permissions to the new user. Follow these steps.

# Stop Kolibri
sudo systemctl stop kolibri
# Move data to your desktop user:
sudo mv /var/kolibri/.kolibri /home/$USER/.kolibri
# Change ownership
sudo chown -R $USER /home/$USER/.kolibri
# Change the username configuration
sudo sh -c 'sudo echo -n $USER > /etc/kolibri/username'
# Start Kolibri again
sudo systemctl start kolibri

Note

Replace the $USER in commands above with the name of the user you wish to be the new Kolibri system service owner.

Raspberry Pi¶

There are several varieties of operating systems for Raspberry Pi. This guide is intended for and tested on Raspian, the most popular choice of OS, based on Debian. To obtain and install Raspbian, refer to the official documentation.

Kolibri is intended for Raspberry Pi Model 3 and upwards.

Tip

The standard Raspbian OS has a graphical desktop. You can also install Raspbian Lite which uses fewer resources, but only has a command line interface. The instructions in this documentation work seamlessly on both.

Warning

Most of these steps require an internet connection. It is not possible to prepare a blank Raspberry Pi for Kolibri without fetching additional software packages from online sources.

Install¶

We need to upgrade the python3-cffi library, which is outdated on Raspbian. Upgrade it like this:

sudo apt install libffi-dev python3-pip python3-pkg-resources dirmngr
sudo pip3 install pip setuptools --upgrade
sudo pip3 install cffi --upgrade

Add our Ubuntu PPA with these special instructions:

sudo su -c 'echo "deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/learningequality/kolibri/ubuntu xenial main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/learningequality-ubuntu-kolibri-xenial.list'
sudo apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv-keys DC5BAA93F9E4AE4F0411F97C74F88ADB3194DD81
sudo apt update
sudo apt install kolibri

When asked questions during the installation, it is recommended that you use the default pi command for running Kolibri because it will have access to USB devices.

When the command finishes, open the default browser at http://127.0.0.1:8080 and proceed with the Initial Setup of your facility.

Note

The following issues are quite common on a Raspberry Pi:

System time isn’t set properly or resets during power-off. This causes errors while downloading software. For instance, SSL certificates for online sources will fail to validate. Ensure that you have the right timezone in /etc/timezone and that the clock is set properly by running sudo ntpd -gq.
Storage space is often scarce. If you have a USB source for additional storage, you can use the kolibri manage movedirectory command or create your own symbolic links to have the data folder located elsewhere.

Using the built-in management command:
```
# Stop kolibri
sudo systemctl kolibri stop
# Move the data
kolibri manage movedirectory /path/to/your/external_drive
# Start kolibri
sudo systemctl kolibri start
```
I/O operations are slow: This means that a typical bottleneck on a Raspberry Pi is file transfer to/from MicroSD card or USB attached storage. Once Kolibri is up and running, this will not be a bottleneck, but while copying initial contents of several gigabytes, you will experience this. Both the SD card reader and the USB ports will limit you at 50-80MB/sec. From our experience, it doesn’t matter much whether you are using the main SD card reader for storage or some media connected to your USB, as in principle they both reach about the same maximum speeds. However, you may find significant differences in the speeds of individual SD Cards.

When replicating installations, you can save time if you connect the SD card of USB storage to another device with faster transfer speeds. Replication will be described in future guides.

Uninstall¶

From the command line: sudo apt-get remove kolibri.

Upgrade¶

When you use the PPA installation method, upgrades to newer versions will be automatic, provided there is internet access available.

Other Linux & MacOS¶

Compatibility¶

MacOS: 10.6+, all browsers supported
Linux: Any system with Python 2.7, all browsers supported

Install¶

To install Kolibri on Linux distributions other than Debian, as well as on MacOS, you can use generic installation with pip install command, or follow these steps to run Kolibri with the PEX package.

Download the PEX installer for Kolibri version 0.11.
Make sure to open the Terminal where you downloaded the PEX file. For example, if you saved it in the Downloads folder, type this when you open the Terminal, and press Enter:
cd Downloads
Type the following commands next (press Enter after each one).
chmod +x kolibri-installer-filename.pex ./kolibri-installer-filename.pex start
Note

Make sure to substitute the kolibri-installer-filename.pex with the exact name of the file you downloaded in both commands. For example, if the name of the downloaded file is kolibri-v0.11.0.pex, type that instead of kolibri-installer-filename.pex.
When the command finishes, open the default browser at http://127.0.0.1:8080 and proceed with the Initial Setup of your facility.

Warning

Remember that PEX package allows you to run Kolibri on your system only while the process is active in the Terminal window. If that process is stopped (by either pressing Ctrl + C, closing the Terminal, or restarting your system), you will need to repeat the above steps to start Kolibri again. User accounts, classes and groups you create, as well as the content channels you download, will be available every time you restart Kolibri.

Uninstall¶

Delete the PEX file.
Delete the ./kolibri folder in your user’s Home directory if you want to completely remove all the Kolibri files and content channels you imported.

Upgrade¶

To upgrade Kolibri, follow these steps.

Download the new version of Kolibri PEX installer.
Start Kolibri as during the first install.
Go explore the new and improved Kolibri features!

Python pip package¶

You can install Kolibri as a standard package from PyPi (works on Mac, Windows, and Linux) using this command:

pip install kolibri

Initial Setup¶

To do the initial setup of your Kolibri facility after the installation, follow these steps.

Note

You need to do the initial setup only once, the first time you start Kolibri after the installation. You can change all the settings later, except the type and the name of the facility.

Select the default language for Kolibri.

Select the default Kolibri language.

Warning

The default language configured for content in your browser preferences might override the language you choose in this step. To ensure that Kolibri displays in the desired language, make sure to configure it as default in the browsers of all the devices that will be used to view Kolibri content.
Facility name and type. A “Facility” is the location where you are installing Kolibri, such as a school, training center, or even your home.

Non-formal type can be used in libraries, orphanages, correctional facilities, youth centers, computer labs and similar, Formal one in schools and other formal learning contexts, and Personal should work best for parent-child or supplementary individual learning.

Formal and non-formal facilities require a name, while personal ones do not.

Choose the type of facility.
Guest access.

Select if guests can access Kolibri content without the need to create an account.
User account creation.

Select if anyone can create a user account for themselves, or if user accounts must be created by Kolibri admins.
Enable passwords for learners. Simplified sign-in, without the password requirement, allows easier access for younger learners.

Select if learners must type in their passwords to sign-in to Kolibri.
Create super admin account. This admin user will be a super admin, able to manage all the device content, and all the rest of the facility users and their permissions.

Select the username and password for the facility super admin.

Tip

Make sure to save these super admin credentials in a safe place!
Data usage and privacy - responsibilities of the adminstrator. When you are setting up a Kolibri facility, especially in formal contexts, you need to take into consideration the relevant privacy laws and regulations. You as the super admin, or someone you delegate, will be responsible for protecting and managing the user accounts and personal information stored on the device. Review the data usage and privacy statement before finihsing the facility setup.

Review the super admin responsibilities regarding the data usage and privacy.

Once you finish the initial setup, proceed to import some content, and create users (if you chose the Admin-managed facility setup). Make sure to check how to configure other computers in the network to access Kolibri.

Access Kolibri¶

Starting Kolibri on Windows¶

To start the Kolibri server on Windows, just double-click the desktop shortcut. You will see the notification message Kolibri is starting, please wait….

When you see the notification Kolibri is running…, Kolibri will open in the browser with the URL http://127.0.0.1:8080.

Kolibri Taskbar Options¶

While it is running, Kolibri will display an icon in the Windows taskbar (usually at bottom right, near the clock), that allows you to stop it and configure other settings.

Kolibri taskbar options.

Use the Load in browser option to open Kolibri in the browser.
By default Kolibri will start running every time you start the computer where it is installed. Uncheck the Run Kolibri at system startup option if you prefer to start it manually from the desktop shortcut.
When installed, Kolibri will open in the browser every time it is started. Uncheck the option Open browser when Kolibri starts if you prefer to have it running in the background, and to open it manually in the browser by typing the URL http://127.0.0.1:8080 in the address bar.
Select Exit to stop Kolibri. You will be prompted to confirm the selection, after which Kolibri will stop. You will have to close the browser (or the tab) manually.

Note

Remember to configure other computers in the network to access Kolibri content.

Starting Kolibri on Linux or MacOS¶

Starting Kolibri on Linux and MacOS will differ depending on the method you used to install it.

If you used the PEX package, Kolibri will be accessible as long as the process is running in the Terminal. If you stop the process, close the Terminal window, or restart your system, you will need to run the PEX again to restart Kolibri.
If you installed Kolibri as a system service with the DEB installer, it will run automatically on each system restart, and you do not need to start it manually. Proceed to step 2 below.
If you installed Kolibri through the PPA, or generic installation with pip install command, follow these steps.
1. Run this command in Terminal to start Kolibri:
kolibri start
Warning

On macOS you may need to prefix the command with python, and type python -m kolibri start instead.
1. Open the default browser at http://127.0.0.1:8080, and it will display the Kolibri start page.
Note

Remember to configure other computers in the network to access Kolibri content.
1. Run this command in Terminal to stop Kolibri:
kolibri stop

Accessing Kolibri from Other Devices in the Network¶

After you have installed and started Kolibri on the computer that will act as a server, you need to configure other devices in the the same Local Area Network (LAN), such as other computers, tablets or phones, so they can access the the learning content on the server.

Compatibility¶

Kolibri currently supports the following combinations of operating systems and browsers for client devices:

Windows 7, 8.1 and 10, with IE 11+, Chrome and Firefox
MacOS 10.6+ with Safari, Chrome and Firefox
Linux, any browser
Android 4.2+, Chrome and Firefox
iOS, Chrome and Firefox supported, Safari not supported

Warning

Videos are MP4 encoded. While most browsers do not require additional plugins or codecs, open source platforms will often require you to install MP4 codecs separately: For instance on Ubuntu, install the restricted extras package.

Set up Access on Other Devices¶

To access content from other devices in the same network, you need to know the IP address of the computer where Kolibri is running.

For example, if Kolibri is installed and started on a computer with the IP address 192.168.0.104, you can access it from an Android tablet connected to the same network by opening the browser on the tablet and typing the address http://192.168.0.104:8080.

Tip

You can check the IP (Server URL) of the device where Kolibri is running by going to Info tab in the Device dashboard.

Find the IP/Server URL in the Device > Info tab.
You can also use the ipconfig command on Windows or ifconfig command on Linux/OSX to find the externally visible IP address of the device running the Kolibri.

Note

In case of network problems, see troubleshooting tips.
Examples and comparison of Hardware Configurations for Kolibri (PDF document).

Change Language¶

To change language in which the Kolibri user interface is displayed, follow these steps:

Open your user menu in the upper right corner.
Select the Change language option.
Choose the desired language.
Click CONFIRM and Kolibri will be displayed in the selected language!

Warning

The default language configured in your browser preferences might override the language configured in Kolibri. To ensure that Kolibri displays in the desired language, make sure to configure it as default in the browsers of all the devices that will be used to view Kolibri content.

Manage Kolibri¶

Default User Roles¶

Kolibri users by default can be divided in 3 different roles with respective access to features.

Default user roles
Learners can: View content and have their progress tracked
Coaches can: View content and have their progress tracked View Coach dashboard and track progress of other users and usage stats for individual exercises Create/Edit/Delete Groups in Classes and add users to them Create/Edit/Delete Exams and assign them to users Create/Edit/Delete Lessons and assign them to users Facility coaches have access to all classes, class coaches only to ones they are assigned to
Admins can: View content and have their progress tracked View Coach dashboard and track progress of other users and usage stats for individual exercises Create/Edit/Delete other admins, coaches, and learners Create/Edit/Delete Classes and enroll users in them Create/Edit/Delete Groups in Classes and add users to them Create/Edit/Delete Exams and assign them to users Create/Edit/Delete Lessons and assign them to users View/Edit Facility configuration settings Export Detail and Summary logs usage data

Kolibri Super Admins¶

Kolibri super admin users have all device permissions, and are able to assign them to other users. Therefore super admin users can:

View content and have their progress tracked
View Coach dashboard and track progress of other users and usage stats for individual exercises
Create/Edit/Delete other admins, coaches, and learners
Create/Edit/Delete Classes and enroll users in them
Create/Edit/Delete Groups in Classes and add users to them
Create/Edit/Delete Exams and assign them to users
Create/Edit/Delete Lessons and assign them to users
View/Edit Facility configuration settings
Export Detail and Summary logs usage data
Import/Export Content channels
View/Edit Permissions of other users

Tip

If you are unable to retrieve the username and password for a super admin account in your facility, you can create a new super admin account using the command line.

Assign Additional Permissions¶

By default, only super admin users can view the Device dashboard, import/export Content channels in Kolibri, and modify Permissions for other users. However, depending on the needs of the institution, super admin users can also grant these permissions to other users.

Manage Device¶

You can manage content and permissions, and view the detailed info of the device where Kolibri is running from the Device dashboard.

Note

To manage device settings you must have the appropriate permissions.

Assign Permissions¶

You can assign additional permissions to Kolibri users which will provide them access to more features compared to their user roles. To manage permissions for Kolibri users, use the Permission tab in the Device dashboard (Permissions icon).

Permission to Manage Content¶

To grant permission to another user to manage content channels in Kolibri, that is to import, export and delete them from the device, follow these steps.

Click EDIT PERMISSIONS for the chosen user.
Under Device permissions activate the option Can import and export content channels.
Click SAVE CHANGES to apply and finish.

The users who have been granted the permissions to manage content channels will have a black key indicator in front of their name, and will be able to see the Device dashboard with the Channels tab.

Super Admin Permissions¶

To grant super admin permissions to another user, follow these steps.

Click EDIT PERMISSIONS for the chosen user.
Activate the option Make super admin.
Click SAVE CHANGES to apply and finish.

The users who have been granted the super admin permissions will have a yellow key indicator in front of their name, and will be able to see the Device dashboard with both the Content and Permissions tabs.

View Device Info¶

To view the detailed info of the device where Kolibri is running on, use the Info tab in the Device dashboard (Info icon). This information will be useful in case you need to report an issue with Kolibri on the Learning Equality Community Forums.

Click the Show link to open the Advanced device info.
Make note or copy the following device details to clipboard.
- Kolibri version
- Server IP/URL(s)
- Database path
- Device name
- Operating system
- Free disk space
- Server time
- Server timezone
  
  Find out the extended device info in the Device > Info tab.

Manage Content¶

Note

To manage Kolibri content channels you must have the appropriate permissions.

Kolibri Content Channel is a collection of educational resources (video, audio, document files or interactive apps) prepared and organized by the content curator for their use in Kolibri. You can import and export content channels in Kolibri from the Channels tab of the Device dashboard (Channels icon).

Kolibri content channels in the Device > Channels tab.

Each Kolibri content channel has its own token/ID in Kolibri Studio. You can freely view and browse content to import from the public channels in Kolibri, but in order to import content from private or unlisted channels, you will need the channel token or ID from the content curator who assembled it.

Note

The term Channel ID was valid for Kolibri versions up to 0.6, while from the Kolibri version 0.7 onward, we started using exclusively the term token to uniquely designate each channel.

Warning

When you use the Terminal or command prompt to import content channels in Kolibri from the command line, you still must use the 32 digit channel ID, as the command will not work with the token. Make sure to receive the correct channel ID from the person who curated the channel you need to import, or refer to Kolibri Studio user guide how to find it in Studio user interface, if you have channel editor access.

Import Content into Kolibri¶

Warning

Important: You cannot import your own files (videos, documents, etc.) as learning resources directly into Kolibri from your computer. Kolibri can only import content from:

already curated content channels on Kolibri Studio, if the computer running Kolibri is connected to internet

OR

an external storage drive (USB or hard drive) where content channels have been previously exported to from another Kolibri installation, if the computer running Kolibri is not connected to internet

To import your own files for use in Kolibri, you need to register at Kolibri Studio site (it’s free), and build your own content channel that you can subsequently import into Kolibri. Read more about how to do this in our Kolibri Studio user guide.

Warning

Kolibri database and content may become temporarily unavailable while importing or updating large content channels. Therefore, as a precaution, we recommend you:

avoid other interactions with Kolibri (view learner pages or manage users, for example) while content import is in progress
perform these maintenance operations outside the periods when system is being used by learners

To import content into Kolibri, follow these steps.

Click IMPORT in the Channels tab on the Device page.
Choose the source option: Kolibri Studio, Local network or internet, or Attached drive or memory card.

Select a source to import Kolibri content channels.

Import Content from Kolibri Studio¶

If the computer where Kolibri is running has an Internet connection with the sufficient bandwidth, follow these steps to import content channels.

Choose option Kolibri Studio, click CONTINUE and you will be able to see all the available public content channels.

Select which public channel on Kolibri Studio you want to import content from.

Channels from which you have already imported some or all content onto your device will have the icon.

Click SELECT for the desired channel, and wait for Kolibri to load the channel information and the topic tree.

Warning

This could take some time for big channels. Please be patient, as Kolibri needs to retrieve a lot of information to display.
In the Select content from… page you will see all the details for the selected channel: description, version, total size and number of learning resources, with the information weather you have some of the resources from that channel already imported on the local device.
Under Choose content to import click the topics links to browse through the channel contents. Use the Select all checkbox to import the content channel in full, or select only certain topics or resources. As you keep selecting, you will see the total number and size on disk under Content selected:, and the remaining space on your device.
Click IMPORT once you finish selecting all the desired content.
Wait for the content to be downloaded and click CLOSE for the new channel to appear under the Channel heading.
If you need to import content from a private/unlisted channel, click on Try adding the token link above the channel list.
Enter the channel token/ID received from the channel curator on Kolibri Studio.
Click CONFIRM to unlock channel, or CANCEL to exit.
Proceed to select and import channel topics and resources as for the public channels.

Unlisted or private channels in the list are indicated with the Unlisted channel icon.

To add more learning resources from a channel that you previously imported content from, click OPTIONS, select Import more, and repeat the selection procedure from step 3.

Import Content from a Local Network or Internet¶

You can also import content from a different device running Kolibri in your same local network, or even from a Kolibri server hosted outside your LAN, provided you know its exact IP address. This feature is useful for when you have:

a larger country- or region level Kolibri content server outside your LAN, but with resources specific to your implementation requirements
various instances of Kolibri servers in your local network, in order to support a high number of client (learner) devices

Follow these steps to import content channels.

Choose option Local network or internet, and click CONTINUE.
Click New address link to add a new network address.
Input the full network address, and assign a name for this network. Don’t forget to add the correct port if different from the default one 8080. You can use either the IP address or the domain name.

Click ADD to save this address to your device settings. If you later decide to delete it, use the link Forget.
Click CONTUNUE and follow the same steps for selecting topics and resources as for the import from Kolibri Studio.

Warning

This feature was introduced in Kolibri version 0.11, and all the server devices to be used for this type of content import must have the Kolibri version 0.11 or later running.

Import Content from a Local Drive¶

If the computer where Kolibri server is running does not have access to Internet or has insufficient bandwidth, you have the option to receive content channels stored on an external drive (USB stick or hard disk). Follow these steps to import content channels.

Connect the external USB drive to your computer.
Choose option for Attached drive or memory card, and click CONTINUE.
Kolibri will automatically detect and display the drive(s) with available Kolibri content files.
Select the drive where the desired channel is stored, and click CONTINUE.
Click SELECT for the desired channel, and follow the same steps for selecting topics and resources as for the import from Kolibri Studio.

Tip

Workaround for import from external drive on older devices.

If Kolibri is installed on an older or a low-resource device, you can try the following procedure for importing content channels for faster results.

Stop Kolibri.
Browse the local drive with the file explorer of your operating system.
Copy the content folder located inside the KOLIBRI_DATA folder on the local drive.
Paste the copied content folder inside the .kolibri folder on your hard disk. The location of the .kolibri folder will depend on your operating system (see the table below).
Confirm the merge of the two folders.
Restart Kolibri, and the new channels should now be available.

Operating system Location

Windows C:/Users/<your_username>/.kolibri/

OSX HD/Users/<your_username>/.kolibri/

Linux /home/<your_username>/.kolibri/

On Linux and OSX you will need to enable the Show hidden folders option in order to view the .kolibri folder.

Export from Kolibri to Local Drive¶

If you have imported content on one Kolibri device, and want to make it available on another computer where Kolibri is installed, follow these steps to export your content channels.

Note

You must have an external drive (SD card, USB stick or hard disk) attached to your device.

Click EXPORT in the Channels tab on the Device page.
Select the local drive (destination for the export) where you wish to export Kolibri content, and click CONTINUE.
In the Export to <name-of-your-drive> page you will be able to see all the available content channels on your device.
Click SELECT for the desired channel, and wait for Kolibri to display the channel information and the topic tree.
In the Select content from… page you will see all the details of the selected channel: description, version, total size and number of learning resources.
Under Choose content to export you can browse the channel topics and individual resources. Use the Select all checkbox to import the content channel in full, or select only certain topics or resources. As you keep selecting, you will see the total number and size on disk under Resources selected:, and the remaining space on the destination drive.
Click EXPORT once you finish selecting all the desired content.
Wait for Kolibri to export the selected content and click CLOSE.
Once the export is finished, safely disconnect the drive according to the recommended procedure for your operating system, and proceed to import channels on other devices.

Note

This procedure makes a copy of the content folder located inside the .kolibri folder on your hard disk, and places it in the KOLIBRI_DATA folder on the selected local drive. This structure is recognized by the Import from local drive command.

Delete Channel¶

To delete a content channel from your device, follow these steps.

Click OPTIONS for the channel you want to delete.
Select Delete option.
Click DELETE to proceed, or CANCEL to exit without deleting the channel.

Manage Facility¶

You can edit facility configuration settings in Kolibri from the Settings tab in your Facility dashboard (Settings icon).

Activate the options you want to make available for the users of your facility. You have the possibility to allow users to:
- edit their full names and usernames
- sign in without password (except Admin users)
- download content items (videos, documents, etc.) on their own devices
- browse content without signing in
- create accounts on your facility
Click SAVE CHANGES to apply and finish.

Manage facility configuration settings.

Note

To manage facility settings in Kolibri you must sign in as admin or super admin.

Manage Users¶

You can search for, filter, add, and edit user accounts in Kolibri from the Users tab in your Facility dashboard (Users icon).

Note

To manage Kolibri users you must sign in as admin or super admin.

Create a New User Account¶

To create a new user account, follow these steps.

Click NEW USER button.
Fill in the required information (name, username, password).
Select the user type (Admin, Coach or Learner).
Click SAVE to add the new user.

Coach Type¶

When you create a new Coach user account, or change the type (role) to Coach for an existing user, you can choose between:

Class coach, that will have access to the coach dashboard and permissions to instruct ONLY the learners in the classes they are assigned to.
Facility coach, that will have access to the coach dashboard and permissions to instruct ALL the classes and the learners in the facility.

Select Users by Type¶

Click to open the selector under User type to see filtering options. All users are displayed by default.
Toggle between options (learners, coaches, admins) to display the users according to type.

Edit User’s Account¶

To edit username, full name or account type, follow these steps.

Click on the OPTIONS button for the desired user and select the Edit details option.
Edit Full name, Username or User type in the Edit user details window.
Click SAVE to update the edited information, or CANCEL to exit without saving.

Reset User’s Password¶

Click on the OPTIONS for the desired user and select the Reset password option.
Enter the new password in both fields in the Reset user password window.
Click SAVE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without changing the password.

Delete User’s Account¶

Click on the OPTIONS for the desired user and select the Delete option.
Click DELETE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without deleting the account.

Warning

When you delete a user, all their learning records will be erased from the database.

Manage Classes¶

You can view, create and delete classes, as well as search, filter and enroll Kolibri users in them, using the Classes tab in your Facility dashboard (Classes icon). Default view displays the list of all classes in your facility, with the number of enrolled users for each class.

Note

To manage Kolibri classes you must sign in as admin or super admin.

Add New Class¶

To add a new class, follow these steps.

Click NEW CLASS.
Fill in the class name.
Click SAVE to add the new class, or CANCEL to exit.

Delete Class¶

To delete class, follow these steps.

Click DELETE CLASS for the chosen class from the list.
Click DELETE in the confirmation window to proceed, or CANCEL to exit without deleting the class.

Note

Users enrolled in the class you are deleting will not be removed from the database.

Edit Class, Learners and Coaches¶

A newly created class does not have any learners or coaches. To edit a class select it from the default view in the Classes tab. In this view, you can change class name, add or remove currently enrolled learners and assign or remove coaches from the class.

Enroll Learners in Class¶

Click the ENROLL LEARNERS button on the class details page.
- List in this view contains all the learners currently NOT enrolled for the selected class.
- You can search for a specific learner by name.
Use checkboxes to select all the learners in the list, or the search field for specific learners you want to enroll to class.
Click CONFIRM to finish enrolling the selected learners and return to the main class page.

Remove Learners from Class¶

Click REMOVE for the chosen learner.
Click REMOVE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without removing the learner.

Note

Learners removed from the class will not be deleted from the database, and you can still access their accounts from the Users tab in the Facility dashboard.

Assign Coaches to Class¶

Click the ASSIGN COACHES on the class details page.

List in this view contains all the users with Coach, Facility coach or Admin roles.

You can search for a specific user by name.

Use checkboxes to select all the users in the list, or the search field for specific users you want to assign as a coach to class.
Click CONFIRM to finish.

Remove Coaches from a Class¶

Click REMOVE for the chosen coach.
Click REMOVE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without removing the coach.

Note

Coaches removed from the class will not be deleted from the database, and you can still access their accounts from the Users tab in the Facility dashboard.

Rename Class¶

To edit class name, follow these steps.

Click on the edit button (Edit icon) next to the class’ name.
Write the new name in the Class name field.
Click SAVE to confirm the edited information, or CANCEL to exit without saving.

Manage Data¶

You can download Kolibri Detail and Summary logs usage data and export in the CSV format from the Data tab in your Facility dashboard (Data icon).

Note

To manage Kolibri users you must sign in as admin or super admin.

Advanced Manage Options¶

Working with Kolibri from the Command Line¶

Warning

In Windows you need to open cmd.exe Command prompt in the folder where Kolibri executable is located: c:/Python34/Scripts.
On macOS you may need to prefix the commands with python, for example python kolibri start.
If you are running Kolibri with the PEX file, make sure to substitute the kolibri in below commands with the exact name of the file you downloaded preceded by ./. For example, to start Kolibri from the downloaded file kolibri-v0.11.pex, type ./kolibri-v0.11.pex start.
Make sure not to include the angle brackets “< >” in the commands below.*

If you see errors in the prompt/terminal output while running the commands below, ask for help at our Community Forums, or file an issue on GitHub.

Start/Stop Kolibri¶

In case you need to troubleshoot potential problems while running Kolibri, you may try to start it manually from the command line.

kolibri start --debug --foreground

kolibri stop

Run Kolibri from a Different Port

Import Content Channels from Internet¶

To import content channels from Internet, run these two commands in sequence. The first downloads the channel database, and the second downloads the resources (videos, documents, etc.).

kolibri manage importchannel -- network <Channel ID>
kolibri manage importcontent -- network <Channel ID>

Warning

When you import content channels from the command line, you still must use the 32 digit channel ID, as the command will not work with the token. Make sure to receive the correct channel ID from the person who curated the unlisted channel you need to import, or refer to Kolibri Studio user guide how to find it in Studio user interface, if you have channel editor access.

Export Content Channels¶

To export Kolibri content channels on a local drive in order to share it with another device, run these two commands in sequence. The first exports the channel database, and the second exports the resources (videos, documents, etc.).

kolibri manage exportchannel -- <Channel ID> /path/to/local/drive/KOLIBRI_DATA
kolibri manage exportcontent -- <Channel ID> /mount/mydrive/KOLIBRI_DATA

The path should be to a folder named KOLIBRI_DATA at the root of the local drive, so it will get picked up later for importing via the Web UI.

Create a New Super Admin¶

In case you need to create another super admin user, either to address additional need of managing facility, or if you lost the password for the old one, run the following command.

kolibri manage createsuperuser

You will be prompted to input the Username and Password and the new super admin user account will be created.

Change Language¶

kolibri language setdefault <langcode>

Language	<langcode>
English	`en`
Spanish (Spain)	`es-es`
Spanish (Mexico)	`es-mx`
French	`fr`
Swahili (Tanzania)	`sw-tz`
Arabic	`ar`
Bulgarian	`bg`
Farsi	`fa`
Hindi (India)	`hi-in`
Urdu (Pakistan)	`ur-pk`
Marathi	`mr`
Chinyanja	`nyn`
Portuguese (Brasil)	`pt-br`
Telugu	`te`
Vietnamese	`vi`
Yoruba	`yo`

Backup and Restore Kolibri Database¶

Kolibri automatically creates a backup of the database with every version upgrade. If for some reason you need to make a manual backup, use the following command.

kolibri manage dbbackup

This command will create a time-stamped .dump file in the ./kolibri/backups folder that you can use to restore the database with the following command.

kolibri manage dbrestore --latest

If you need to restore a backup version prior to the latest one, you must specify the full path to a specific *.dump file.

kolibri manage dbrestore ~/.kolibri/backups/db-xxxx.dump

Warning

This command is not intended for replication across different devices, but only for restoring on a single device from a local backup of the database.

Change the Location of Kolibri Content Files¶

Kolibri content channels may occupy a considerable amount of hard disk space over time. If you have concerns about running out of storage on your device, you can move the Kolibri content files to another drive.

Tip

If you have both SSD disk and HDD disk available on your device, it is recommended to install Kolibri on the SSD drive to allow faster access to the database, and move just the content file to the HDD drive.

To move the Kolibri content folders to another location, follow these steps.

Stop Kolibri.

kolibri stop

Create a new folder that will contain all the content files and resources on the destination drive.

kolibri manage content movedirectory <destination>
For example, if you created a new folder KolibriContent on an external drive, run this command.
kolibri manage content movedirectory /mnt/my_external_drive/KolibriContent
If you are on Windows, and the new folder KolibriContent is on the drive F:, run this command.
kolibri manage content movedirectory F:\KolibriContent

Restart Kolibri.

This command will move the 2 subfolders databases and storage, from their default location inside the .kolibri/content folder in your device’s home directory, to a new location you specified in the command.

Change the Location of ALL Kolibri Files¶

If you want to change the directory where all of Kolibri’s runtime files are located, together with the imported content channels, you need to change the environment variable called KOLIBRI_HOME to the path of your choice.

If the variable is left unset, by default, Kolibri’s runtime files and content will be placed in your user’s home folder, under the .kolibri subfolder.

Note

Adjusting this environment variable behaves differently than the movedirectory command above:

Adjusting the environment variable will not automatically migrate over data. You need to copy the .kolibri folder manually to the new location.
If you do copy the .kolibri folder, the content will not be affected if it had been previously set using the movedirectory command.

There are many ways to set an environment variable either temporarily or permanently. To start Kolibri on OSX or Linux with a different home, follow these steps.

Stop the server.
Move the .kolibri folder to the new location.
Run the following in Terminal:

KOLIBRI_HOME=/path/to/new/home kolibri start

When you start the server again, all your files should be seamlessly detected at that location.

To change the environment variable KOLIBRI_HOME on Windows, follow these steps.

Stop the server.
Move the .kolibri folder to the new location.
Run the following in Command Prompt:

setx KOLIBRI_HOME "/path/to/new/home"

Restart the server, and your files should be seamlessly detected at the new location.

Alternatively, you can follow these steps in the GUI.

Go to Computer > Advanced System Settings and press the Environment Variables button.
Under User Variables for… press the New… button.
Input KOLIBRI_HOME in the Variable name field, and your new path in the Variable value field, and press OK on both open windows.
Restart Kolibri.

Customize Kolibri Settings with the OPTION.INI File¶

For some advanced configuration settings you need to use the option.ini file. Installing Kolibri does not generate this file by default, but you can easily add one yourself. Follow these steps.

Open the preferred text editor on your computer (eg. Notepad on Windows).
Write the required sections and keys (see details for available settings below) in the following format:
[section] key1 = a key2 = b

Save the resulting option.ini file in the .kolibri folder inside the Home folder.

Note

option.ini file can contain several sections with one or more associated keys, depending on the requirements of your installation.

Run Kolibri from a Different Port¶

If you need Kolibri to start and run from a port different than the default 8080, add the section [Deployment], and the key HTTP_PORT with the value of your desired port, to the option.ini file.

[Deployment]
HTTP_PORT = 1234
# Substitute 1234 with your desired port number

Allow Profiling of Requests¶

If you need to profile server requests to get a more detailed information about the Kolibri performance, add the following to the option.ini file.

[Server]
PROFILE = 1

Test Kolibri Server Performance¶

Benchmark¶

You can use the following command to collect information about the device where Kolibri server is running, and details about how much of its resources it is using. This command displays a snapshot of the server state at the time the command is executed, and its output will vary depending on the current server load. In case you suspect performance problems, type this in the Terminal or Command prompt.

kolibri manage benchmark

The command will have an output similar to this:

Command line output of the ‘kolibri manage benchmark’ command

Take a screenshot of the Terminal or Command prompt, or copy and paste the output in the community forum post.

Profile¶

In order to collect more than a current snapshot of Kolibri server performance, you can use the profiling command. When executed, the command will collect a series of performance indicators every 10 seconds and save them in a CSV file. Type this in the Terminal or Command prompt.

kolibri manage profile

Tip

Command collects and saves the information 60 times by default. If you want to change this value, add the --num_samples flag with the desired number at the end.

kolibri manage profile --num_samples=100

Each log line contains this information:

Date and time of each command execution
Number of Kolibri active sessions (including guest sessions)
Number of Kolibri logged users
Number of Kolibri user interactions during the last minute
Total percentage of CPU use
Total memory use
Total available memory
Number of processes executed in the server
Percentage of CPU used by Kolibri
Percentage of memory used by Kolibri

To help us troubleshoot potential problems on your Kolibri server, locate and send us the KOLIBRI_HOME/performance/date_time_performance.csv file.

Profile Server Requests¶

If you have the [Server] section of the OPTION.INI file configured with PROFILE = 1, the above command will additionally perform a profile of every request made by Kolibri server, and save the results in a second log file as KOLIBRI_HOME/performance/date_time_requests_performance.csv

Each log line contains this information:

Timestamp
Request path
Time spent processing the request
Memory (in KB) used by the Kolibri process when the request came in
Memory (in KB) used by the Kolibri process when the response was sent
CPU percentage used by the Kolibri process when the request came in
CPU percentage used by the Kolibri process when the request was sent
Flag indicating if the request is the slowest one since the analysis started

Warning

Profiling server requests can consume a lot of computer resources, and potentially slow it down. For this reason you need to explicitly allow it in the option.ini file. Without the PROFILE = 1 key, server requests will not be profiled, and the second CSV file will not be created.

Troubleshooting¶

Troubleshoot Network Issues¶

Can you access Kolibri when you type http://127.0.0.1:8080 in the address bar of the browser?
Can you access anything from the external IP of the device running Kolibri FROM the device itself? Read more information about IP addresses.
Can you ping the external IP address from another device on the network? For example, if Kolibri is on a device/computer with IP address 192.168.0.104, type this in the Terminal or Command prompt:
ping 192.168.0.104

Firewalls¶

If you are having trouble connecting to Kolibri from other computers, your firewall might be blocking access.

Windows systems often come with firewalls bundled and enabled, and this may interfere with running Kolibri. That said, you probably want to keep your firewall enabled for security reasons, especially if the server is connected to the public internet.

You can try temporarily disable your firewall to see if it helps with connecting to Kolibri. If so, you’ll want to turn the firewall back on and then create a exception rule for Kolibri to allow access.

Troubleshoot Database Issues¶

In case you receive the database disk image is malformed error in Terminal, try running these commands (note that you must have the sqlite3 command available on your system).

sqlite3 ~/.kolibri/db.sqlite3 .dump | sqlite3 fixed.db
cp fixed.db ~/.kolibri/db.sqlite3

For further assistance, please report the issue on our Community Forums, stating the operating system and Kolibri version.

Videos are not playing¶

Make sure to check the system requirements to see if you can support video playback. Please report any issues on our Community Forums, stating the operating system and browser you are using.

Problems with import and export from USB drives¶

Kolibri needs read and write access to USB drives in order to import and export content. There are several possibilities why you may encounter issues during this procedure.

User account does not have access:
- you installed Kolibri in your own environment running as a non-desktop user (for instance UWSGI)
- you have upgraded Kolibri on Debian from a version prior to v0.10. Follow these instructions to change the ownership of Kolibri system service from one user account to another
- to grant access to USB drives to other accounts, refer to the documentation of your operating system
Write access denied: Some USB drives will experience problems when they are unplugged from the computer in an “unclean” way. If you are denied access to write, look for options to “fix” or “repair” the file system.
Data failures: Copying the data can take a long time. If you do not see the final success confirmation message after the copy apparently finishes, do not assume that the data has been imported or exported correctly. Restart the process instead, otherwise you risk inconsistent and malfunctioning content data.
Hardware life expectancy: SD and flash storage drives can “expire”. Reading and writing large quantities of content data, especially on older or models with smaller capacity, may produce data errors over time.

Locate Kolibri log files¶

When you report a problem with Kolibri, we may ask you to send us Kolibri log files to help us find out why is it not working or crashing.

Open the .kolibri folder inside the Home folder of the device where Kolibri is running and locate these two files:

kolibri.log
debug.log

Warning

On Linux and MacOS systems you will need to activate the Show Hidden Files option in your file browser, in order to view the .kolibri folder.

About IP addresses¶

127.0.0.1 IP address, or localhost, is device’s own IP address. You can use it in the browser on the device where Kolibri is running to make sure it is working correctly.
Aside from its own localhost address, a device running Kolibri also has an external IP address like 192.*.*.* or 10.*.*.*, under which it is recognized by other devices in the same local network. That is the IP address that you need to use in the browsers on client devices (learner tablets or computers), to connect with Kolibri server.
Kolibri by default runs on the port number 8080, but you can change this setting to meet your particular needs.
So when you type the full IP address like http://192.168.1.1:8080 in the browser of a client device, you are telling it to: “Connect to IP address 192.168.1.1 on port 8080 with the HTTP protocol, and display its content”.

Coach your Learners in Kolibri¶

You can track progress of the Learners, create and assign Lessons and Exams to classes or learner groups from the Coach dashboard. The default view of the Coach dashboard presents the list of Classes with their assigned coaches, and the number of learners enrolled in each class.

Click on a class to access the progress-tracking features and create lessons and exams.

Choose one of the classes from this view to access the learner reports

View Learner Reports¶

Click the desired class inside the initial view of the Coach dashboard, and it will open the Learners tab (Learners icon). Here you can see the list of learners enrolled in the class, and the group they are assigned to (if applicable).

When you click the username of a learner, you will see a list of content channels they accessed, and the last time they were active on each of them:

Learner Reports present a quick view of all the content channels accessed by a learner.

Note

In a Learner report, the username of the selected learner will be the last item in the breadcrumb navigation menu.

Navigate the topic tree of each channel to see the progress of the selected learner for the topics, subtopics and individual resources. As you navigate, you will see topics added to the breadcrumbs menu.

In the image below, you can see that the learner Abby L. accessed and completed only one of the subtopics from the topic Addition and Subtraction to 10:

Learner Reports across topics for the selected content channel.

Review Exercise Progress¶

When a learner answers exercise questions in Kolibri, the progress bar below the exercise is taking into account only the most recent given answers, meaning that the learner must complete the required number of correct answers (check marks) in the row for the exercise to be considered completed.

The correct answers (green check marks) in the image above are not in a row; this exercise will be completed only after the learner gives 5 correct answers one after another.

In the example below, the progress bar for the exercise Subtract within 5 displays 40%, because the student has given 2 correct answers within the most recent set of 5 attempts. For example, if this student had made 20 incorrect attempts before the 4 displayed attempts, those 20 incorrect attempts would not get factored into the progress bar.

Click the exercise title to see all the answers and attempts on each question. In the figure below, you can see the progress of the learner Hansen for the exercise Numbers to 120. The exercise is still In progress as the learner has not completed the 5 correct answers in the row. You can also see that for the Question 13, the learner has given the correct answer only on the 4th attempt, which indicates that they are still struggling with the given concept.

Details for answers and attempts on a single exercise.

How does it looks if learner A does 5 correct answers in a row on their first try, but learner B gets 10 wrong answers in a row before giving 5 correct ones in a row? In both cases, the progress would show as 100%, and you would have to click each learner’s name to access their progress report and attempt history.

In the figure below, you can see the progress of 5 learners for the exercise Numbers to 120 in ascending order.

Manage Groups¶

In case you need to further divide learners inside classes, for example to address the different progress needs, you can use the Groups feature. Create and delete groups, as well as assign learners to them from the Groups tab in your Coach dashboard tab (Groups icon). Default view displays the list of all groups for the selected class, with the list of assigned learners for each group.

Note

To manage Kolibri groups you must sign in as coach, admin or super admin.

Create a New Group¶

To create a new learner group, follow these steps.

Click the NEW GROUP button.
Give group a desired name.
Click SAVE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without creating a group.

Assign Learners to Group¶

Below the existing groups there is a list with all learners currently NOT assigned to any groups.

Use checkboxes to select all the learners in the list, or specific ones you want to assign to the group.
Click MOVE LEARNERS on the right side of the list.
Select the group to which you want to assign the selected learners in the Move learners window.
Click MOVE to proceed, or CANCEL to exit without assigning.

Move learners between groups¶

Use checkboxes to select all the user in one group, or specific users you want to assign to another group.
Click MOVE LEARNERS on the right side of the origin group.
Select the group to which you want to move the selected learners, or the Ungrouped option if you want to remove them from the origin group without assigning to a new one.
Click MOVE to proceed, or CANCEL to exit without moving.

Rename Group¶

To rename group, follow these steps.

Click OPTIONS button on the right edge of the desired group.
Select the Rename option.
Input the new name for the group in the confirmation window.
Click SAVE button to proceed, or CANCEL to exit without renaming the group.

Delete Group¶

To delete a group, follow these steps.

Click OPTIONS button on the right edge of the desired group.
Select the Delete option.
Click DELETE button in the confirmation window to proceed, or CANCEL to exit without deleting the group.

Note

Learners currently assigned to group will become ungrouped.

Manage Lessons¶

Kolibri Lessons offer you the possibility to prepare smaller selections of available learning resources and assign them to learners on a temporary basis. You can select resources from multiple channels, and copy the created lessons to other classes or groups as needed.

To view, create or delete lessons, as well as assign them to learners, use the Lessons tab in your Coach dashboard tab (Lessons icon). Default view displays the list of all lessons created for the selected class, the number of resources they contain, groups they are assigned to, and their status indicator. You can filter the lessons in order to see all, or just active/inactive ones.

Note

To manage Lessons in Kolibri classes and groups, you must sign in as coach, admin or super admin.

Create New Lesson¶

To create a new lesson, follow these steps.

Click the NEW LESSON button.
Fill in the field for the lesson title, description and choose the group(s) or the entire class as the recipients.

Click CONTINUE. In this step, the lesson does not have any learning resources yet, but you can see and edit some options.

Click MANAGE RESOURCES and select the content channel from which you wish to select resources for the lesson.

Keep navigating the topic tree of the selected content channel until you arrive to single content items. Use the checkboxes to select the resources you want to include in the lesson, and you will see a notification at the bottom of the page that the resource has been added.

Use the Search feature to look for resources about a specific subject. Write the search term in the field, and press the ENTER key or click the Start search button to display the results.

You can filter the search results by type of resource (video, document, exercise…), include only those from a specific channel, or exclude resources for coaches.

Close the Manage resources window when you finish to return to the main view of the lesson.
Use the Arrow up and Arrow down buttons to reorder the resources in the lesson, and click the REMOVE to delete them. You will see a confirmation notification at the bottom.

To add more resources to the same lesson and keep editing if needed, follow the steps 4 to 9 again.

Change Lesson Status¶

A newly created lesson is Inactive by default, meaning that learners will not see it in their Learn view. To change the lesson status, follow these steps.

Click the Change link under the Status heading.
Select Active or Inactive.
Click SAVE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without change.

Change Lesson Visibility¶

You can change the visibility of the lesson that you set when you initially created it. To reassign the lesson to a different group, or entire class, follow these steps.

Select the desired lesson from the list in the Lessons tab.
Click OPTIONS and select Edit details.
Select Entire class or the group(s) of learners to whom you wish to assign the lesson under the Visible to heading.
Click SAVE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without change.

View Lesson Progress¶

After activating the lesson and making it available for the learners, you can view the cumulative progress for each resource in the main lesson view. Click the title of a specific resource to see the progress by all the learners to whom it was assigned.

Click on the column headers to order the results by name, progress, group or the time the resource was accessed.

Copy Lesson¶

To copy a lesson to a different group or another class of your facility, follow these steps.

Select the desired lesson from the list in the Lessons tab.
Click OPTIONS and select Copy lesson.
Select the class to which you wish to copy the lesson to.
If the destination class has more than one group, select Entire class or the group(s) of learners to whom you wish to assign the lesson.
Click SAVE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without change.

If the lesson is copied to another group in the same class, it will appear in the Lessons tab as the Copy of…. Follow the steps in the next heading to rename it.

Rename Lesson¶

To rename a lesson, follow these steps.

Select the desired lesson from the list in the Lessons tab.
Click OPTIONS and select Edit details.
Change the lesson title in the confirmation window.
Click SAVE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without renaming the lesson.

Delete Lesson¶

To delete a lesson, follow these steps.

Select the desired lesson from the list in the Lessons tab.
Click OPTIONS and select Delete.
Click DELETE in the confirmation window to proceed, or CANCEL to exit without deleting the lesson.

Manage Exams¶

You can view, create and delete exams, as well as assign them to learners, using the Exams tab in your Coach dashboard (Exams icon). Default view displays the list of all exams in a selected class, with indicators of their visibility status and groups they are assigned to.

Note

To manage Exams in Kolibri classes and groups you must sign in as coach, admin or super admin.

Create New Exam¶

To create a new exam, follow these steps.

Click the NEW EXAM button.
Fill in the field for the exam title in the Create a new exam page.
Fill in the field for number of questions you want the exam to contain.
Navigate through the topic tree and activate checkboxes of those exercises you want to include in the exam.

As you keep adding the exercises you will see confirmation messages at the bottom.

Use the Search feature to look for topics and exercises about a specific subject. Write the search term in the field, press the ENTER key or click the Start search button to display the results.

You can filter the search results by type of resource (exercise or topic), include only those from a specific channel, or exclude resources for coaches. Click Exit search to return to main exam view.

Click PREVIEW to view the exam before finishing.

Click RANDOMIZE QUESTIONS to present them in the different order from those in the topic origin.

Click CLOSE to return to the exam home page.

Click SAVE button to finish. You will see a confirmation notification at the bottom.

Change Exam Visibility¶

Newly created exam will be visible to entire class by default. To change exam Recipients (a select group of learners instead of the whole class), follow these steps.

Select the exam by clicking its title from the exam list.
Click OPTIONS and select the Edit details option.
Select the group(s) of learners to whom you wish to assign the exam under the Recipients heading.
Click SAVE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without change.

Change Exam Status¶

Once you set the visibility of exam to the chosen group(s) of learners, you need to Activate it in order for it to appear in the Learn view of the learners to whom you assigned it.

Select the desired exam from the list in the Exams tab.
Click the Change link under the Status heading.

Select Active at the start of the exam period. When the exam period concludes, select the Inactive option.
Click SAVE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without change.

View Exam Report¶

To view the report and scores for learners who have taken the exam, follow these steps.

Select the desired exam from the list in the Exams tab.
Scroll down to the Exam report heading. This view presents the list of all the learners who had access to the exam, with the respective progress and scores. Click the name of the learner to view the detailed exam report with a preview of the results for each question.
Click each of the questions to preview it. This can help understand which questions learners had difficulties answering correctly, and how many attempts they used.
- yellow star icon indicates a completed exam
- blue clock icon indicates the exam is in progress, but not submitted yet
- green check mark icon indicates the correct answer
- red X mark icon indicates the incorrect answer
- gray X mark icon indicates an unanswered question
Click on the attempt icons to see the answers for each one. In the screenshot above learner Abby L. had 3 attempts on Question 8: the first one was incorrect, the second one (selected) was correct, but the third and finally submitted one was incorrect.

Copy Exam¶

To copy an exam to a different group or another class, follow these steps.

Select the desired exam from the list in the Exams tab.
Click OPTIONS and select Copy exam.
Select the class to which you wish to copy the exam to and click CONTINUE.
If the destination class has more than one group, select Entire class or the group(s) of learners to whom you wish to assign the lesson.
Click SAVE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without change.

If the exam is copied to another group in the same class, it will appear in the Exams tab as the Copy of…. Follow the steps in the next heading to rename it.

Rename Exam¶

To rename exam, follow these steps.

Click OPTIONS for the desired exam and select Edit details option.
Change the exam title in the confirmation window.
Click SAVE to confirm, or CANCEL to exit without renaming the exam.

Delete Exam¶

To delete exam, follow these steps.

Click OPTIONS for the desired exam and select Delete option.
Click DELETE in the confirmation window to proceed, or CANCEL to exit without deleting the exam.

Warning

All data from the exam you are deleting will be lost.

View Class Activity¶

Recent Class Activity¶

Use the Recent tab (Recent icon) to access a report of channels and items (exercises and resources - videos, reading material, etc.) accessed during the last 7 days by learners of the selected class.

If the enrolled learners have access to more than one channel, you will see the list of channels firstly. From there, you can navigate by topics and subtopics until you arrive to a specific item. In the item’s view, you can review the progress of each learner in the class that accessed the item.

Class Activity by Channels¶

Use this tab (Channels icon) to access the full report of activity progress for the selected class. You can navigate channels by topics and subtopics until you see the progress of each class learner for a specific item.

When you navigate to the last level in the topic tree, you can see the average progress of all class learners for each exercise or resource (video, document, HTML5 activity) in that particular topic.

Coach Support Resources¶

Kolibri Studio supports the option to set visibility for any resource added to content channels as a Coach resource. When content curators set the visibility this way, the resource in Kolibri will not be visible to learners, but only to admins, facility coaches, or other users assigned to coach classes. These materials can be lesson plans, professional development readings, training materials, etc. only viewable by coaches and not learners.

Setting the visibility of content in Kolibri Studio.

Coach resources and content channels that contain them are marked with the Coach resource icon in Kolibri.

Content channel with 4 support resources for coaches in Kolibri.

Learn with Kolibri¶

Access Kolibri¶

Note

If you are using Kolibri in your school, education center or facility, your coach or administrator will provide the instructions how to open the sign-in page, and username and password if necessary.
If you are using Kolibri on your own, outside an education center or facility, follow the instructions how to Access Kolibri according to your operating system.
If you don’t have an account, but Kolibri at your facility or home is set up to allow learners to create their own, follow the steps to create one for yourself.

Sign in to Kolibri¶

To sign in to Kolibri and start learning, follow these steps:

Type your username and password (may be optional).
Click the SIGN IN button.

Main Kolibri sign in page.

Warning

If you start browsing Kolibri as a guest, you need either to select Sign in option from the Guest menu in the upper right corner, or from the sidebar menu (left or bottom) to open the sign-in page.

“Sign in” link in the sidebar.

“Sign in” link in the user menu.

Once you have signed in to Kolibri, you can see and edit your user data from the Profile option: access it from the main sidebar menu (below Learn), or from the user menu.

To sign out from Kolibri you can either:

Click the user icon in the upper right corner and select Sign out option, OR
Select Sign out option in the main sidebar menu.

Create an account¶

To create your own account on a Kolibri facility and start learning, follow these steps:

Click CREATE AN ACCOUNT button on Kolibri sign in page.
Type in your chosen username and password (twice).
Click the FINISH button.

When page reloads you will see the Learn page with Kolibri channels.

Tip

Make sure to remember your username and password, or save them in a safe place!

Learn with Kolibri¶

Classes¶

Each time you login into Kolibri, the first thing you will see is the Learn page with the list of all the classes you are enrolled to.

Select one of your classes to access Lessons and Exams teachers or coaches prepared for your class.

Channels¶

Use this tab (Channels icon) to navigate through the complete set of learning topics and materials available in Kolibri. You can browse it as you wish, or according to indications from your teachers and coaches.

Depending on how your school and teachers or coaches decided to organize the content, you may have one or more channels available here. Follow the indications by your teachers or coaches on how to use the content from each available channel.

Recommended¶

In this tab (Recommended icon) you can see various sections:

Most popular displays the most frequently used materials in your school or facility.
Next steps displays suggestions according to topics and materials you previously visited.
Resume displays activities that you started but haven’t finished yet.

These learning topics and materials are either related to what you were doing the last time you used Kolibri. or recommended by your teachers and coaches.

The number of displayed content items in each row will depend on the width of your display, and you can browse with the See previous and See next icons at the beginning and the end of the section rows.

Note

Next steps and Resume are not visible if you are browsing as a guest.

Search¶

If you are looking for a specific subject, topic, or term, use the Search feature:

Type the word or combination of words you are looking for in the search field located in the top bar.
Press Enter or click the Start search button to display the results.
Filter the search results by channel or type of content.

Some Kolibri resources may be duplicated in different topics and/or channels. Search results will indicate when a resource is duplicated, and you can click on the ...locations link to discover the details for each location.

Details for the duplicated resources in the search results.

Content types¶

You may see different types of content available in Kolibri channels, and you can easily distinguish them by their icons:

Videos -
Exercises -
Documents -
Interactive HTML Apps -
Topics -

When you start doing an exercise, viewing a video, or reading a document, it will be marked with the In progress icon. Once you finish viewing a video or complete the exercise, they will be marked with the Completed icon.

Progress indicator icons for learning resources.

Exercises¶

Kolibri Exercises can require you to do different things: fill in a missing number, write a formula, choose one of the available options, etc. Each correct answer gets you a check mark, and majority of exercises require 5 correct answers in a row to be completed. Some exercises can offer one or more hints, to help you solve the problem.

Independent of the required action (writing an answer yourself or choosing one of the options), these are the steps to follow.

Read the question carefully.
Write the answer or choose one of the provided options.
When you are ready to submit, click the CHECK button.
- When the answer is correct and a icon appears in the progress bar below the exercise, click the NEXT button to proceed.
- If the answer is incorrect, read the question again, and try another answer. You can also click the USE A HINT button, read the suggestions, and try to answer again.
- The progress bar below the exercise is taking into account only the most recent answers you give, which means that you need to have the required number of icons in the row for the exercise to be considered completed.
The correct answers in the image above are not in a row; this exercise will be completed only after you give 5 correct answers one after another.
Once you have achieved the required number of correct answers in a row, you will be rewarded points, and see the suggestion to continue. Click the NEXT RESOURCE below to continue learning with the rest of the material in that topic.
If you are unable to solve some questions, try reviewing the videos in that same topic, or seek help from your peers or teacher/coach.

Exercise page in Kolibri.

Video and Audio Player options¶

To play videos and listen to audio files in Kolibri you have several available control buttons at the bottom of the player screen. Move the cursor or tap on the player screen to make appear the control buttons while playing.

Kolibri video and audio player.

(controls at the bottom of the player)

Play/Pause buttons
Rewind/Fast forward buttons by +/- 10 seconds
Time tracker indicator with progress bar
Video duration indicator
Volume scrollbar
Playback speed selector
Display closed captions (subtitles)
Fullscreen button

Use the DOWNLOAD CONTENT button below the player to download the video, audio and thumbnail files to your computer. Some videos will provide multiple resolution options.

PDF Viewer options¶

Note

Options for viewing PDF files will depend on the browser and operating system you are using to view Kolibri.

Use the Enter fullscreen button in the upper right corner to open the ebook in fullscreen view.
With the + and - buttons you can zoom the document in and out.
Use the Esc key to close the fullscreen view and return.
Use the DOWNLOAD CONTENT button below the PDF viewer to download the PDF file to your computer.

Ebook Viewer options¶

To read digital books in Kolibri you have several available controls inside the reader.

Use the Table of content button in the upper left corner to view the table of content with all the book chapters.
Click the Ebook settings button to adjust the text size and the background color.
If you want to search for a word or a phrase, use the Start search button.
Use the Enter fullscreen button in the upper right corner to open the ebook in fullscreen view.
Close the fullscreen view with the Esc key.
Navigate through the book pages with Previous page and Next page buttons, or with the slider control at the bottom.
Use the DOWNLOAD CONTENT button below the viewer to download the ePub file to your computer.

Lessons¶

Your teacher or coach may prepare a lesson (Lessons icon), a recommended set of learning materials for you or your class to view. You may have more than one lesson available at the time in the Classes tab, below the Lessons heading.

Click on a lesson title to open its content, and follow the indications of your teachers or coaches on how to use it.

Exams¶

If your teacher or coach scheduled an exam (Exams icon) for you or your class, it will be available in the Classes tab, under the Exams heading. You may have more than one exam available at the time.

If the exam is listed as Not started, follow these steps.

Click on the exam when you are ready to start taking it.
You can go on answering the questions in the order you prefer: move through questions with PREVIOUS and NEXT QUESTION buttons, or click on the question number in the column on the left side.
Each time you fill in the answer field, or select one of the available options, the question will be marked by a colored dot in the column on the left side.
You can review and correct your answers to all questions as many times you need before submitting.
Press the Back to exam list if you want to pause the exam and come back later.
Press the button SUBMIT EXAM when you want to submit it for grading.

Exam that you did not yet submit will be marked with the In progress icon, so you can easily recognize it, and click to resume when you are ready.

Once you complete and submit an exam, it will be marked with the Completed icon, but you can still click on it to see the score and review your answers.

Tip

Use the Show correct answer checkbox to visualize the answer for the questions that you did not answer correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions¶

How much does Kolibri cost to install?¶

Kolibri is free and open source software! To learn more about free software, see this Free Software Foundation article.

Do I need the internet to run Kolibri?¶

Short answer: No! You can bring or send a storage device (USB or HDD unit) with Kolibri installer and content channels downloaded somewhere with available internet connection, and install everything on an completely offline device.

In a nutshell, Kolibri can run independently of internet availability, but you need to procure the installer and content channels from somewhere for the initial installation and for subsequent upgrades.

One possibility is to have Kolibri installed in one location with internet connection, where you can import content channels from Kolibri Studio (curriculum tool and content curation server), and then export them to removable USB drives that you bring or send to offline locations (rural schools, refugee camps, etc.) to import locally.

What languages is Kolibri available in?¶

Both Kolibri and Kolibri Studio are translation-ready and currently available in these languages:

Language	Kolibri	Kolibri Studio
English	✓	✓
Arabic	✓
Bengali	✓
Chinyanja	✓
Farsi	✓
French	✓
Hindi	✓
Marathi	✓
Portuguese (Brazil)	✓
Spanish (Mexico)		✓
Spanish (Spain)	✓	✓
Swahili (Tanzania)	✓
Tamil	✓
Bulgarian	✓
Urdu (Pakistan)	✓
Yoruba	✓
Vietnamese	✓

To contribute to Kolibri and Kolibri Studio as a translator, you can get started over on our translations and internationalization page.

What are the typical deployment scenarios?¶

There is no typical implementation setting. However, we can share with you what we’ve learned from our community of KA Lite and Kolibri users. Some example implementation settings are provided below based on the presence of a coach and whether the settings allows for formal, non-formal, and informal learning.

	Coach	No Coach
Formal and Non-Formal	School classroom Home schooling Supplementary education setting	After school program Supplementary education setting (computer labs model) Use in classroom that has teacher, but without coach engagement or monitoring
Informal	Tutoring session	Mobile school vans Use for homework only

What are some possible hardware configurations for deploying Kolibri?¶

To deploy Kolibri for multiple users you will need:

Server device: a computer that is running the Kolibri software (e.g. a desktop computer, laptop, or Raspberry Pi).
One or more client devices that have web browsers (laptops, tablets, desktop computers, etc)

Note

For a single-device deployment (1) and (2) can be the same computer, with the browser connecting to the locally running Kolibri server. To make the software accessible to multiple client devices, you will need to put them on the same local network as the Kolibri server device (1), e.g. through a WIFI access point.

To read more details, see the full Kolibri Hardware Guide and examples of Hardware Configurations for Kolibri (PDF documents).

How can I generate content aligned to local curriculum?¶

Use Kolibri Studio curriculum tool to curate content channels aligned to your local requirements. Once you finish creating the channels on Studio, you can import them on all your Kolibri deployments for use in learning environments.

Bulk Downloads of Content Channels¶

Coming soon!

At this time we do not support bulk downloads of content channel outside the Kolibri platform. In the near future, we will consider offering bit torrents for certain global content channels.

Something isn’t working!¶

Refer to the Troubleshoot and Support section of this guide.

Who maintains the Kolibri project?¶

Kolibri is created, maintained, and operated by Learning Equality.

How do you operate in the field?¶

The Learning Equality team primarily works in our San Diego offices, building software and shaping our road map based on our interactions with our partners around the world. We work with individual humanitarians and NGOs of all sizes to help them distribute Kolibri to offline communities around the world, and will work on site for research and training purposes.

What is Kolibri’s affiliation with Khan Academy?¶

Kolibri is an independent, open-source project maintained by Learning Equality, and is not officially affiliated with Khan Academy, although they are very supportive of the Kolibri project.

Can I contribute to Kolibri as a developer?¶

Yes! Kolibri is an open source project, and developers are encouraged to contribute!

Can I contribute to Kolibri as a translator?¶

Yes, absolutely! To contribute to Kolibri and Kolibri Studio as a translator, you can get started over on our translations and internationalization page.

How do I find out more about Learning Equality and Kolibri?¶

To stay up-to-date on all our activities, follow our blog, Twitter, and Facebook!

Get in touch¶

Getting support from Learning Equality and our community¶

Due to the open-source nature of our work, we encourage that all inquiries, inputs, contributions and feedback are openly shared in our Community Forums, so that any user with similar questions to yours can benefit from the answer, and have a centralized place to search for it. Please consider supporting others whenever you can. Your goals are likely overlapping with other users of Kolibri, so you may consider yourself as part of a community of like-minded practitioners!

The first thing you need to do is register on the forum. Once registered, please read the the first two pinned topics (Welcome to LE’s Support Community and How do I post to this forum? )

You can add a new topic with the + New Topic button on the right. Make sure to select the appropriate category in the Create a New Topic window to facilitate the triage and response processes.

Feedback¶

New ideas¶

Until we can present a proper feedback platform, we encourage you to post any new ideas to the Community Forums.

Technical issues¶

Try reading the Troubleshooting section of this guide first.

In order to report a technical issue, you can either use the Support category in our forum, or open up an issue report in our public software repository, following the guidelines:

github.com/learningequality/kolibri

Contributions and development¶

Kolibri is an open-source project, and as such, contributions from the tech community are welcomed, encouraged and appreciated. If you’d like to contribute to Kolibri, please refer to our developer docs:

kolibri-dev.readthedocs.io

Kolibri User Guide¶

Learners - start here¶

For Coaches using Kolibri¶

For Admins and Super admins of Kolibri¶

Install Kolibri¶

Hardware requirements¶

Servers¶

Clients¶

Windows¶

Compatibility¶

Install¶

Uninstall¶

Upgrade¶

Debian/Ubuntu¶

Compatibility¶

Install from PPA repository¶

Install from a .deb file¶

Uninstall¶

Upgrade¶

Changing the owner of Kolibri system service¶

Raspberry Pi¶

Install¶

Uninstall¶

Upgrade¶

Other Linux & MacOS¶

Compatibility¶

Install¶

Uninstall¶

Upgrade¶

Python pip package¶

Initial Setup¶

Access Kolibri¶

Starting Kolibri on Windows¶

Kolibri Taskbar Options¶

Starting Kolibri on Linux or MacOS¶

Accessing Kolibri from Other Devices in the Network¶

Compatibility¶

Set up Access on Other Devices¶

Change Language¶

Manage Kolibri¶

Default User Roles¶

Kolibri Super Admins¶

Assign Additional Permissions¶

Manage Device¶

Assign Permissions¶

Permission to Manage Content¶

Super Admin Permissions¶

View Device Info¶

Manage Content¶

Import Content into Kolibri¶

Import Content from Kolibri Studio¶

Import Content from a Local Network or Internet¶

Import Content from a Local Drive¶

Export from Kolibri to Local Drive¶

Delete Channel¶

Manage Facility¶

Manage Users¶

Create a New User Account¶

Coach Type¶

Select Users by Type¶

Edit User’s Account¶

Reset User’s Password¶

Delete User’s Account¶

Manage Classes¶

Add New Class¶

Delete Class¶

Edit Class, Learners and Coaches¶

Enroll Learners in Class¶

Remove Learners from Class¶

Assign Coaches to Class¶

Remove Coaches from a Class¶

Rename Class¶

Manage Data¶

Advanced Manage Options¶

Working with Kolibri from the Command Line¶

Start/Stop Kolibri¶

Import Content Channels from Internet¶

Export Content Channels¶

Create a New Super Admin¶

Change Language¶

Learners - start here ¶