Create an Intelligent Agent

Create an Agent from the Intelligent Agents tool

Note: Intelligent agents re-evaluate the status of release conditions at the moment of triggering to determine whether a user has completed a particular release condition or not.

  1. On the nav bar, click Course Admin.
    Course Admin on the Nav Bar
  2. Click Intelligent Agents.
    Intelligent Agents in Course Admin
  3. IMPORTANT: Before creating an agent, set the reply-to name and email address. Failure to do these steps will result in students possibly replying to the system email address instead of directly to you.
    1. Click Settings.
      Intelligent Agents Settings
    2. Select the radio button to Set custom values for this course.
      Intelligent Agent Reply To Settings

      1. Enter your name in the Name that emails come from field.
      2. Enter your email address in the Reply-To address for responses.
    3. Click Save.
  4. On the Agent List page, click New Agent.
    New Intelligent Agent
  5. Enter a name in the Agent Name field.
    New Agent Name
  6. Enter a Description for your agent. We recommend doing this step to keep a record of your purpose, function, and audience for this agent.
    Agent Description
  7. Optional: Set a Category: Select the dropdown menu to select the category you want to place your agent into. By default No Category is selected. Either select an existing category, or click Add Category to create a new one. Categories all you to organize your intelligent agents to group similar agents together.
    Intelligent Agent Select Category
  8. If you want the agent to be active, select the Agent is enabled check box.
    Intellgent Agent Status Enabled
  9. Scheduling: Select the frequency menu to choose the frequency with which you want the agent to run. Note: Scheduled intelligent agents stop running and are automatically disabled if the course is inactive, over (end date passed), or deleted. You can still set up a practice run or a manual run of an intelligent agent at any time in a course with a passed end date.
    Options include:

    • No Schedule – The agent will only run when you manually trigger it.
      Agent frequency no schedule
    • One Time Run – This allows instructors to choose a single date and time to run.
      Agent frequency one time run
    • Hourly – This allows instructors to choose a date and time to run between. If no dates are chosen, the Hourly agent runs every hour with the first time being “now” (that is once the agent is saved and enabled).
      Agent frequency hourly
    • Daily – This allows instructors to choose daily frequency and time the agent will run, along with the dates to run between. If no dates are chosen, the agent will run at the specified time with no end date.
      Agent frequency daily
    • Weekly – This allows instructors to choose the weekly frequency, day of the week, and time the agent will run, along with the dates to run between. If no dates are chosen, the agent will run at the specified time with no end date.
      Agent frequency weekly
    • Monthly – This allows instructors to choose the monthly frequency, the day of the month, and time the agent will run, along with the dates to run between. If no dates are chosen, the agent will run at the specified time with no end date.
      Agent frequency monthly
    • Annually – This allows instructors to choose the annual frequency, the month & date, and scheduled time, along with the dates to run between. If no dates are chosen, the agent will run at the specified time with no end date.
      Agent frequency annually
  10. Under Criteria > Role in Classlist, do one of the following:
    Intelligent Agent Criteria by role

    • If you want the intelligent agent to be applicable to all roles in the Classlist, select the All users visible in the Classlist check box.
    • If you want the intelligent agent to be applicable to select roles, select the Users with specific roles check box and check the box for each role.
  11. Optional: Take Action on Login Activity.  If you want your agent to target users’ login habits, under Login Activity, select your criteria. This will look for the user’s logins into TCU Online (not your course specifically).
    Intelligent Agent Login Activity
  12. Optional: Take Action on Course Activity.If you want your agent to target users’ course habits, Course Activity, select your criteria. This looks at the user’s access into your course in TCU Online.
    Intelligent Agent Course Activity
  13. Optional: If you want your agent to run when a specific existing condition has been met, under Criteria > Release Conditions, click Attach Existing. Select the check box for any condition you want to attach and click Attach.
    Release Conditions for Intelligent Agent Attach Existing
  14. Optional: If you want your agent to run when a specific new condition has been met, under Criteria > Release Conditions, click Create and Attach. Select a Condition Type from the drop-down list. Complete any additional Condition Details that appear and click Create.
    Release Conditions for Intelligent Agent Create and Attach
  15. Under Actions > Repetition, select how often you want the agent to take action. The Action Repetition setting determines how many emails an agent might send to users who satisfy its criteria.
    Intelligent Agent Repetition
    Select either:

    • Take action only the first time the agent’s criteria are satisfied for a user – When you select this setting, all users that satisfy the agent’s criteria receive only one email no matter how many times the agent is evaluated.
    • Take action every time the agent is evaluated and the agent’s criteria are satisfied for a user – When you select this setting, the agent sends an email to all users that satisfy its criteria every time the agent is evaluated.
  16. If you want the agent to send an email when the set criteria are satisfied, Check the box to Send an Email when the criteria are satisfied. Enter your email details and add an attachment (optional). Note: For emails, you can include Replace strings to allow for a personalized message. Learn more about Using Replace Strings.
    Intelligent Agents Email with Attachment
    Suggested settings:

      • In the To field: use replace string {InitiatingUser}
      • Enter a subject that is relevant to the reason the agent is are sending the email.
      • In the email message, add your greeting and consider using replace strings to personalize the email: Example: Hi {InitiatingUserFirstName},
      • Type your remaining email message using the HTML editor to format content.
      • Optional: Upload an attachment, Record Audio or Record Video.
      • Email Format: HTML
        Intelligent Agent email format
  17. Click Save and Close.

Use Agents to automate feedback from Class Progress tool

If you are reviewing class progress from within the Class Progress tool, you can select “Use agents to automate feedback” to go directly to the Intelligent Agents tool.  From there you can start with step 3 in the Create an Agent from the Intelligent Agents tool section above.
Class Progress Use Agents to automate feedback