Instructors may add a number of different kinds of content to Course Content Areas; these are referred to as Content Types. Content Types generally fall into two different categories:
All content shares a few similarities; each piece of content includes a name and description. Many Content Types also allow the Instructor to set options such as availability and date restrictions.
Content Types may be selected from the Action Bar and drop-down list of a Content Area page.
|
Content Type |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Item |
A general piece of content to which items may be attached. |
|
Test |
On-line evaluations of Student knowledge and skills. Test properties, such as availability and presentation options, are managed through the Course area where the Test appears. For information on building Tests and other Assessments see the section on How to Create an Assessment. |
|
Assignment |
Content that Instructors may mark based on a given number of points possible, such as class work. |
|
Learning Unit |
A set of content that includes a structured path for progressing through the items. |
|
Folder |
A folder within a Content Area to which other content types may be added. Folders allow Instructors to organize a Content Area into a structured area with a hierarchy or categories. |
|
External Link |
Link to an outside Web site. |
|
Course Link |
Link to another item in a Course. |
|
Survey |
Similar to Tests, Surveys are useful to polling purposes and evaluations. Questions in Surveys cannot be assigned points and Surveys may not be graded. |
|
Tool |
Link to a tool in the Course, such as a Discussion Board or Virtual Classroom session. |
|
Offline Content |
A direct path to a specified file on a drive, usually a CD-ROM. To access this file, users must have the correct CD-ROM in their computer. |
|
Syllabus Builder |
Content item that enables an Instructor to build a Course syllabus by walking through a series of steps. |
|
SCORM Content |
Content that adheres to Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) standards. |
|
IMS Content |
Content that matches IMS specifications. Additional information may be found at http://www.imsproject.org. |
|
NLN Content |
A package of content developed by the National Learning Network. (NLN) Additional information may be found at http://www.nln.ac.uk. |
When a content item is added to a Course it is not automatically available. An availability option on the Add and Modify pages allows the user to set the content to available or unavailable. This allows the Instructor to create content and save it in a draft format before it is made available within a Course.
When an item is added to a Content Area a number of options are available on the Add page. The options available depend on the Content Type; not all options are always available. These options are used to set availability, date restrictions, and tracking. The following is a description of all of the options that may be available:
|
Content Type |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Make the content available |
Select Yes to make the content available to users. If No is selected this content is unavailable |
|
Open in new window |
Select Yes to open the item in a separate browser window. This is helpful as users may continue viewing the Content Area along with the item. |
|
Choose date restrictions |
Select the range of dates that this item will appear. Select the Display After checkbox for the item to appear after a specific date. If this option is checked, select the corresponding date and time below. Select the Display Until checkbox for the item to appear until a specific date. If this option is checked, select the corresponding date and time below. |
|
Track number of views |
Select Yes to track the Course Statistics and generate reports on usage and activity for the item. |