How do I build a Lesson or Module?
Lessons is a tool that allows an instructor to organize resources, activities, and media on a single page. You can have as many Lessons pages in your site as you see fit. Each Lessons page can be customized to suit the needs of the lesson, including links to other site tools, conditional release of items and content, student content pages, basic LTI tools, and more.
With Lessons, you can organize your course by unit, module, week, topic, or any other grouping that makes sense for your site.
This article will show you how to add the most common items to a Lessons page.
Go to the Lessons tool.
The Lessons tool may have a different name in your site depending upon what you decided to label it when you added it to your course. In this example, we labeled our Lessons tool "Unit 1". Click Unit 1 (or the applicable label) in the Tool Menu to go to Lessons.
Add text.
Note: A Lessons page with no content will display general help text on getting started with this tool.
Most course designers begin by adding a heading or other text on the page.
Click the Add Text button to add text content to the page.
Enter content and Save.
The rich text editor is available for content authoring when you add text to a Lessons page. Enter your content into the editor, or cut and paste it from another application. You may use the formatting options available to format your text and add images, links, or other media.
Click Save to save your changes.
Note: You also may selectively release this text item by group if you click the Edit the groups for which this item should be shown link. Groups must already exist in the site before you can select them here.
Add Multimedia.
Click the Add Multimedia button to embed content items or links on the page.
Enter URL or choose a file and Save.
You may embed your content in one of several ways:
- Enter a URL to embed a link to an online resource.
- Click the Choose File button to upload file.
- Click the Choose Existing File link to link to a file that has already been uploaded to your site Resources.
Once you have specified the file or URL, click Save to return to the Lessons page.
Add Resource.
If you prefer to add a resource as a link, rather than embedded on the page, click on the Add Resources button.
Tip: This is a good option to choose for PDF files or other links/documents that you would like to be opened in a new window when the user clicks on the link.
Enter URL or choose a file.
You may add your resource in one of several ways:
- Enter a URL to embed a link to an online resource.
- Click the Choose File button to upload file.
- Click the Choose Existing File link to link to a file that has already been uploaded to your site Resources.
For this example, we will select the Choose File button to upload a file.
Browse for and select your file.
Locate and select the file you would like to upload from your computer, and click the Open button to upload it.
Verify the filename and Save.
Once you have uploaded a file, the filename will appear listed next to the Choose File link. If this is the correct file, click the Save button to save your change and return to the Lessons page.
Add Subpage.
If you would like to organize your content by creating nested levels of pages, click the Add Subpage button. A subpage contains the same authoring options for adding content, links, and additional subpages as a top level page.
Tip: Some course designers like to create a top level page that serves as a Table of Contents (TOC) for all of the content pages. In this organization scheme, the content pages would be subpages under the top level TOC page.
Title and create your page.
Give your subpage a title in the text box provided. A page title is required.
Optionally, you may choose an existing page in the course instead of creating a new one by selecting the Choose Existing Page link.
Also optionally, you may select the check box for Next page and/or Show as button to modify the appearance and navigation of links from one Lessons page to the next in your listing of pages.
Click the Create button to add your new subpage. You will be taken directly to the new, blank subpage so that you may edit the content of that page.
Tip: Avoid lengthy page titles, as very long titles can make for messy navigation in the breadcrumbs along the top of the page which display the user's location within the content.
Add Assignment.
Lessons allows you to add links to Assignments right within the flow of the lesson. Click the Add Assignment button to add an assignment link.
Select or create your assignment.
You may select from any of the existing assignments in your site, or you may click the Create new assignment using Assignments link to create a new one. If you choose to create a new item, you will be taken to the Assignments tool to create it there.
For this example, we will use an existing assignment (Paper 1) by selecting the radio button for that item.
After you have selected the assignment you would like to add, click the Use selected item button to add the assignment and to return to the Lessons page.
Add Quiz.
Lessons allows you to add links to assessments from the Tests & Quizzes tool right within the flow of the lesson. Click the Add Quiz button to add an assessment link.
Select or create your quiz.
You may select from any of the existing assessments in your site, or you may click the Create new quiz using Test and Quizzes link to create a new one. If you choose to create a new quiz, you will be taken to Tests and Quizzes to create one there.
For this example, we will use an existing assignment (Quiz 1) by selecting the radio button for that item.
After you have selected the quiz you would like to add, click the Use selected item button to add the quiz and return to the Lessons page.
Add a discussion Forum.
Forums are common additions to Lessons pages. However, the option to add Forum Topics is grouped under More Tools.
Click the More Tools button and then select Add Forum Topic.
Select or create your topic.
You may select from any of the existing Forum Topics in your site, or you may click the Create new topic using Forums link to create a new one. If you choose to create a new topic, you will be taken to Forums to create one there.
For this example, we will use an existing assignment (General Discussion) by selecting the radio button for that item.
After you have selected the topic you would like to add, click the Use selected item button to add the topic and return to the Lessons page.
View page.
Once you have added content to your page, you will see it displayed very similarly to the way students will see it, with the exception of the editing options. Notice that the types of links and resources that have been added to the page will be indicated with the appropriate icon for each.
