Content Manager

• Creating a Module
• Creating a Topic - Topics must belong to a module.
  • Creating a Topic from a Course File
  • Creating a Topic from a File on your computer
  • Creating a Topic using the HTML Editor
  • Creating a Topic that is a Link
  • Adding Bulk Topics
• Editing Modules/Topics
• Hiding Content
• Deleting Modules/Topics
• Positioning of Modules/Topics
• Moving Topics
• Student View

Course content areas contain a variety of learning materials. Instructors can use these areas to present information in many different ways ranging from basic text to multimedia. Instructors can also link items from other tools to the content area.

While instructors have many options when designing the layout of the content area, there remains a clear, structured format for how content modules and topics are built.

There are two ways to access the Content Manager:

1. Click the Edit Course link on the course navigation bar. This opens a new window. Then click the Content link located near the top of the screen

OR

2. From the course home page, click Content on the course navigation bar. Next, click the Manage Content link located on the right side of the screen

How to Create a Module:

Creating a module is the first step in creating course content. A module must be created before you are able to insert topics.

1. From the course homepage, click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. Click on the Add Moduleicon located to the right of the course name.
3. Enter the module title in the Title field. If you choose, you can also enter a shortened title in the Short Title field. (i.e., if the module title is Course Expectations, the short title might be Expectations)
4. You can choose to Hide Enumeration which will exclude this module from the numbering system. (i.e., you have five modules numbered 1 through 5. By selecting Hidden Enumeration on any or all modules, you can choose to hide the numbers that appear beside a module name)
5. To hide a module from participants, simply place a check mark in the box beside Hidden. Any topics listed beneath this module will also be hidden.
6. To set time restrictions for the content, select appropriate Available Starting and Available Ending dates and times from the drop down menus after clicking on the appropriate radio buttons.
   Please Note: A hidden module/topic will not become visible at the start date of the time restriction. If you have chosen to hide any modules and/or topics, they will remain hidden until you uncheck the box beside Hidden.
7. At the bottom of the Create Module screen, you will see two drop down menus - Discussion Topic and Help Discussion Topic. If you have already created Discussion topics, you will be able to link the Discussion topics to your Content module by selecting it from the drop down menu. If you have not created any Discussion topics, then ignore this feature.
8. Click the Save button once finished. To continue creating modules, click the Save and New button.

How to Create a Topic from a Course File:

1. From the course homepage, click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. Click the Add Topic icon located to the right of the module you would like to add the topic to.
3. Choose the Course File link from the list.
4. By default, the Parent Module displayed is the module you chose to add a topic to. If you wish the topic to appear under a different module, use the drop down menu to select the desired module.
5. Enter the topic title in the Title field. If you choose, you can also enter a shortened title in the Short Title field. (i.e., if the topic title is Spring 2008 Syllabus, the short title might be Syllabus)
6. To select the file for your topic, click the Browse button located to the right of the Course File field.
   Please Note: When using this option to create a new topic, you must already have files uploaded in your course.
7. Navigate through your course files and select the desired file by clicking on it. This will insert the file path into the Course File field.
8. Click the Save button once finished. To continue creating topics, click the Save and New button.

How to Create a Topic from a File on Your Computer:

1. From the course homepage, click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. Click the Add Topic icon located to the right of the module you would like to add the topic to.
3. Choose the Upload New File link from the list.
4. By default, the Parent Module displayed is the module you chose to add a topic to. If you wish the topic to appear under a different module, use the drop down menu to select the desired module.
5. Enter the topic title in the Title field. If you choose, you can also enter a shortened title in the Short Title field. (i.e., if the topic title is Spring 2008 Syllabus, the short title might be Syllabus)
6. To select the file for your topic, click the Browse button located to the right of the File to Upload field. Navigate through your computer's files and select the desired file by clicking on it and selecting Open. This will insert the file path into the File to Upload field.
7. Click the Save button once finished. To continue creating topics, click the Save and New button.
8. A new window will open, listing all files saved in your iLearn course site. This allows you to verify that the file you uploaded is now stored in your iLearn course files. Click the Save button to finalize this process.

How to Create a Topic Using the HTML Editor:

1. From the course homepage, click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. Click the Add Topic icon located to the right of the module you would like to add the topic to.
3. Choose the Create New File link from the list.
4. By default, the Parent Module displayed is the module you chose to add a topic to. If you wish the topic to appear under a different module, use the drop down menu to select the desired module.
5. Enter the topic title in the Title field. If you choose, you can also enter a shortened title in the Short Title field. (i.e., if the topic title is Spring 2008 Syllabus, the short title might be Syllabus)
6. Enter your content into the space provided. There are two modes that are available in the HTML Editor: Design view and HTML view. The Design view allows you to enter your information exactly as it will appear on your course site. It works much the same as Microsoft Word in that there are alignment buttons (center, left, etc.), text color, and fonts. If you are familiar with HTML code, you can use the HTML view to enter your content. To switch between the different views, simply click either the Design button or the HTML button.
7. Click the Save button once finished. To continue creating topics, click the Save and New button.
8. A new window will open, listing all files saved in your iLearn course site. Click the Save button.

How to Create a Create Topic using the Learning Object Repository:

1. From the course homepage, click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. Click the Add Topic icon located to the right of the module you would like to add the topic to.
3. Choose the Learning Object Repository link from the list.
4. Enter the words (i.e., syllabus) you would like to search for in the Search for field. Only learning objects and assets that match against the terms will be returned.
5. Once you have seen the results and selected the object you would like to use in your course, there are two options. You can either create a link to this object, or you can download the object to your course.
   • Create Link
     1. Click the Create Link icon located to the right of the object you would like to link to:
     2. By default, the Parent Module displayed is the module you chose to add a topic to. If you wish the topic to appear under a different module, use the drop down menu to select the desired module.
     3. Select what kind of link you would like: Dynamic or Locked
     4. Click the Insert button.
     5. A new page will open with the processing progress:

     6. Click the Next button to finish creating your link.

      

   • Retrieve the Learning Object
   1. Click the Retrieve from LOR link located to the right of the object you would like to download to your course:
   2. A new window will open with three different choices: Import into Content, Download Files from Learning Object, and Export to Desktop. Select the choice that best fits your needs - there are detailed descriptions listed with each choice. To download the object right into your content, select Import into Content.
   3. By default, the Choose Module is the module you chose to add a topic to. If you wish the topic to appear under a different module, either use the drop down menu to select the desired module or click the add module link to create a new module for the topic.
   4. Next, select the folder you would like to store the object in by clicking the Browse button. Once you have selected the appropriate storage space, click the Select Current Folder button.
   5. Click the Import button.
   6. A new page will open with the processing progress:

   7. Click the Next button to finish downloading your object

Create a Topic that is a Link:

1. From the course homepage, click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. Click the Add Topic icon located to the right of the module you would like to add the topic to.
3. Choose the QuickLink link from the list.
4. By default, the Parent Module displayed is the module you chose to add a topic to. If you wish the topic to appear under a different module, use the drop down menu to select the desired module.
5. Enter the topic title in the Title field. If you choose, you can also enter a shortened title in the Short Title field. (i.e., if the topic title is Spring 2008 Syllabus, the short title might be Syllabus)
6. Type in the URL you would like to link to. You can also link to another course tool by clicking the Quicklink icon to the right of the URL field. Select the appropriate category (i.e., Content, Quizzes, Discussions, etc.) and item from their respective drop down menus.
7. Click the Insert button to place the link in the URL field.
8. Click the Save button once finished. To continue creating topics, click the Save and New button.

Adding Bulk Topics :

1. From the course homepage, click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. You can add multiple existing files to a module by clicking on the Bulk Add Topic icon located to the right of the module you would like to add the files to.
3. By default, the Parent Module displayed is the module you chose to add a topic to. If you wish the topic to appear under a different module, use the drop down menu to select the desired module.
4. Select the files you would like to use by placing a check mark in the box next to the file names.
5. Click Create.

How to Edit Module/Topic

This page allows you to create and edit course modules and topics. Access this area from the course homepage, by following these steps:

1. Click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. Click the Edit icon located to the right of the module you would like to edit.

The Properties tab lists current information such as the Parent Module (in the case of sub-modules), the Title and Short Title of the module, etc. You can change any of the module information to suit your needs.

The Content tab lists the current topics and sub-modules under Module Content. From here, you can add sub-module(s), add topic(s), bulk add topics, and edit and delete the existing topics.

The Release Conditions tab allows you to hide the module (this includes its associated topics and sub-modules), setup time restrictions, and create additional release conditions. For more information regarding release conditions, go to the following link:

http://help.iLearn.tntech.edu/InstructorTools/ConditionalRelease/conditionalrelease.htm

The Comments tab allows you to share your own comments regarding the module/topic material with other course administrators (i.e., co-instructors, TAs). By using the Comments tab to relay information simply enter your comments into the Personal Comments field and click Save.

In this section, we will not discuss the Metadata tab. This tab is used to apply searchable tags to your content. It is only important to fill in these fields if you will be uploading your material into iLearn's Learning Object Repository.

How to Hide a Topic/Module:

1. From the course homepage, click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. Click the Edit icon located to the right of the module/topic you would like to hide.
3. Select the Release Conditions tab. Place a check mark in the Hide This Topic box.

Please Note: If you have set a specific release date for a hidden topic/module, then that topic/module will remain hidden for as long as there is a check mark in the Hide box. You must un-check the Hide box for your course participants to be able to see the topic/module.

Deleting a Topic/Module:

How to Delete a Topic/Module:

1. From the course homepage, click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. Click the Delete icon beside the topic/module you would like to delete.

Please Note: Deleting a module will also delete the topics listed under it.

How to Delete Multiple Topic/Modules:

1. From the course homepage, click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. Place check marks in the boxes to the left of the desired topics/modules.
3. Click the Delete icon located at the top of the screen.

Positioning of Topics/Modules:

1. From the course homepage, click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. Place a check mark in the box located to the left of the topic to be repositioned.
3. You can either input the number of positions to move the topic into the By text field located at the top of the screen, or you can click the Up or Down arrow to position the topic as desired.

Moving a Topic to a New Module:

1. From the course homepage, click Content. Next, click Manage Content located on the right side of the screen.
2. Place a check mark in the box located to the left of the topic you would like to move. You can select multiple topics within the same module.
3. Click the Move icon at the top of the screen.
4. A new window will open. Select the new Parent Module from the drop down menu.
5. Click the Save button to move the topic.

Student View of your tool or course

If you would like to view what your course or tools look like through the eyes of a student, you can do so using the Role Switch tool from the Course Home. By changing your role to Student you can navigate your class and see the course as a student would. Please note that under the student role you will be unable to view the gradebook, take quizzes, or view any items with conditional releases. Once you are finished using the student role, you can switch back to your instructor role by going back to the role switch tool in the Course Home and selecting My Default Role.

Student View of the Content Tool