Use the Course Builder tool in myCourses

The Course Builder tool allows instructors an alternative interface for adding and managing course content, including course materials, assignments, grades, and learning objectives. You may prefer to use the Course Builder in lieu of the Content tool if you want to organize your myCourses page in one central location and using a drag and drop interface. 

In this article:

Access the Course Builder tool

You can add a link to the Course Builder on your navigation bar for faster access.

1. On the Course home page, click Course admin on your Navigation Bar.

2. Click Course Builder under the Site Resources heading. The first time you access Course Builder, you will be taken to an introduction page where you can learn about how the Course Builder works.

3. Click Start button to begin using the Course Builder.

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Course Builder interface overview

The Course Builder page is separated into three panels: a sidebar on the left for adding content, a list of Modules in the middle for organizing content, and an information panel on the right for editing various content options.

1. Build outline: Drag and drop an icon from this section to create a new Module or a Placeholder for a future file, link, discussion, assignment, or quiz. These Placeholders must be housed within a Module. 

2. Add content: Drag and drop an icon from this section to trigger a pop-up window for creating new content. Use these icons to fill in Placeholders throughout your outline. 

3. Browse tools: Click the arrow beside each tool category (e.g., Assignments) to search for an existing item, then drag and drop that item to add a link to it in the Content tool.

4. Course Builder canvas: Your content will appear in a list of modules in the middle of the Course Builder page. You can drag and drop these modules to easily reorder your content. Click the plus or minus sign on each module to expand or collapse the sub-modules and items inside. You can also click the arrow beside each module to manage and delete content.

5. Selected module panel: The box on the right side of the page will show information and options for any module or item you select in the Course Builder canvas. Depending on the object you select, this panel also lets you hide, edit and upload files to a module.

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Add content using the Course Builder

Using the Course Builder's drag and drop interface, you can easily add modules and items that display to your students in the Content browser widget and the main Content page of your course.

Add new content

1. From the sidebar under Build outline, drag and drop the 

   

    New module icon into the Course Builder canvas to trigger a pop-up window for creating a new module.
   
   

   

   
   
   

2. In the Create module pop-up window:

   • Enter a Title for the new module.

   • (Optional): Enter any Notes or set date Restrictions.

   • Click the Create button.

     

3. From the sidebar under Add content, drag and drop an Item icon into an existing module to bring up a pop-up window for creating a new item.

   

   (Optional) You can create these items in the Course Builder:

   • 

      Quicklink: Link to a web page or other course material.

   • 

     HTML file: A file in your course that you can create and edit using a text box.

   • 

     Discussion: New topic in the Discussion Forum you select.

   • 

     Assignment: New folder where students can submit assignments.

   • 

     Quiz: Blank quiz that you must add questions to from the Quizzes page.

   

   You can also drag and drop the 

   

   Grade Item icon onto an existing Assignment, Discussion, or Quiz to associate a numeric grade item with the target activity.

4. From the sidebar under Browse tools, click the arrow beside any tool type to locate an existing item or activity in your course and then drag and drop it into an existing module to add a link to it in Content.

   You can link the following objects in Content:

   1. 

       Course files: A file uploaded to Manage files.

   2. 

      Discussions: Existing discussion topic.

   3. 

      Assignments: Existing Assignment folder.

   4. 

       Quizzes: Existing quiz.

   

   You can also browse 

   

    Grade Items to drag and drop an existing grade item onto an existing Assignment, Discussion, or Quiz. This will associate the grade item with the target activity.

Upload files to your course

1. Click on a module to select it.

2. In the panel on the right, click Upload Files.

   

3. In the pop-up window that appears, click Choose file to locate a file.

4. Click Add another file to upload multiple files at once.

5. Click Upload to upload the file(s) to the selected module.
   
   

   

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Organize content using the Course Builder

The Course Builder interface allows you to quickly and easily reorder, hide, edit and remove modules and items in the Content tool.

Reorder content

Drag and drop items in the Course Builder canvas to the desired position. A black line appears in the position where the item will be moved.

Hide content

1. Click on the module or item you want to hide. Your selection will appear with an orange border.

2. From the drop-down list in the panel on the right, select Draft.

Edit content

1. Select the module or item you want to edit.

2. In the panel on the right, click the Edit link.

3. In the pop-up window that appears, you can edit availability dates and other properties of the item, depending on the type of files or activity selected.

4. Click the Save button to save any changes and close the pop-up window.

The Edit link and the options available in the pop-up window will be different depending on the type of item you are editing.

Delete content

1. Click the drop-down arrow on the right of a module or item name.

2. Click Remove.

This will NOT delete the file or object from the Manage files page or the associated tool (e.g. Quizzes or Assignments). It will only remove the link to the file or item from Content.

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