Learning Objectives Repository - Sysadmin

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1 Overview
• 2 Prerequisites
• 3 Getting started
• 4 Core features
• 5 Step-by-step workflow
  • 5.1 Access a local/site/school repository
  • 5.2 Create the structure (folders, subjects, categories)
  • 5.3 Add learning objectives
  • 5.4 Add rubrics (optional)
  • 5.5 Publish the learning objectives
  • 5.6 Add learning objectives to a course
• 6 Import learning objectives from an XLSX file
  • 6.1 XLSX file structure
    • 6.1.1 Required columns
    • 6.1.2 Element types
  • 6.2 Preparing the XLSX file
    • 6.2.1 Set up the spreadsheet
    • 6.2.2 Add a root folder
    • 6.2.3 Add subjects
    • 6.2.4 Add categories (optional)
    • 6.2.5 Add learning objectives
    • 6.2.6 Add criteria (optional)
    • 6.2.7 Add descriptors (optional)
  • 6.3 Import the file
  • 6.4 After import
  • 6.5 Download example file
• 7 Technical information
• 8 Troubleshooting
  • Subject does not appear when adding objectives to a course
  • Cannot access the repository from the Admin section

1 Overview

Local, site, and school learning objective repositories allow organisations to create and maintain curriculum structures tailored to their needs. These repositories exist alongside any national repository but operate independently. Administrators can organise subjects, categories, and learning objectives to reflect local programmes of study. Once published, these learning objectives can be added to courses for planning, assessment, metadata tagging, and reporting.

2 Prerequisites

• School repository: Access is granted through the School option in a profile or policy.
• Site repository: Access to all repositories at site level is granted through the Site option.
• Browser: A modern browser supported by itslearning.
• Dependencies: Learning objectives must be published before teachers can add them to courses.

3 Getting started

Basic setup

Local, site, and school repositories begin empty. Administrators can either build the structure manually or import it from an XLSX file.

Initial configuration

Administrators prepare the repository by creating folders, subjects, and learning objectives under the root folder. The root folder name matches the site or school.

4 Core features

Hierarchical structure

Repositories use a hierarchical structure with six levels. The first four levels organise the curriculum. The last two levels (Criterion and Descriptor) are optional and used to define assessment rubrics within individual learning objectives.

Icon	Level type	Description
	Folder	Used to organise subjects, for example by educational level such as elementary or secondary.
	Subject	Contains a set of learning objectives that share a common context, for example History, Geography, or Maths. When a subject is published, the icon turns green.
	Category	Used to organise learning objectives within a subject, for example Critical thinking and problem solving. Categories are optional but may make it easier for teachers to locate learning objectives. Categories can be nested.
	Learning objective	The actual learning objective that can be used in plans and elements – such as tests or assignments – and be assessed and reported on.
	Criterion (optional)	A specific aspect or dimension of a learning objective that can be assessed separately. For example, a maths learning objective might have criteria for Procedural accuracy and Conceptual understanding. Criteria are used when you want to break down a learning objective into more granular assessment components. They are only needed if you plan to use rubric-style assessment.
	Descriptor (optional)	A description of what a specific performance level looks like for a given criterion. Each criterion can have multiple descriptors representing different achievement levels (e.g. Low, Medium, High). Descriptors serve as reference documentation – they help teachers understand what each proficiency level means for that criterion, ensuring consistent assessment across the organisation. Descriptors do not replace the centrally-defined proficiency levels used during assessment; they provide additional detail about what those levels look like in practice.

Publishing

Subjects must be published before teachers can add their objectives to courses. Published subjects display a green icon; unpublished subjects display a red icon.

Metadata use

Learning objectives serve as metadata in My Library to support content search. Learning objectives in the repository can include criteria and descriptors when rubrics exist.

5 Step-by-step workflow

5.1 Access a local/site/school repository

Objective: Open the repository for editing.

1. Click Admin in the top menu.
2. Select Learning objective repository.
   

   

3. Choose the desired school or site repository if more than one is available. If the user has access to only one, it opens automatically.
   

   

5.2 Create the structure (folders, subjects, categories)

Objective: Build the hierarchy for the curriculum.

1. Open the repository root folder.
2. Click Add folder to create organisational levels (e.g. Primary).
   

   

3. Provide a Title and ID (required). The description is optional.
4. Click Save.
   

   

5. To create a subject, click Add subject inside a folder.
   

   

6. Complete the subject form that opens.
   

   

7. Add categories as needed using Add category.
   

   

5.3 Add learning objectives

Objective: Create learning objectives inside a subject or category.

1. Open the subject or category.
2. Click Add learning objective.
3. Enter a Title and ID.
4. Optionally enter a description (plain text only).
5. Click Save.
   

   

5.4 Add rubrics (optional)

You can add assessment rubrics to individual learning objectives by creating Criteria and Descriptors. This is optional and only relevant if you want to define what different performance levels look like for specific aspects of a learning objective.

What are Criteria?

A criterion defines a specific aspect or dimension of a learning objective that you want to assess separately. For example, a learning objective about fractions might have two criteria: one for Procedural accuracy (can the student carry out the calculation correctly?) and one for Conceptual understanding (does the student understand why the method works?).

What are Descriptors?

Descriptors sit beneath a criterion and describe what different performance levels look like for that specific aspect. Each descriptor represents one level of achievement. Together, the descriptors for a criterion form a rubric scale.

Example structure:

To add a Criterion:

1. Open an existing learning objective.
2. Click Add criterion.
3. Enter a Title and ID.
4. Click Save.

To add Descriptors:

1. Open the criterion.
2. Click Add descriptor.
3. Create one descriptor for each performance level (e.g. Low, Medium, High).

5.5 Publish the learning objectives

Objective: Make a subject available for teachers to use.

1. Open the subject.
2. Click Publish.
3. Confirm the action.
   • The icon turns green once the subject is published.
   • Deleting items in a published subject triggers a confirmation prompt due to the potential impact on courses.

5.6 Add learning objectives to a course

Objective: Insert local/site/school learning objectives into a course (teacher-side).

1. Open the course.
2. Navigate to Settings → Learning objectives.
3. Click Find.
4. Choose the repository type: School, Site, or Global (if applicable).
5. Select a subject or category.
6. Click Insert to add the objectives to the course.

Teachers may now connect these learning objectives to elements such as assignments, planner items, and tests.

6 Import learning objectives from an XLSX file

You can create and import a complete learning objective repository structure using an XLSX file. This method is suitable for preparing large curriculum structures externally before uploading them to itslearning.

The import process consists of two stages: preparing the XLSX file with the correct structure, then uploading it through the Admin section.

• File format: XLSX only
• Maximum file size: 10 MB
• Required columns: ID, ParentID, Title, Description, Type (exact spelling required)

6.1 XLSX file structure

The XLSX file uses a hierarchical structure in which each row represents one element. The ParentID column links each element to its parent level in the hierarchy.

6.1.1 Required columns

The file must contain exactly the following five column headers in row 1. Header names are case-sensitive and must be typed exactly as shown.

6.1.2 Element types

Each row in the file must be assigned one of the following six element types. The type determines the hierarchy level and which parent elements are valid.

6.2 Preparing the XLSX file

6.2.1 Set up the spreadsheet

1. Open Excel or another spreadsheet application.
2. Create a new sheet.
3. Add the following column headers in row 1, exactly as shown:

6.2.2 Add a root folder

1. In row 2, add your top-level folder.
2. Leave the ParentID column blank.
3. Set Type to Folder.
4. Enter a unique ID and a descriptive Title.

Example:

6.2.3 Add subjects

1. Add one row for each subject.
2. Set ParentID to the ID of the parent folder (e.g. MAT).
3. Set Type to Subject.
4. Use short, unique IDs (e.g. MAT_NUM).
5. Enter a descriptive title (e.g. Numbers and operations).

Example:

6.2.4 Add categories (optional)

Categories organise learning objectives within subjects. Categories can be nested within other categories to create deeper structures.

1. Add a row for each category.
2. Set ParentID to the relevant subject ID or parent category ID.
3. Set Type to Category.
4. Enter a descriptive title (e.g. Year 3, Calculation).

Example:

6.2.5 Add learning objectives

1. Add a row for each learning objective.
2. Set ParentID to the relevant subject ID or category ID.
3. Set Type to LO.
4. Enter a clear, specific title describing the skill or knowledge.

Example:

6.2.6 Add criteria (optional)

Criteria define specific aspects of a learning objective that you want to assess. Add these only if you use rubric-style assessment. Each criterion represents one dimension of the skill being assessed (e.g. accuracy, understanding, application).

1. Add a row under the relevant learning objective.
2. Set ParentID to the learning objective ID.
3. Set Type to Criterion.
4. Enter a short title describing the aspect being assessed.

Example:

6.2.7 Add descriptors (optional)

Descriptors define what different performance levels look like for a specific criterion. Create one descriptor for each achievement level in your rubric (e.g. Low, Medium, High). Descriptors serve as reference documentation – they help teachers understand and apply your proficiency levels consistently.

1. Add a row for each performance level.
2. Set ParentID to the criterion ID.
3. Set Type to Descriptor.
4. In Title, enter the level name (e.g. Low, Medium, High).
5. In Description, enter a detailed explanation of what performance at this level looks like.

Example:

The completed file should look like this:

6.3 Import the file

1. Save your spreadsheet as an XLSX file.
2. In itslearning, navigate to Admin → Learning objective repository.
3. Select the appropriate school or site repository.
4. Click Import curriculum.
   

   

5. Click Browse and select your XLSX file.
   

   

6. Click Upload file.
7. Review the repository tree to verify that all elements imported correctly.
   

   

6.4 After import

Once the import is complete:

• All folders, subjects, categories, and learning objectives appear in the repository tree.
• Subjects display as unpublished (red icon) until you publish them.
• You can edit or extend the structure using the standard interface.
• The repository is available to teachers once subjects are published.

6.5 Download example file

An example XLSX file is available in the import interface. Click the here link under "Download an example file" to access a correctly formatted template.

7 Technical information

8 Troubleshooting

Subject does not appear when adding objectives to a course

Symptoms: The subject list is empty or expected subjects are missing when adding objectives to a course.

Cause: The subject is not published, or it belongs to a different repository level.

Solution:

1. Open the repository.
2. Verify that the subject displays a green published icon.
3. Confirm the user is connected to the correct school or site.

Prevention: Publish subjects immediately after creating learning objectives.

Cannot access the repository from the Admin section

Symptoms: The "Learning objective repository" link does not appear in the Admin section.

Cause: The user does not have the Learning objectives repository management permission.

Solution:

1. Edit the user profile or policy.
2. Enable Learning objectives repository management at School or Site level.

Prevention: Assign this permission during onboarding for all curriculum-responsible profiles.