Quick article: Resources and activities overview

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1. What You'll Accomplish
• 2. Before You Begin
• 3. Quick Start Workflow
  • Step 1: Access the Add Content Menu
  • Step 2: Understand the Three Main Categories
  • Step 3: Explore Resources (Passive Content)
  • Step 4: Explore Activities (Interactive Content)
  • Step 5: Understand Ready-to-use Content 
• 4. Essential Next Steps
• 5. Need More Help?

1. What You'll Accomplish

By the end of this guide, you'll understand the different types of content you can add to your course and know which resource type to choose for different teaching needs. This takes about 5 minutes and provides the foundation for all content creation in itslearning.

2. Before You Begin

• "Resources" - Content for students to read, watch, or download
• "Activities" - Interactive tasks requiring student participation
• "Ready-to-use content" - Pre-made content from libraries or imports

✓ Checkpoint: You should see a grid layout with icons and descriptions for each content type.

Step 3: Explore Resources (Passive Content)

Resources are for sharing information without requiring student submissions:

• Folder: Organise content to create a tidy course structure
• File or folder: Upload files or folders from your computer or cloud
• Link: Add links to your course or share them in the library
• Note: Create notes for simple texts or information. The note is a rich text editor. Content that can be embeded can also be included here such as YouTube videos, etc. 
• Page:include content blocks of information around a single topic. Polls, videos, images, etc. can all be included within a page. Page is a good tool for student created content as well.  
• SCORM or AICC link: Adds link directly to externally created content
• Microsoft Office documents: Create new Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files if this is turned on for your site.

Step 4: Explore Activities (Interactive Content)

 Activities require student participation and appear in students' task lists:

• Assignment: Is the main assignment tool in itselarning. It lets participants submit answers individually or in groups.This digital submission might be a typed essay, PowerPoint presentation, Video, Image, etc. that demonstrates users’ knowledge. Assignments can be aligned to standards/learning objectives with rubrics and assessment criteria to track standards mastery. There is also an option for students to work in groups. 
• Discussion: Creates a discussion forum in itslearning that can be used as a written, structured debate
• Learning path: Create a progress-based sequence of resources.
• LTI - Tool: Connect tools that use the IMS Learning Operating Tools standard
• Registration: allow instructors to create a list of options for participants to register for. This may include a study session, presentation time, or group project. 
• Survey: Collect information from a group of respondents. It can be used within a course and it can be  opened for external participants. 
• Task: are non-digital submissions and may include student artwork, oral presentations, hand-written essays or face-to-face discussions. Tasks allow the teacher to provide digital directions and grading specifications, but the work will be submitted, assessed, and graded manually. 
• Test: might be quick quizzes or formal exams. Questions can be aligned to standards, categorized, and assigned specific point value. (Questions can also be imported.) There are several question types. Each question and in some cases also the answer alternatives, includes the rich text editor, so videos, sound clips, and images can be part of the question/answer. 

Step 5: Understand Ready-to-use Content 

Ready-to-Use Content includes elements that can be imported from other learning management systems or platforms as well as content that are in a shared library of resources. (Sometimes known as a learning object repository or LOR.) 

• Content from library: Add content from your collection or search for shared content
• Course importer: Import a course from another LMS, such as Moodle
• Import content package: Upload a SCORM content package

✓ Checkpoint: You should now understand the key difference - resources are for consuming content, activities are for student interaction and assessment.

4. Essential Next Steps

Note! Not all hyperlinks work yet as the site is under revision

Now you can:

• Choose the right content type for your teaching goals
• Plan your course structure using folders and resources
• Decide which activities will engage your students

Recommended next:

• Getting Started: Adding Your First Resources

5. Need More Help?

Note! Not all hyperlinks work yet as the site is under revision

• Detailed Reference:
• Still stuck? Contact your itslearning administrator