Content Basics

Audience

Faculty

Question

I have questions on the content area in D2L. Where do I go for FAQ's?

Answer

The Content area is where you will post and organize learning materials for your students. Items may include a syllabus, handouts, assignments, supplemental readings, etc. Content material can range from basic text to multimedia files. In this tutorial, you will:

  • Review strategies for structuring content
  • Create a Module (heading)
  • Create a Topic
  • Add Restrictions to Modules and Topics
  • Re-order and Delete Modules and Topics

This article is also available in PDF Format.

There are also helpful tutorial videos available for this article.
Video 1. Video 2.

 
Strategies for Structuring Content

Advanced planning will save you considerable time in constructing your online course. After you determine your learning objectives and assessment strategies, select content and activities that support your learning objectives.

  1. Determine materials and resources for use in the online class

Make a list of the materials and resources you want to make available to students in Content. You may want to consider the following:

  • What existing course materials do you already have?
  • Do you need to locate new and/or additional course materials?
  • Does the online format allow you to add resources that you could not easily incorporate into your face-to-face course?
  • Are some resources currently in a format that needs to be converted for online use?
  1. Organize course content

Content is the primary location for course documents including the syllabus, schedule(s), course materials, assignment instructions, lectures, multimedia, and other materials. Course content is organized by modules and submodules. Use Appendix A to help organize your content.

A standard format for creating modules is by Weeks or Units (i.e. Week 1 Unit 1, Week 2 Unit 2, etc.), and then include everything the student needs in each module.

For the topics in each module, be consistent in the information included and in the order it is listed so that students know where to look for resources in each unit. Convert materials to a digital file format before you begin.

 
Create a Module

Content in D2L is organized by modules, sub-modules and topics. Modules (and sub-modules) provide headings for each unit of the content. Creating a module is the first step in creating course content and a module must be created before you can add topics.

  1. In your course, click the Materials menu and then click Content
  2. Click the Add a module text box at the bottom of the left frame

Add a module

 

  1. Type the name of your first module title, such as Week 1 Unit 1, in the box
  2. Click Enter on your keyboard to save the module
  3. Continue creating your additional modules in the standard format you have chosen

To add a sub-module

  1. Click the Module name to open it
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the right frame
  3. Click the Add a subtitle module text box and enter a sub-module name

Add a sub-module

 

  1. Click Enter to save the sub-module
 
Create Content Topics

Topics are the substance of your course. You can upload files (Word docs, PowerPoint files, PDF files, etc.), create links to webpages or course activities, and create new files directly in Content.

Upload Files

  1. Click a Module in the left frame
  2. In the right frame, click the Upload/Create button
  3. Click Upload Files to upload content you have already created

Upload files

  • Click My Computer, and then click Upload to choose a file you have stored on your computer
  • Click Course Offering Files to add a link to files already in your course
  • Click on OneDrive Files to access files stored on OneDrive

Add a file

  1. Once you are in the location of the file, click on the document name to add it to your content
  2. Click Add

Add MediaSpace Videos

  1. Click a Module in the left frame
  2. Click the Add Existing Activities button
  3. Click My Media

Add existing activities

 

4. Locate the video you want to add, and click the Select button to the right of the video

 

Upload video in my media

 

Create Website Links

  1. Click a Module in the left frame
  2. Click the Upload/Create button
  3. Click Create a Link
  4. Give your link a Title
  5. In a separate browser tab, go to the website you want to link to and copy the URL
  6. Return to D2L and Paste the URL into the box
  7. To open the link in a separate window, check the Open as External Resource box.

Create new link

 

  1. Click Create
 
Restricting Content

If you want to create Forums or Topics in your course, but you are not ready for students to see them, you can add date restrictions, or hide them. If you hide a Module, all Topics in the Module are also hidden.

  1. Add date restrictions to a Module
    1. Click the Module in the left frame
    2. In the right frame click the add dates and restrictions text
    3. Click Add start date, or Add end date
    4. Select your date/times
    5. Click Update
  2. Add date restrictions to an individual Topic
    1. Click the arrow next to the Topic name and select Edit properties in place
    2. Click the add dates and restrictions text
    3. Click Add start date, or Add end date
    4. Select your date/times
    5. Click Update
  3. Hide a Module
    1. Click the Module in the left frame
    2. Use the visibility icon and then click the toggle button to change the status from Visible to Hidden

Hide a module

 

  1. Hide an individual Topic
    1. Click the arrow next to the Topic name and select Edit properties in place.
    2. Use the visibility icon and then click the toggle button to change the status from Visible to Hidden
 
Restricting Content to Sections (or Groups) within a Course

When students are added to D2L shells, they are enrolled into “sections.” If you have two or more sections combined in a single course, you can use release conditions to restrict content based on section enrollment. In addition, if you have manually created “Groups” in your D2L course (such as Discussion groups), you can restrict content to groups.

  1. Add a Release Condition to a Module
    1. Click the Module in the left frame
    2. Click the add dates and restrictions text
    3. Under Release Conditions, click Create
    4. For Condition Type, select Section enrollment (or Group enrollment)
    5. Select a section (or group)
    6. Click Create
  2. Add a Release Condition to a Topic
    1. Click the arrow next to the Topic name and select Edit properties in place
    2. Click the add dates and restrictions text
    3. Under Release Conditions, click Create (if you have already created this release condition in the course, you can click Browse and then select the condition)
    4. For Condition Type, select Section enrollment (or Group enrollment)
    5. Select a section (or group)
    6. Click Create

Create new release condition

 

 
Re-order and Delete Modules and Topics

Reorder Modules or Topics

  1. Hover over the 3-bar icon to the left of the module name.

Reorder module or topics

 

  1. A 4-sided arrow will appear
  2. Click and hold down the arrow to drag and drop the module by the desired location.

Delete a Module or Topic

  1. Click on the name of the module in the left frame
  2. Click on the dropdown arrow next to the module name in the right frame
  3. Click Delete Module

Delete a Topic:

  1. Click on the name of the module in the left frame
  2. Click on the dropdown arrow next to the topic name in the right frame
  3. Click Delete Topic

 

Additional Resources

Go to eLearning Website for detailed tutorials on many D2L topics.

https://www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/distance/elearning/d2l-handouts-and-videos/

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