Make Courses User Guide. version

Transcription

1 Make Courses User Guide version

2 Contents 1. Make Courses Starting a New Course Editing Your Course Lessons Starting a Lesson Adding a New Lesson Adding Media Files to a Lesson Switching Lessons Removing an Uploaded File Media: Videos and Lab Activities Converting Files to MP4s Video File Details Uploading Videos Adding Interactive Activities Changing the Order of Objects in Your Course Media: Quizzes and Bookshelf Opening the Quiz Editor Creating a New Quiz Adding Another Question to a Quiz Adding to Your Course Bookshelf Creating a New Category Viewing Your Course Bookshelf Creating Internal Course Notes Finalizing Your Course Publishing Your Course Assigning a License Frequently Asked Questions

3 1. Make Courses Starting a New Course 1. Navigate to the LearnSmart login page and click on Make Courses from the left hand navigation pane. 2. The page will refresh to display the start page for Make Courses. 3. Use the Start New Course button to begin creating your course. 4. You will automatically be taken to the Course Storage Packages page. Note Each time you start a new course, you will be prompted to select a storage size. The cloud storage size you select for one course might not be appropriate for the next course. 5. Once you ve selected one of the cloud storage packages, scroll down and fill in the cart information. 6. Once you have confirmed that all the Payment Information provided is accurate, click the Start New Course button. 7. A congratulatory message should appear along with a button to click. Click the Begin button. 8. With the preliminary setup complete, you can now begin working on your course by Converting Files to MP4s, Uploading Videos, Adding Interactive Activities, and more.

4 Editing Your Course Note If you re beginning a new course, read the Starting a New Course User Guide entry to find instructions on getting started. 1. From Make Courses page, click on the course title that you would like to edit. 2. You ll be taken to the first step Edit Your Course. 3. When you re done filling out each required field, click the Save and Continue button. Tip If your cover image isn t sized to the specified dimensions, then when the image is uploaded, it will be automatically resized. Lessons Starting a Lesson Note Your lesson image cannot be any larger than 160 x 160. If it is, the image will be resized to fit. 1. Locate and click on the course title that you would like to edit from the Make Courses page. 2. Once inside along the course step by step (1, 2, 3...), click on the Lessons section. 3. Enter a Lesson Number and Title for the lesson. 4. Upload your lesson image and click Upload. 5. If you d like, you have space to add an internal lesson Description. 6. When you have added all the appropriate details, click Save and Continue. Tip If desired, while building the course, remember to uncheck the Publish box to ensure that the lesson is NOT visible to the public. Adding a New Lesson When in the Lessons section of the course, you can add a new lesson by clicking Add Another Lesson towards the bottom of the screen. The page refreshes and you can begin the process again of Starting a Lesson. Adding Media Files to a Lesson The Lessons section of the course allows you to add lessons and then images, videos, interactive activities as labs, and course materials to that lesson. By

5 default, when objects are added, they are added to the most recently created lesson. Before adding media, make sure you re in the correct lesson first. If you re uncertain as to how to get to the correct lesson, follow the instructions given in the Switching Lessons User Guide entry. Once you re in the correct lesson, click on the Build section button from the numbered sequence across the top. The page will refresh and provide you with options for adding videos, labs, quizzes, and the bookshelf. To learn more about those options, read the Uploading Videos, Adding Interactive Activities, Creating a New Quiz, or Adding to Your Course Bookshelf instructional User Guide entries. Switching Lessons In the right column, your Course Timeline, under the Progress tab, you ll see a listing of all the created lessons along with any labs, quizzes, and videos added. To switch to a specific lesson, find the triangle to the left hand of the lesson title. Click on it and the lesson box will drop down to display that lesson s contents. Now you can begin adding media to a lesson by clicking the Add Assets button. Removing an Uploaded File While working on your course, you have the option to upload an image, video, lab, and more to your course. However, you may want to delete an image or object that you ve uploaded. This set of instructions is specific to removing an image, but the steps are similar for removing any uploaded object. To remove an uploaded image from the Lessons section, follow these instructions: 1. Select the course title that you would like to edit on the Make Courses page. 2. Progress to the Lessons section. 3. Under Upload a Cover Image, find the image you d like to remove. 4. Look to the right of the file name and find the remove button.

6 5. When you click on it, a confirmatory message will appear, asking if you d like to delete the image. Select Yes, Delete to proceed with the removal. 6. The page will refresh and the image will no longer appear under Pending Upload. 7. To store the changes, click Save and Continue. Tip You can also completely delete an object by scrolling down the page and looking for the delete button. Click that button to delete the entire video including title, file, and description. Media: Videos and Lab Activities Converting Files to MP4s Note For the video player to play video files, they must be.mp4 or.m4v files. This User Guide entry is a very brief example of how to take a.pptx file and turn it into a.mp4 file. HandBrake is an excellent free utility that can convert files of various formats into MP4s. 1. While scrolling through the slides, make a screen recording of the.pptx. Different screen capture tools will save this video as different video file formats. Searching for video screen capture will offer a wide selection of tools that will work well. 2. Convert the file to.mp4 format using HandBrake or some other open source video transcoder program. Note Remember to optimize the file format to a smaller file size and screen resolution as to not end up with a file that is unnecessarily too large and thus TOO large to upload. All files should be 100 MB or smaller. To ensure that your files will be small enough to upload (100 MB or less) and have the quality you desire, use the formula below when creating your files. "The greater the quality you desire, the more pieces you will need to make!" Connection speed bit rate (kbps) x file length (seconds) / 8 = file size (KB) Example: 1000 Kbps data rate x 600 seconds (10 min) / 8 = 75000KB file size (75MB)

7 This file would NOT meet the requirements. However the following parameter would work: 1000 Kbps data rate x 120 second (2 min) / 8 = 15000KB file size (15MB). Tip There is a little science to this and a whole lot of art. There is a reason we charge for this service as it is easy to get started, but also easy to end up with something that doesn't feel as professional as what LearnSmart could produce for a client. To start your LearnSmart custom designed course, please follow up with your LearnSmart contact. Video File Details When converting and adding video files, you should ensure that you understand the details in the Converting Files to MP4s entry and keep our total data rate sizes in mind as a comparison. Our file total data rate sizes are listed below: LearnSmart HD Files Total Data Rate = 1128 Kbps = 1000 Kbps (Video data rate) Kbps (Audio data rate) LearnSmart SD Files Total Data Rate = 264 Kbps = 200 Kbps (Video data rate) + 64 Kbps (Audio data rate) Uploading Videos Note When uploading videos, the LearnSmart Online Learning Management System accepts.mp4 and.m4v files. If you need to convert your files to play in the LearnSmart video player, please follow the directions in the Converting Files to MP4s User Guide entry. 1. Locate and click on the course title that you would like to edit from Make Courses page. 2. Within the third section Build Video, Quizzes, and Labs locate the Choose Media to Upload section. 3. To begin uploading videos, start by providing your video with a specific name. 4. Next, add a video to SD or HD by clicking the Browse button. Hint SD and HD players differ in quality. Upload HD videos to the HD player, and the SD video accordingly. 5. If you d like, you can add a video Description. 6. When you ve adjusted everything to your liking, click the Save and Continue button. Tip If the Publish box is checked, then your course is visible to the public. To make the course invisible, uncheck the box.

8 Adding Interactive Activities Note The LearnSmart Learning Management System allows you to create interactive activities as labs in the form of.swf files. So be certain that when adding labs, they are Swift files. 1. From Make Courses page, click on the course title that you would like to edit. 2. Navigate to the third section Build Video, Quizzes, and Labs. This section allows you to Upload Media. 3. From the drop down menu, change the display to Lab Files by clicking on the drop down arrow. 4. The page will refresh to provide you with options to upload interactive activities. 5. Name your lab, and then Browse your files to add your activity. 6. Once you ve selected your activity file, click the Upload Lab button. 7. Add the answer to your lab through the Help section. Browse for the file and click Upload Lab Answer. 8. Wrap up the lab with a Description, and then click Save and Continue. Tip If you d like to remove a lab, simply look for the remove button to the right of the file name. For further instructions, read the Removing an Uploaded Object User Guide entry. Changing the Order of Objects in Your Course Note All the pieces of a course lessons, quizzes, videos, and labs are moveable within the course preview pane on the right hand of your screen. To move a lab within a lesson: 1. From the third section Build Video, Quizzes, and Labs, move over to the right side of your screen. There should be a column, your Course Timeline, displaying all of your lesson, lab, quiz, and video titles. 2. Select an object to move, either a lesson, lab, video, or quiz. 3. In the bottom right hand corner of that object s rectangle, you ll notice three lines on top of each other.

9 4. Clicking on those lines enables you to relocate that object. Simply click and drag the object to its new position. 5. Let go of the object to lock and save the reorder. Media: Quizzes and Bookshelf Opening the Quiz Editor We want to make building quizzes easy for you and an appropriate fit for your needs. So we ve provided you with three quiz options through our Quiz Editor. You can create three different types of quizzes: 1. Section Quiz Quizzes that appear at the end of every chapter, or every other chapter, or every three; you decide. 2. Assessments Tests that typically appear at the beginning of course as an evaluation of the user s knowledge in the subject before taking the course. 3. Final Exams Longer tests that appear at the end of the course covering all information taught within the course. To build these quizzes, access the Quiz Editor from the Build section and click on the Build Quizzes tab. Next, locate the Open Quiz Editor button. The page will refresh, taking you to the welcome page for the Quiz Editor. Click the Start New Quiz button to begin Creating a New Quiz. Creating a New Quiz Note When you create a quiz, it appears after a lesson and becomes attached to the lesson it follows. So be sure that when you open the Quiz Editor, you ve opened it under the correct lesson. To read more concerning this, go to the Adding Media Files to a Lesson User Guide entry. Part I Selecting a Quiz Type 1. From the Quiz Editor Welcome page, click on the Create New Quiz button.

10 2. The screen will refresh taking you to the Create/Edit Quiz section. 3. Start your quiz creation process by selecting a type of quiz from the drop down menu. Your options are: Section Quiz Quizzes that appear at the end of every chapter, or every other chapter, or every three; you decide. Assessments Tests that typically appear at the beginning of course as an evaluation of the user s knowledge in the subject before taking the course. Final Exams Longer tests that appear at the end of the course covering all information taught within the course. 4. Next provide a name and Description for the quiz. 5. Determine how the quiz will be scored and choose your quiz features. 6. Once everything is set up as you wish, click on the Save and Continue button. Part II Completing the Quiz 7. The new page that you are taken to is where you will Add Questions. In this section there are different question types Multiple Choice, True/False, etc. Note For a description of each question type, change the drop down menu to a different question type and the page will refresh displaying that question type. 8. After selecting a question type, begin typing in your Question, Answer, and Explanation as appropriate. Note Short Answer questions can be specified as case sensitive. 9. Once you ve created one question, you can add an additional question by clicking the Add Another Question button. 10. Once you have added all the questions to the quiz, click Save and Continue.

11 11. After you ve reviewed your quiz and completed the necessary changes, click the Finalize button to continue. 12. Check the agreement box and click the Finalize Quiz button to finish. 13. Back inside the course, the quiz you created should appear on the left hand side after the corresponding lesson. Tip Use the drop down menu to switch the chapter a quiz follows, by selecting the correct chapter title. Adding Another Question to a Quiz Adding questions to a quiz is literally a click away. You still have to add all the information, but the initial start up takes clicking on the Add Another Question button (located towards the bottom of the page). The page will refresh to a blank question template allowing you to begin create a new question. Adding to Your Course Bookshelf Note Add files to your course bookshelf. Many file formats may be uploaded to the course bookshelf including;.pdf,.doc,.docx,.png,.jpg,.jpeg,.mov,.exe,.mp4, &.mp3. The bookshelf is intended for internal supplemental materials such as a course syllabus or audio files. Files uploaded to the course bookshelf will not appear in the course timeline. 1. While working in the third section Build Video, Quizzes, and Labs you can add bookshelf materials. 2. In the left hand Course pane, you will find three tabs: Upload Media, Build Quizzes, and Add to Bookshelf. Click on Add to Bookshelf. 3. Provide a name for the Bookshelf Item, add it to a Bookshelf Category, and then select an Icon. 4. Now to actually add the item, you have two options: Option 1 You can choose to upload a saved file by using the Browse button and clicking Upload. Option 2 You can insert a Web URL. 5. Once you ve added a course Description, select Save and Continue.

12 Tip Remember to uncheck the Publish box to ensure that the lesson is NOT visible to the public. Creating a New Category When you first begin building a course, the only category you have is General. Everything you add to the Bookshelf will be added to the General category. You have the capability to create a new category by clicking the New button to the right of Choose Bookshelf Category. A small pop up window will appear inquiring as to what you would like to title this new category. Enter a name and click Save. The page will refresh and new category will be added to the drop down menu under the Choose Bookshelf Category section. Viewing Your Course Bookshelf While creating your course, at any time, you have the option of viewing your course bookshelf. On the right side of your screen, find your course title. Just below that, you will notice three tabs Progress, Notes, and Bookshelf. Click on the Bookshelf tab to view what you have added to your course bookshelf. Bookshelf items appear in alphabetical and numerical order. Tip If you would prefer that bookshelf items appear in a specific order other than alphabetically, add a number (1:, 2:, 3:) or a letter (A., B., C.) to the title, so that items appear in numerical order. Creating Internal Course Notes Note Don t confuse the internal course notes with course notes. If you d like to add course notes that trainees can access, add them as a.pdf or.doc file under the Course Bookshelf. For more instructions on adding course notes, please read the Adding to Your Course Bookshelf User Guide entry. 1. Add notes at any point by selecting the Notes tab from the right hand column. Note It s located below your course title.

13 2. A notepad will replace your course outline. In the top right hand corner of the pad, locate and click the + new note button. 3. The page will refresh and the notepad will allow you to begin entering information on it. In the upper right hand corner of the note, click the save button to store that note. Tip After creating a note you can edit it under the Notes tab. Finalizing Your Course Publishing Your Course After all the work you put into compiling your course, you finally get the gratification of pressing the Publish button. You can publish your course while inside the course by working through adding all the features, and then at the end, clicking on the Publish button. Or from the very beginning, you can publish by sliding the tab in the upper right hand corner of the course box to the right. Assigning a License 1. Click the Assign License button. 2. The page will refresh and in the empty field blank, you ll be asked to enter a user s address. 3. Once you ve entered his or her address, please click Submit. 4. A pop up window will open asking you if you d like to continue. Click Yes. 5. A confirmatory message should appear. Frequently Asked Questions Q: I can t upload my videos. What do I do? A: To start make sure your videos fit within the following requirements: Video files are either.mp4 or.m4v Files must be 100MB or smaller If your files fall under all these requirements, review the instructions under the Uploading Videos User Guide entry to ensure, there are no steps left undone.

14 Q: I ve completed the process of editing and finalizing my course, but it doesn t appear in my Admin Console. Where is my course? A: One possible issue is that your course isn t published. Though finalized and clicked the publish button. You need to confirm that your course is published to the public, as in public to your Admin Console members. To verify that your course is published: 1. Click on the Make Courses tab in the left hand corner. 2. You will now be on the Make Courses page. 3. Locate the course and read what the status of the course is. Note If the status is Unpublished, your course is not published and therefore, not available for usage within the Admin Console. 4. To change the status of your course, slide the bar in the right hand corner of your course to the right to Publish it, or to the left to Unpublish it. 5. Once the status is changed, the page will refresh to show the updated status. If you are still unable to assign your course, please read more about Assigning Courses in our User Guide under the Admin Console section. Q: I created more than one version of my course. I don t want more than one. How do I delete one of the courses? A: When you re on the My Custom Courses page, if you look under the course image, you ll see two buttons: Edit Course l Delete Course. Click on Delete Course. Q: I'm unable to upload my video files. What is preventing me from uploading my files? A: To start, confirm that your file is under 100MB. In the future before uploading, use this formula Connection speed bit rate (kbps) x file length (seconds) / 8 = file size (KB) to ensure that your files are the right size. Also, as a comparison, align your file sizes with ours. Typically, our file total data rates equate to the following: LearnSmart HD Files Total Data Rate = 1128 Kbps = 1000 Kbps (Video data rate) Kbps (Audio data rate) LearnSmart SD Files Total Data Rate = 264 Kbps = 200 Kbps (Video data rate) + 64 Kbps (Audio data rate)