Adding Resources

1. Add a book

The book module enables you to create a multi-page resource for learners in a book-like format, with chapters and subchapters. Books, which are not interactive, can contain media files as well as text and are useful for displaying lengthy passages of information which can be broken down into sections.  A book can be printed. A book may be used:

• To display reading material for individual modules of study
• As a handbook (such as a staff department handbook, a course guide for students, etc)
  
• As a showcase portfolio of student work (if the portfolio add-on module is enabled - it allows a teacher to set a structure and students to add portfolio contributions).
  

To add a book

1. In the course space switch editing on.
2. Click on Add an activity or resource under the main course home page or below an existing heading.
3. The ‘add an activity or resource’ screen will appear.
4. Under Resources select ‘Subpage’.
5. Click on the ‘Add’ button
6. The ‘Adding a new Book’ screen will appear.
7. You can decide on chapter formatting and custom titles in 'Appearance'.
   
8. For 'chapter formatting' select the appropriate option from the drop down list:
   None - Chapter and subchapter titles have no formatting
   Numbers - Chapters and subchapter titles are numbered 1, 1.1, 1.2, 2, ...
   Bullets - Subchapters are indented and displayed with bullets in the table of contents
   Indented - Subchapters are indented in the table of contents
9. Style of navigation
   TOC only
   Images - Icons are used for navigation
   Text - Chapter titles are used for navigation
10. Normally the chapter title is displayed in the table of contents (TOC) AND as a heading above the content.  If the custom titles checkbox is ticked, the chapter title is NOT displayed as a heading above the content. A different title (perhaps longer than the chapter title) may be entered as part of the content.
11. Click on 'save and return to course’.
12. Your book will appear on your course page.  To edit the book, click on the title link.
13. You will be prompted to add a new chapter. Give the chapter a title and paste in the content for the chapter.
14. Click on 'save changes'
15. The Table of Contents will now appear at the top of the left menu, showing the first chapter and the first chapter content will appear in the content area.
16. To add another chapter click on the grey cross alongside the chapter.  The 'Add new chapter' form will appear.
17. Complete this form and save changes.  This new chapter will now appear in the Table of contents list.

You can add as many chapters as you need and their content in the same way.  You can reorder the chapters by using the up and down arrows alongside each chapter in the table of contents.

You can edit each chapter by clicking on the cog wheel symbol (edit chapter) beside the chapter in the Table of Contents.

2. Add a file

The file module enables you to provide a file as a course resource for learners. Where possible, the file will be displayed within the course interface; otherwise learners will be prompted to download it. The file may include supporting files, for example an HTML page may have embedded images.

Note that learners need to have the appropriate software on their computers in order to open the file.

A file may be used

• To share presentations given in class
• To include a mini website as a course resource
• To provide draft files of certain software programs so learners can edit and submit them for assessment

To add a file

1. In the course space switch editing on.
2. Click on Add an activity or resource under the main course home page or below an existing heading.
3. The ‘add an activity or resource’ screen will appear.
4. Under Resources select ‘File’.
5. Click on the ‘Add’ button
6. The ‘Adding a new File’ screen will appear.
7. Enter a name for the file.  You could also add a short description in the Description box.  This can be displayed below the file name on the course page if you choose.
8. In the ‘select files’ box click on the add files icon
9. The file picker screen will appear
10. Click on the ‘browse’ button to find the file
11. Update the author information and the licence. Click on ‘upload this file’
12. The file will appear in the ‘adding a new file’ screen
13. In Appearance, decide how the file will be displayed (the default is 'automatic'). The display setting, together with the file type and whether the browser allows embedding, determines how the file is displayed. Options may include:
    Automatic - The best display option for the file type is selected automatically
    Embed - The file is displayed within the page below the navigation bar together with the file description and any blocks
    Force download - The user is prompted to download the file
    Open - Only the file is displayed in the browser window
    In pop-up - The file is displayed in a new browser window without menus or an address bar
    In frame - The file is displayed within a frame below the navigation bar and file description
    New window - The file is displayed in a new browser window with menus and an address bar

    You can choose to display the file size, such as '3.1 MB', beside links to the file.  If there are multiple files in this resource, the total size of all files is displayed.
    You can also show the type of the file, such as 'Word document', beside links to the file.  If there are multiple files in this resource (i.e. if you have uploaded a whole folder of files), the start file type is displayed.  If the file type is not known to the system, it will not display.

14. Click on ‘Save and return to course’
    

15. The file will appear on the course page.

3. Adding Headings and Labels

Heading

A heading enables text and optional icons to be inserted among the activity links on the course page.

1. In the course space switch editing on.
2. Click on Add an activity or resource under the main course home page or below an existing heading.
3. The ‘add an activity or resource’ screen will appear.
4. Under Resources select ‘Heading’.
5. Click on the ‘Add’ button
6. The ‘Adding a new Heading’ screen will appear.
7. Enter a name for the heading and click on Save and return to course.
8. If you need to edit the heading, click on the ‘edit’ button alongside the heading title and click on ‘edit settings’.
   

Label

The label module enables text and multimedia to be inserted into the course page in between links to other resources and activities. Labels are very versatile and can help to improve the appearance of a course if used thoughtfully.  Labels may be used

• To split up a long list of activities with a subheading or an image
• To display an embedded sound file or video directly on the course page
• To add a short description to a course section

Add a label

1. In the course space switch editing on.
2. Click on Add an activity or resource under the main course home page or below an existing heading.
3. The ‘add an activity or resource’ screen will appear.
4. Under Resources select ‘Label’.
5. Click on the ‘Add’ button
6. The ‘Adding a new Label’ screen will appear.
7. Enter some text in the label text box and click on Save and return to course.
8. If you need to edit the label to update the text, click on the ‘edit’ button alongside the label and click on ‘edit settings’.

Add an image in a label

In a label, you can add images to the text when you are editing the text.

1. Place the curser in the position where you want the image to appear.
2. Click on the image icon (in the second row of icons)
3. The image properties box will appear.
4. Click on the ‘browse repositories’ button to find the image on your computer.
5. The file picker screen will appear.
6. Click on the ‘browse’ button to find the image file
7. Find the image
8. Update the author information and the licence.
9. Click on ‘upload this file’
10. The ‘Image properties’ screen will appear
11. This is where you provide a short single sentence description of the image (good practice for people who might use screen reader software), resize the image and decide on the alignment (top, bottom, left, right, middle).
12. Ideally, the image should be no wider than 512 pixels.
13. Click on ‘save image’
14. The image will appear in the label along with any text you have already placed in the label.
15. If you want to update the image, in the edit screen for the label (Updating label) click on the image then click on the image button and the image properties box will re-appear.
16. Click on ‘save and return to course’ when you have finished editing the contents of the label.

Add a video in a label

In a label, you can embed a video in the text when you are editing the text.  The video is not hosted in the course, it needs to be hosted on another platform, such as Youtube.

1. Place the curser in the position where you want the video to appear.
2. Click on the Embed media icon (in the second row of icons)
3. The content properties screen will appear
4. Enter the URL of the video you want to share and describe the video.  You can also adjust the size and alignment of the video.
5. Click on ‘save content’.  The video will appear in the label.
6. If you want to update the video, in the edit screen for the label (Updating label) click on the video then click on the Embed media button and the content properties box will re-appear.
7. Click on ‘save and return to course’ when you have finished editing the contents of the label.  The label will now show all the text, images and videos it contains.

4. Adding pages

The page module enables a course author to create a web page resource using the text editor. A page can display text, images, sound, video, web links and embedded code, such as Google maps.  Advantages of using the page module rather than the file module include the resource being more accessible (for example to users of mobile devices) and easier to update as a page can be edited in the course and doesn't involve having to re-upload a revised file.

For large amounts of content, it is recommended that the book module is used rather than a page.  A page may be used

• To present the terms and conditions of a course or a summary of the course syllabus
• To embed several videos or sound files together with some explanatory text

To add a page

1. In the course space switch editing on.
2. Click on Add an activity or resource under the main course home page or below an existing heading.
3. The ‘add an activity or resource’ screen will appear.
4. Under Resources select ‘Page’.
5. Click on the ‘Add’ button
6. The ‘Adding a new File’ screen will appear.
7. Complete the Name and Page content fields (you can update the page content field at any time, but to create the page you need to put something in this field).
8. You can choose to put a short description in the description box and display this on the course page. Or you can choose not to display this description on the course page by not checking the box.
   
9. Click on Save and return to course and the new page will now appear on the course page.

Links between pages

A page does not have automatic navigational links to the next page or subpage in a list: you would need to manually add links between pages if this is what you need.

You can do this either by setting up a text or button link to the next page or previous page.

To set up a text link to the next page

1. Copy the URL link for the page you want the text link to use. For example I want Page 1 to link to Page 2, so I click on the title link for Page 2 and copy the URL for Page 2 from the browser.
2. Click on the edit page button for Page 1 (the page you want the link text to appear) and scroll down to the content box.
3. In the content box, decide where you want your link to the next page to appear (at the top of bottom of the page, on left or right of the page).
4. Type in the text which describes the link to the next page - a usual convention is to write 'next: [page title]' in other words for a link from page 1 to page 2 the link text would be 'next: page 2'.
5. Highlight the text you have typed in for the next page link
   
6. On the expanded text formatting menu, click on the hyperlink button 
7. The Create link screen will appear
8. Paste in the copied URL for page 2 into the URL box (where it says 'enter a URL') and click on 'Create link'
9. The Page content box will now show that the link to the next page is a hyperlink.
10. Click on Save and return to unit
11. Now if you click on Page 1 you will see the link to the next page

You can do the same steps for inserting links to previous pages.

5. Adding subpages

A subpage is a smaller version of the main course page. You can use subpages to create sections and add activities to group activities together.

PLEASE NOTE: since Moodle 3.3 upgrade in June 2018, some elements of the subpage function were broken which means that additional topic headings are created when a subpage is set up, and these cannot be easily hidden from the course navigation menu. We are working to fix this problem, in the meantime we suggest you use the subpage function with caution.

Add a subpage

1. In the course space switch editing on.
2. Click on Add an activity or resource under the main course home page or below an existing heading.
   
3. The ‘add an activity or resource’ screen will appear.
4. Under Resources select ‘Subpage’.

5. Click on the ‘Add’ button

6. The ‘Adding a new Subpage’ screen will appear.

7. Give the subpage a name and you can add a short description.
8. Then click on Save and display.
9. The empty subpage will appear

Unlike a page, you can add activities and resources to the subpage and can rearrange their order. You can also move other activities and resources from elsewhere in the course to the subpage.

A subpage does not come with navigation links between pages or subpages, you would need to put these in manually if you need them. See the instructions for adding links between pages if you need them.

6. Add a URL

The URL module enables a course author to provide a web link as a course resource. Anything that is freely available online, such as documents or images, can be linked to; the URL doesn't have to be the home page of a website. The URL of a particular web page may be copied and pasted or an author can use the file picker and choose a link from a repository such as Flickr, YouTube or Wikimedia (depending upon which repositories are enabled for the site).

There are a number of display options for the URL, such as embedded or opening in a new window and advanced options for passing information, such as a student's name, to the URL if required.

Note that URLs can also be added to any other resource or activity type through the text editor.

To add a URL

1. In the course space switch editing on.

2. Click on Add an activity or resource under the main course home page or below an existing heading.

3. The ‘add an activity or resource’ screen will appear.

4. Under Resources select ‘URL’.

5. Click on the ‘Add’ button

6. The ‘Adding a new URL’ screen will appear.

7. Enter a name for the URL and a short description into the relevant boxes, then paste the URL in the external URL box.

8. Appearance - you need to click on the arrow beside 'Appearance' to display further options for how the link is displayed.
   The display dropdown box has three options you can use - Automatic, Embed or Open (there is also an option for a pop-up which you must not use because it is generally considered user-hostile).
   Generally you would choose Open for a normal link.
   Automatic - An intermediate page displays. Users can click through to the actual link.
   Embed - The linked site will appear in a tiny scrolling area within the page.This means that the learner won't be navigating away from your course and will also be able to see the content of the other website.
   Open - The link opens directly in the user's browser in the same window which means that unless the learner uses the back button they will be navigating away from your course. (An intermediate page may display in some cases).It is therefore a good idea to put some help text near the URL link suggesting that the learner holds the Ctrl key while clicking on the link which will open the link in a new tab.
   In pop-up - The link pops up in a new browser window. In general, pop-up windows are considered user-hostile because they don't always work well with Accessiblity software used by people with special needs. It is only appropriate to use a pop-up window if the page you are linking to is specially designed to be used as a pop-up tool and has no navigation of its own except a 'close this window' button.
   Select the appropriate option.
9. Click on 'save and display' and you will see your URL in its own page. 
   

Please note, if you want to embed a video in the course, it is better to do it in a label or page rather than a direct URL link, as the embed function doesn’t display properly in OpenLearn Create with a direct URL link.