Organize content in Brightspace courses
Students will be more successful when they can find the materials they need for the course. This includes presentations, videos, articles, discussion topics, assignments, quizzes, notes, and much, much more.
In this article, we will look at how course materials can be organized in Brightspace to help students learn more effectively and meet the course objectives.
Building blocks
Brightspace uses a structure called a module to contain course materials in the Content area. A Brightspace module is similar in concept to a folder on your hard drive. It contains a series of things that all share something in common. On your hard drive, it might be a collection of artifacts for tenure, photos, or travel expense reports. In Brightspace, a module typically holds a set of materials that supports learning for a particular class meeting, a week on the calendar, or a chapter in the etext.
Let's start with a short discussion of the pieces we would use in a typical course. Once we have a feel for these pieces, we will turn to organizing the materials into modules.
Objectives
There are two levels of objectives we must consider: course objectives and module objectives.
Course Objectives
Course objectives are the overarching target of the course. They are measurable statements of intention for what is to be mastered by the student. If we are teaching a course on outdoor recreation, for example, one course objective might well be "Catch a fish from a local lake or river." It explains what is expected and is easily measured. Either the student caught a fish or she didn't.
But being able to catch a fish is more than just standing on the shore and waiting. There are obviously several steps in properly preparing for a day of fishing, and those become the module objectives. More on module objectives in a moment.
In general, there are only a few course objectives for any course and they are listed in the course syllabus.
Module objectives
Going back to our example from above, we can start to think about objectives specific to the module in which we teach the students how to fish. Module-level objectives include smaller steps that help to accomplish the larger course objectives.
Examples of module objectives might include:
- Explain the state laws that govern fishing in your area and the importance of getting a fishing license.
- Demonstrate proper knot-tying techniques.
- Match types of baits and lures to the fish in your area and the water conditions.
Each of these on its own will not catch a fish (the course objective), but together they build the skills and knowledge needed to be successful. Like the course objectives, there should only be a few module objectives for each module.
Checklist
Students like Brightspace checklists. If constructed in a way that lists all of the activities for the module, a checklist is a simple way for the students to achieve a level of guarantee that they have not forgotten anything in the module.
A module-level checklist should include all of the tasks for the module. Read this, do that, take this quiz, ... There is more information on creating and using checklists available at About Checklist (KA #1086) in the Minnesota State Brightspace support site.
Content and resources
These are the learning materials the student uses to collect knowledge. Content can include things like lecture notes, presentations, articles, videos, electronic textbooks, and just about anything else the students can reference to gain knowledge on the subject matter.
Check out Create a new content page in your course for additional information.
Proof of mastery
Students prove mastery of the subject matter through their submissions to assignment folders, contributions to discussion topics, and completion of quizzes and exams. These are the assessable items that teachers use to determine student success.
A note on alignment
Alignment is a term we use to describe the relationship between the building blocks of the course. To put it simply, everything in the course needs to fit together in a way that fulfills the course objectives fully without going beyond the objectives themselves. Every module objective must address a portion of a course objective, Every piece of content must supply knowledge needed to fulfill a module objective. Every assessable submission from the students must show mastery of a piece of content. If the course materials do not fully address the course objectives, content must be added. If there are pieces of the course that are outside of the course objectives, they must be removed.
Collect the pieces
Build what you can
You will likely build many of the course materials yourself, including much of the content and the proof-of-mastery artifacts.
There are many tools out there to support the creation of course content including (but certainly not limited to)
- Microsoft 365 for the creation of Word docs, Powerpoint presentation, and Excel spreadsheets
- Kaltura MediaSpace for capturing and storing video and audio files
- Zoom for capturing meetings and presentations
- Or simply use Brightspace's built in editor to Create a new content page in your course
Proof of mastery can often be accomplished using the tools in Brightspace like discussions, quizzes, and assignments. Success can be documented in the grade book. Or you can use other tools and resources like publisher content to assess mastery. (Some internal resources record directly into the Brightspace grade book and others do not. Ask TLT for help if you re in doubt.)
Find the rest
But there is really no reason to re-invent the wheel either.
Teachers reuse content all the time. There are many great articles all over the internet. YouTube and other video servers offer many quality resources. Libraries and museums have digital works and tours. Book publishers offer ebooks, interactive materials, and quiz content. Any or all of these sources can be utilized to pass knowledge to the students.
One last note: Be careful to not violate copyright law. While there is some latitude around the use of others' works for educational purposes, no one wants a visit from a lawyer.
Organize your course
Deciding how to organize your course
Once you have the materials collected and they all align with the course objectives, it is time to decide on a method of organization.
There are several effective ways to organize the course, but we have found these two to be especially good:
| Organizing by Week | Organizing by Topic/Chapter |
|---|---|
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Pros
Cons
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Pros
Cons
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Layout the modules
At this point, laying out the materials is quite simple. Whatever organization method you choose (weekly, by topic/chapter, or your own choice), the layout of materials should follow these simple guidelines.
Starting with what the student needs to know first, organize your content as follows:
- Module objectives. The first thing your students should know is what is going to be accomplished in the module.
- Checklist. Next, let them know exactly what they need to accomplish for success.
- Materials. Give them the knowledge they need.
- Assessments. Check their mastery of the subject.
The line between 3. and 4. is not always clean cut. Sometimes you will give them all of the materials follow by discussions, assignments, and quizzes. Other times you may mix them together so your content may look more like this: Lecture, discussion, video, assignment, article, quiz, ... Do whatever works well for you, your students, and your course.
More wiki articles
External links
- D2L Brightspace Support from Minnesota State
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