Adding an Activity

Owned by Luc Richard
Last updated: May 30, 2024
14 min read

A course is essentially an empty shell meant to contain learning activities and resources. Once a course has been created, you need to add activities and resources as a second step.

Step-by-step Guide

To add activities and resources:

  1. Go to the course in question

  2. Turn editing on (if it is not turned on already)

  3. Click on the "Add an activity or resource" hyperlink 

  4. Select the activity or resource you would like to add

  5. Click on the Add button

Each activity and resource is different and therefore, requires different parameters when adding it. The following activities are available in the learning environment out of the box.

If your organization typically works with Microsoft PowerPoint and do not have a SCORM authoring tool, we recommend that you read our Working with Microsoft PowerPoint Files article for tips.

Activity Types

The following activities are available by default in the learning environment. If this is your first time adding an activity, we suggest you practice using the Text and Media Area, File and/or Page activities are these are some of the easiest activities to add.

The assignment activity module enables a teacher to communicate tasks, collect work and provide grades and feedback.

Students can submit any digital content (files), such as word-processed documents, spreadsheets, images, or audio and video clips. Alternatively, or in addition, the assignment may require students to type text directly into the text editor. An assignment can also be used to remind students of 'real-world' assignments they need to complete offline, such as art work, and thus not require any digital content. Students can submit work individually or as a member of a group.

When reviewing assignments, teachers can leave feedback comments and upload files, such as marked-up student submissions, documents with comments or spoken audio feedback. Assignments can be graded using a numerical or custom scale or an advanced grading method such as a rubric. Final grades are recorded in the gradebook.

BigBlueButton lets you create from within the learning environment links to real-time on-line classrooms using BigBlueButton, an open source web conferencing system for distance education. Using BigBlueButton you can specify for the title, description, calendar entry (which gives a date range for joining the session), groups, and details about the recording of the on-line session.

Special Note:  The minimum browser requirements to use the BigBlueButton activity are different than the learning environment's minimum requirements.  Notably, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge are not supported.  Click here for detailed BigBlueButton minimum requirements.

The book module enables a teacher to create a multi-page resource in a book-like format, with chapters and subchapters. Books 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 may be used

  • To display reading material for individual modules of study

  • As a staff departmental handbook

  • As a showcase portfolio of student work

The chat activity module enables participants to have text-based, real-time synchronous discussions.

The chat may be a one-time activity or it may be repeated at the same time each day or each week. Chat sessions are saved and can be made available for everyone to view or restricted to users with the capability to view chat session logs.

Chats are especially useful when the group chatting is not able to meet face-to-face, such as

  • Regular meetings of students participating in online courses to enable them to share experiences with others in the same course but in a different location

  • A student temporarily unable to attend in person chatting with their teacher to catch up with work

  • Students out on work experience getting together to discuss their experiences with each other and their teacher

  • Younger children using chat at home in the evenings as a controlled (monitored) introduction to the world of social networking

  • A question and answer session with an invited speaker in a different location

  • Sessions to help students prepare for tests where the teacher, or other students, would pose sample questions

The checklist module allows a teacher to create a checklist / todo list / task list for their students to work through.

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