Managing Course Folders

Use Folders to Organize Course Content into Units, Chapters, Sections, etc.

Add a folder:

1. Select the Editor tool from the desired Course Card on the Home page.
2. Select the location in which to put the folder, then select + Add Activity

3. Select Folder.
4. Complete the sections outlined below.

Activity tab

Use the Activity tab to:

1. Provide the Title.
2. Provide a Thumbnail image to represent the activity by clicking the plus sign next to the thumbnail.
   • Recommended file type: PNG or JPG (Pearson Connexus converts all files into PNGs.)
   • Ideal size: 400px x 400px (Pearson Connexus automatically resizes images, so uploading images smaller than 400px x 400px may reduce quality.)
3. Create Landing page content for the folder using the rich text editor. Students see this content when they open the folder.

Settings tab

Project settings

With Project settings, you can:

1. Enable Student Choice for this folder and specify:
   • The Number of required choice activities.
   • Whether you want to Allow extra choices.
   • Whether you want to Allow choices from any folder in the course.
   • Whether you want to Allow choices from Library.
2. Indicate whether the Folder is a project which allows you to provide the Project start and Project end dates.

Objective mastery

Select Choose Objective to align the folder with one or more objectives.

Visibility and access

With Visibility and access settings, you can choose to:  

1. Make the folder Visible to:
   • Students, teachers and observers: This is the default setting for folders intended for students to complete.
   • Teachers and observers: This setting works well for Lesson Guide materials that observers like parents, mentors, etc. need access to. A map icon appears next to these folders in the Activities pages for teachers and observers.
   • Teachers only: This setting works well for Lesson Guide materials that only teachers need. A map icon appears next to these folders in the teacher Activities page.
2. Check the Hide from student's table of contents and to-do list box. Note that it is still accessible with course links and bookmarks unless otherwise restricted.
3. Check the Block access until student completes other activity box, select Choose Activity, and select the activity or activities that you want to make access dependent on.
4. Check the Block access until student masters objective(s) box, select Choose Objective, and select the objective(s) you want to make access dependent on.
5. Check the Block access until a specified date box and enter the desired date and time.
6. Check the Student must enter a password box and enter the desired Password. Students must enter this password only once to access the folder.

Badges

Select Choose Badge to select one or more badges that you want automatically awarded to students who successfully complete this folder.

Learn more:

• How do I award badges?
• How do I create course badges?

Metadata

Admins can create custom Metadata fields for folders in their domain. This content is only visible to teachers, course authors, etc. and provides further insight into an folder, such as:

• A folder Description for course authors.
• An idea of how this folder fits into the goal of the course or the Big Picture.
• Essential Questions that should be answered by the folder or that students should keep in mind as they complete it.
• Any relevant Vocabulary.
• Associated Resources.

Some of the fields under Metadata ask for content that, if set up by your system admin, can be used to make an activity searchable in the Library. Contact your system admin to find out if there are fields in your domain that can be used this way.

Advanced activity options

Manage Advanced activity options, like:

1. Changing the folder's Location using the dropdown menu.
2. Giving the folder a new Activity ID in the field.

History tab

The History tab records changes made to the folder and allows you to retrieve previous versions:

1. Select the version you want to restore.
2. Preview the content.
3. Select Restore.

Pearson does not itemize changes to all settings, but does track them. Users can access them by selecting the Details link that appears at the bottom of the history table.

Additional Articles

• Build a course
• Activity types
• Activity editors