Instructor Account Basics: How to Create and Assign a Course

Courses!

Depending on your disposition, this can either be an exciting topic, or a daunting one (or both!).

So today we’re going to dive into the ETUDES LMS, aka our very own course builder tools, and hopefully demystify and simplify this feature so you can start using it and making the most of it – today.

Step 1: Understand the Structure

Before we start building, let’s quickly break down how courses are structured, and how they can be used.

Courses > Modules > Topics
First, courses are hierarchical in nature. Courses house Modules which house Topics. So a single Course can have multiple Modules, which in turn can have multiple Topics.
Simple vs. Complex
Courses can also be as simple or complex as you’d like them to be. A Course can have as few as zero Modules or Topics (i.e. a single-page course, or simple assignment). Conversely, you can structure your course to the nth degree, if you so choose. Our framework is flexible so you are in control of the outcome.
Linear vs. Free-Form
Each course can be set to allow either a linear progression, or free-form. This means your students will either be required to go through the course one step at a time (aka can’t skip ahead), or will allow them to view content in any order they choose. The structure and requirements are entirely up to you.
Modules & Topics Can Be Reused
Finally, it’s worth noting that both Modules and Topics can be used in multiple different courses, and are not confined to being used by only one course. For example, you may wish to create 2 courses for 2 different students, but you wish to share some of the modules between them. This is made possible with our LMS structure.

Step 2: Create Your Course

For our purposes here, we may interchange the word “Course” with “Assignment”, as courses can be used as a simple assignment tool as well. To create your course, simply follow these steps:

Log in to the Studio area of your account
Hover over “Create New” and click “Course”
Give your course/assignment a title
You can add content, but it isn’t required unless this will be a single-page course/assignment with no Modules

Step 3: Create the Course Structure

In the course editor, click “Builder”
Add any Modules or Topics You Have
Tip: You can create modules and topics right from the builder, then add content to each module later. Use this to set the structure first, then add content as necessary to each module & topic in subsequent steps.
Drag and drop to modify the course structure (as shown above)

Step 4: Add Students

This is where the “rubber meets the road”, as they say. To complete this step, you’ll need to have added some students, or have your students create their own accounts first.

From the course editor, click “Settings”
Select whether students will go through the course in a linear or free-form fashion (as explained above)
Add individual students who you’d like to have access to this course
Tip: You’ll see in the students list every user in our database. To find your students, simply type their name or email in the search box for quick results.

Step 5: Add Student Groups

This step is especially useful if you organize your students by level, class, or other methods. Simply create your student groups, then you can assign courses by groups, rather than having to find each individual and manually assign them one at a time.

To complete this step:

From the course editor, click “Student Groups”
Add relevant student groups from your list

Step 6: Publish & Complete Your Course

Finally, to complete your course and make sure it appears in your student accounts, follow these steps:

From the course editor, click “Publish”
If you have created new Modules or Topics from the course builder, you’ll want to edit them and add any relevant content