Tech
Talk
Tuesday
What Are Course Templates?
Course templates are files made available by Design &
Development Services (DDS) to help faculty develop
and post online course materials. DDS offers two types
of online course templates:
Course Templates
3. Click on the Import / Export / Copy Components
button.
4. Select the Import Components button (it’s the
third option down) and click the Browse button.
1. Basic, plain-text
5. Find the .zip file on your computer, click on it, and
click Open.
2. Advanced, HTML templates
6. Click the blue Start button.
Both types of templates are optimized for use in
Springboard and provide faculty with sample pages
and placeholder text for easy course development.
7. On the next screen, click Continue.
8. Under where it says “Select Components to Import” check the Select All Components checkbox.
9. Click Continue, then click Continue again.
Why Would You Use Them?
◆◆ Speed-up course development through use of sample
pages and placeholder text.
◆◆ Help meet QM standards through the use of sample
pages and placeholder text.
◆◆ Ensure visual consistency across pages.
◆◆ Custom layouts with the advanced templates support
a variety of media and provide visual interest.
◆◆ Icons in the advanced templates improve student
wayfinding.
◆◆ Differentiate courses by applying custom colors and
logos with the advanced templates.
How Do You Get Started?
Visit the DDS template web site and download the template that is of interest to you. Choose one of the two
.zip files listed, and save it to your computer.
◆◆ http://www.uakron.edu/it/instructional_services/dds/
springboard/templates.dot
Once you have the .zip file:
1. Open a web browser and log into your Springboard
course where you would like to utilize the templates.
2. Once in the course, click on the Edit Course button in the top right hand corner of your screen.
Instructional Services | 9.10.2013
10. The screen will say Importing Course Material,
then the Continue button will light up, click Continue.
11. To see the content that was just imported, go to the
content tab by clicking the View Content button.
How Do They Work?
Once you have the template imported, you can view
and edit any of the pages under the Content tab. You
will see two different modules: Course Orientation and
a Sample “Standard or Advanced” Module. The Course
Orientation is intended to provide the student with a
basic course overview and easy access to University
resources. Read through each page and replace the text
with what you want to say. Text that appears in red
should be deleted or modified, as this is calling attention to something you should look at as an instructor.
If you need to create additional modules based on a
template, follow these steps:
1. Make sure you are on the Content tab.
2. On the left hand side of your screen, locate the
Table of Contents, and at the bottom of that list,
click Add a Module.
3. Name the module something that makes sense for
your course navigation. For example, you could
name the module Week 1, Module 1, Chapter 1,
Tech Talk Tuesday | Course Templates
Unit 1, etc… Just make sure to follow the same
structure that is presented in your course syllabus.
After you have typed a name for the module, press
Enter on your keyboard to save the name.
4. Once you have created the module, you should
now be in it. On your screen, there will be three
buttons that say New, Add Activities, and More
Actions. Click New.
8. Once you find a template you like, simply edit the
text on the page by clicking where there is existing
text. When you’re done editing, click Publish.
If you need to make additional changes, just click back
onto that page you just created and choose the Edit
button at the bottom of the screen.
5. Click New Document from the dropdown menu
provided.
How Can You Get Help?
6. At the top of the next screen, you will see a place to
Title the page you are about to create. Enter a Title.
Design & Development Services can provide technical
support and general tutorial support.
7. Next, click on the button that says, “Select a Document Template”. From this dropdown menu, select
a template you will want to use and modify. You
can click on different templates to see what they
look like.
◆◆ Contact Wendy Lampner ([email protected],
x2149)
Examples
Basic Templates
Tech Talk Tuesday | Course Templates
Advanced Templates
Instructional Services | 9.10.2013