Course Builder

Course Builder enables instructors to build a course outline, create and edit course materials and assignments, manage grades and learning objectives, all from one central location using a drag-and-drop interface. Instructors have much more freedom to experiment with their course content structure from Course Builder as opposed to using the Content area.

Where is Course Builder?

To reach Course Builder, navigate to Course Tools → Course Admin from the navbar.

Course Admin highlighted in Course Tools drop-down menu

Clicking Course Tools will open the drop-down menu

Course Builder can be found within Course Admin.

Course Builder highlighted in Course Admin

Course Builder can be found under Site Resources

Course Builder Interface

Upon visiting Course Builder, instructors encounter a screen similar to this:

In this case, the course is called Stuart Explorer

If there was already content created in the Content area, the Course Builder would reflect that:

The modules can be opened and closed using the “+”,”-” boxes in their top right corner

There is a welcome page with some helpful tools and tips. If it doesn’t appear upon entering Course Builder, it can be accessed by clicking Welcome Page in the drop-down menu next to the course name.

Drop-down arrow and Welcome Page link highlighted

Tool and Function Walk-through

One of the most confusing aspects of the Course Builder in relation to other areas of Brightspace is its use of outdated terminology. Some examples of Course Builder terminology and its Content area-equivalents are listed below.

Draft = Hidden
Published = Visible
Module = Can be referring to a Unit, Lesson, or Folder based on where it falls in the course hierarchy. A module is simply a placeholder for one of the three

Course Builder takes advantage of a drag-and-drop interface. Instructors can build a course structure quicker than if they were using the Content area.

Build Outline

The Build Outline contains drag-and-drop tools to build the course. It is found on the left-hand side of the Course Builder area.

All of the tools in the Build Outline are placeholders

Create a Module - Used as a placeholder for Units, Lessons, and Folders. Once dragged and dropped into the course structure, instructors are prompted to provide a name. They are also given the option to provide notes on the module (what it is used for, what will be stored within it, etc.), as well as set Availability Dates.

There is no way to edit the description for the module in the Course Builder, this will have to be done after the fact in the Content area.

Module icon

Link Placeholder - Can be inserted within a module to reserve a spot for various online resources.

Link icon

File Placeholder - Can be inserted within a module to reserve a spot for files used in the course, such as PDFs, presentations, overviews, syllabi, etc.

File icon

Activity Placeholders - Used to reserve spots for links to various Brightspace activities (discussions, assignments, quizzes). Instructors will be able to choose a name for the activity as well as outline any notes they have for themselves on that particular resource.

Discussion icon

Assignment icon

Quiz icon

Add Content

The Add Content area contains content icons that can be dragged into the previous placeholders. These tools allow for the content to be developed in the Course Builder. The Add Content menu is found on the left-hand side of the Course Builder below Build Outline.

Upon clicking or dragging the tools into a placeholder, instructors will be prompted to create the content item

Instructors will be prompted to create and enter the various information for each item upon clicking them or dragging them into their location on the course structure. In this way, instructors are essentially able to construct their entire course from the Course Builder area.

Browse Tools

Browse Tools gives instructors the ability to navigate to various areas of Brightspace without having to leave the Course Builder. They can make important changes to assignments, quizzes, grade items, and more.

While handy, the menus in Browse Tools are not as intuitive as visiting the actual tools themselves.

Clicking the various links will open a sub-menu

Editor Window

When clicking on a module, placeholder, or content item, an editor window pops up on the right-hand side of the Course Builder area. From there, instructors are able to edit the various items, as well as record notes for themselves on the function and purpose of said items.

The Test Module is selected, so its editor window popped up on the right.

Depending on the content item selected, instructors may also be prompted to upload files, edit notes, or edit the actual content item.

Sometimes the editor window disappears and becomes inaccessible upon clicking a content item, clicking the main course module and then clicking back on the content item. To bring back the Editor Window, refresh the page.

Changing Units, Lessons, and Folders

Course Builder does have an important advantage over the Content area in Brightspace. In the Course Builder, instructors can change Units, Lessons, and Folders from one into the other simply by dragging them into different positions on the hierarchy in a slightly more efficient manner. This is particularly useful if you are rearranging in bulk quantities, as it provides a better view of all of your content at once. Changing folder types in the Content area is not possible at this time.

So, if an instructor were to run into a situation where they wanted a folder of materials to become a lesson, they could pop into the Course Builder and drag-and-drop the folder into it’s new place in the course structure.