How to create a course module
This how-to will walk you through the process of creating a course module in T4, from creating the module to adding it to a course.
Introduction
Adding a course module to T4 is a relatively straightforward process. However, there are some important points to be aware of before completing this process.
Firstly - there are limits to what we can migrate from a course module. Modules change frequently, and if we do not keep up those changes we risk breaching CMA, which is very serious. To keep exposure to this at a minimum we only migrate a certain amount of information from our course modules. This information is:
Title
Credits
Code
Description
Assessment method
Date of Approval
Note that we DO NOT migrate the learning outcomes or any detailed assessment information as these are subject to frequent change.
Secondly - all course module information must have completed the University QA verification process. While colleges can supply their own module documentation, there must be some proof that it has been through QA process. If they have not supplied such proof, you must politely challenge this. This is an absolutely hard rule with no exceptions. As a department, we are not allowed to put modules on T4 that have not completed QA.
Required Resources
Required Resources:
T4 contributor access.
Access to the Modules section in T4
If you are a QA you will also require:
Moderator access
Access to the Modules section in T4
Create a new module content type in the appropriate section.
Modules are all listed under "Site assets → Content → Course Modules" with a folder structure that matches the structure on SharePoint.
Within the Course Modules folder, you will find several sections, each one matching a college or department (currently these use the old College names, but this should still be easy enough to work with. Within each College/Department sections are sections marked 'Level 4 Modules', 'Level 5 Modules', etc. Within these sections, the modules are contained. Each module is a single Course Module content type.
Once you have found the correct section for your module, create a new Course Module content-type:
The following fields should be filled out:
Name
The Name field is the name of the piece of content. The naming convention for the Course Module is [Course Code] - [Course Name] it is important to follow this convention to make it easier to match modules to courses later in the process. e.g. '3PE503 - Technical English'
Title
The Title is the title of the module as it will appear in the course. This should be as it is listed on the module's documentation.
Code
The Code is the module reference number which should be in the format 4AB123 this should be entered with no spaces or any other punctuation. e.g. '3PE503'
Note
Note that UDOL module codes should all be suffixed with '-onl' (for 'online'). This is to avoid clashes where modules may have the same code, but different descriptions for their UDOL counterpart e.g. '3PE503-onl'
Credits
The Credits field is very simple and should contain the credit value of the module written as a number, e.g. '20'
Date of Approval
The Date of Approval field is to indicate which version of the module is currently on the website, and must be entered in the format Mmm-YY, e.g. 'Jan-20' Note that this field is not mandatory and is used for our own organisational and reference purposes
Introduction and Details
The Introduction and Details fields should be considered together, as both contain parts of the module's 'Introduction' text. When a module is displayed on a website, the first part that a user will always see is the Introduction field, this is the part that is shown before the "More Information" button:
When a user clicks the "More Information" button, this expands the text. This expanded text is contained in the Details field.
The Introduction field must only contain a single paragraph. Any whitespace like paragraph returns and line breaks are removed before the field is output, so please do not use them. We recommend that a maximum of 400-500 characters are used in this field. If your text is longer than that, then please split it across the Introduction and Details fields. Also, the introduction field cannot contain any kind of formatting or other special characters. Please do not use them as they will be removed and create an unpredictable result. As before, any sections within the module description that contain formatting should be placed in the Details field. For example, taking the following module description:
'This module will introduce students to the concepts of cost and management accounting. Management Accountants require a good understanding in management accounting concepts and techniques in order to provide managers with useful information. This information requires a clear presentation and to be communicated in an appropriate manner.
The primary areas of study will be cost accounting systems, budgeting and standard costing systems. Awareness should be shown of the specific requirements of different industries. This module is over one semester and consists of lectures, seminars, Computer-Based Assessments and a portfolio of formative and summative assessments and a final written assessment.'
The Introduction field would contain:
'This module will introduce students to the concepts of cost and management accounting. Management Accountants require a good understanding in management accounting concepts and techniques in order to provide managers with useful information. This information requires a clear presentation and to be communicated in an appropriate manner.'
and the Details field would contain:
'The primary areas of study will be cost accounting systems, budgeting and standard costing systems. Awareness should be shown of the specific requirements of different industries. This module is over one semester and consists of lectures, seminars, Computer-Based Assessments and a portfolio of formative and summative assessments and a final written assessment.'
It is very important not to materially alter the content of the module introduction beyond correcting errors and splitting across fields. Doing so could represent a breach of CMA
Assessment Methods
Finally, you should select from the dropdown list of assessment methods. This is displayed on the website next to the Core/Optional status of the module and credits.
Completing the module
Once you have completed the module, click the down arrow next to the "Save changes" button and choose "Save and approve".
Dos and Donts
When filling in the module there are several important rules to follow:
Please DO correct any grammatical or spelling errors that you may find. I would recommend that you download Grammarly for Chrome which can make the process easier.
If the module description is too long to fit in the introduction, DO split the description at a logical place. Put the rest of the description in the "Details" section.
DO NOT alter the text of the module, beyond correcting spelling. We are legally bound to adhere to the content of these modules. Altering the content may cause us to be in breach of these rules.
DO reformat the module to be consistent:
Module titles are Title cased (Art and Design)
Where there is a list in Module learning outcomes it should be a numbered list.
All other lists are bulleted
Bullet lists and numbered lists do not end with punctuation