D2L Course Template

The template includes 15 modules, each representing a week. All the weekly modules include a quiz, a collaborative activity, and an individual assessment. This setup provides opportunities for students to interact with their classmates and to complete low-stakes assessments that help you and them monitor progress. In the module for week 6 you will also find an anonymous survey for students to provide feedback on the course. The survey has four questions, which you may edit.

In addition to the 15 weekly modules, there are four modules providing resources and areas for students to communicate. The following is a list of the four additional modules:

1. Start Here Module: Includes the syllabus, schedule of assignments, and other resources for students to help them be successful in the course.
2. Q&A Module: A space for students to ask public questions or to discuss something relevant to the course, but that does not fit within the course framework. Students may also share resources they find that are relevant to the class.
3. Preparation Activities Module: Includes activities for students to start getting to know each other and to prepare for the course. For example, this module may include activities requiring students to set up accounts, obtain and download software, practice using any required software, etc.
4. Respondus Monitor Preparation Module: Walks students through the steps to set up Respondus Monitor on their computer to be able to take proctored quizzes or exams. If you’re not using proctoring in your course, you should delete this module.

You will see one module titled “Library Resources Guide” and is hidden from students. This module contains a collection of links for you, the instructor, to use. You may choose to share some of these resources with your students. To share with students, click and drag into the Start Here Module the link you wish to share.

The bolded Note for Instructors text in the modules designates text you will remove or edit to personalize your course site. Often these spaces have guiding ideas or statements as well as links to resources to help you create or build out that portion of the course. Click on the text to start editing and click “update” at the bottom of the window to save your edits. Be sure to remove the instructions when you have completed the section. 

In some cases, you will see text that is not bolded. For example, all the resources in the Start Here module, except the syllabus and the schedule of assignments, contain descriptions to help students navigate the content. These descriptions do not need to be edited.

You should also edit all the module and activities’ titles with descriptive names. For example, 1.1. Collaborative Activity in Module 1 may become 1.1 Social Media in History.

You may delete content from modules, depending on how you organize your course. If your course is shorter than 15 weeks, you should also delete any extra modules. If you are not using proctored online exams or quizzes, you should delete the Respondus Monitor Preparation Module.

Yes! If you wish to preview the course template, please contact us via our Learning Technologies Portal and request to be added to the template.

To import this template into your empty D2L course sites, download the zipped file package and import/upload it into your course (instructions provided below).

DOWNLOAD D2L COURSE TEMPLATE

Instructions for importing the course template into D2L

1. Download and save the zip file to a folder or desktop. (Do not unzip the file.)
2. Navigate to D2L and select Edit Course from the main navigation bar.
3. Select Import / Export / Copy Components.
4. Scroll down the page and select Import Components.
5. Click Start.
6. Upload or drag and drop the zip file.
7. Click Import All Components.

Since gradebooks are very specific to your course, we have not included it in the template. However, we highly encourage you to build a gradebook in D2L once you have completed all the modules. Utilizing the gradebook will help students track their own progress in the course and allow them to refer back to your feedback all in one place. It will also make grading easier for you, as you can link the activities to the gradebook so that grades auto-populate.

• Using D2L Gradebook Tool
  This guide covers: (1) Setting up your Gradebook using the Setup Wizard; (2) Creating grade categories; (3) Creating grade items; (4) Entering grades; (5) Deleting categories and grade items and (6) Calculating final grades.

Links to D2L Gradebook Video Tutorials:

• Understanding the Grades Tool - Instructor
• Points Based Gradebook: Creating Categories
• Points-Based and Weighted Gradebooks: Creating Grade Items