How to use the course template
This guide describes how to work with the University approved template to build your course that gives students an inclusive, consistent and predicable experience (as part of our commitment to evidence informed inclusive teaching and learning practice). It provides a minimum baseline for organising and presenting course content.
The template is designed to be used by all standard modules and work with the new dynamic content structure of Ultra courses. The ‘Course Content’ section has a uniform layout, pre-populated with essential ‘core’ menu items and placeholders to indicate where to put specific resources. The guide explains how to use and edit the placeholders.
Your School / Department may have a template that includes additional agreed items specific to your area. Check with your Director of Teaching & Learning (DTL) about how to use these.
Watch a short overview of the course template (7 minutes video, University login required).
Principles
- Keep the top level menu items in the same order in ‘Course Content’and do not rename them (except where indicated).
- Organise all content inside the appropriate top level menu items and do not add further items at this top level (except where indicated).
- Pre-built folders and content placeholders (inside the top level menu items) indicate where essential resources should be provided as a minimum. Avoid re-ordering these.
- Organise additional resources inside the existing structure of menu items and folders, where possible.
- Avoid duplicating information where this already exists in items you add, for example, in the Module Handbook. Signpost to it instead.
- Items indicated as optional or only required in some circumstances can remain hidden from students or in some cases deleted.
- The template includes pre-linked library/study support guides or centrally provisioned University information. Keep these visible to students, unless they are not applicable.
- Square brackets in the title of an item indicates where text should be edited or replaced.
- Consult with your Programme Director or S/DTL if you want to deviate from the template.
- Coordinate with University of Reading Malaysia and Partnership colleagues.
- Liaise with your Programme Administrator, especially around assessment details.
Top Tips
- Use the course planner to help you plan where to place content & online activities before you start building your course.
- Create accessible content. Use the Ally accessibility checker and choose meaningful titles.
- Preview the course as a student to see what your content looks like to them.
To edit template content
Click the ‘More options’ button (three dots) to the right of a content item to edit it.
The following describes what to do in each section of the course layout. Following this information allows you to fulfil the set-up requirements of the template.
It is possible to add an image to a Learning Module to customise the Module Information, Assessment, Learning Materials and Module Evaluation icons . This is not a required element of the course template but you may wish to do this to increase the visual appeal of the Course Content page. You do not need to seek approval but are encouraged to take a programme level approach to their use.
Course staff
| Menu item | Instructions | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Course Staff | Make key staff delivering the module ‘Primary Instructors’ | Primary Instructors will appear first in the ‘Course Staff’ list. |
Details & Actions
| Menu item | Instructions | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Course image | Add a course image banner. | You can find your own image or insert a stock image directly from UnSplash, an extensive royalty-free image library. |
| Class Collaborate | Disable the Class Collaborate ‘Course Room’ if it’s not used to deliver live online sessions. | The course room is listed in the menu by default and automatically open. Disabling it will prevent any confusion for students. You can still set up scheduled sessions using Collaborate when the ‘Course Room’ is disabled. This is the preferred set-up method. How students view and access Collaborate sessions is different in Ultra courses. |
Using Live Online Sessions
- Class Collaborate is available to use for the academic year 2024/25 but will not be available after August 2025. Microsoft Teams Meetings is replacing it.
- MS Teams Meeting is integrated into Ultra Courses and is the recommended tool for live online sessions (webinars) with students. Enable MS Teams Meetings for your course.
Course Content
Module Information
This learning module is the starting point for students. Use this area to provide an overview and key details about the module, the structure, how it’s being taught and who is teaching it. Customise the following items:
| Menu item | Instructions | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching Team (Document) | Edit the Document and add the contact details of the Module Convenor and main teaching staff. | Create a separate entry for each person. Copy and paste the default text to reuse it for each entry. Adding a photo is optional. |
| Module Roadmap (File) | Edit and replace the file with the Module Roadmap. | A Handbook or Schedule can be used in place of a Roadmap. |
| Module Handbook/Schedule (File) | Edit and replace the file with the Handbook/Schedule Only required if your programme uses one. Hide or delete if not applicable. | Use the Description field to signpost what information it contains. |
| Module Description (File) | Edit the Link URL to go to the specific module description. Add the module code to the title. | Click the existing link to open the Module Descriptions website, find your module description and copy the URL. For courses made up of more than one module, add a new Link for each module description. |
Assessment
This learning module is an integrated area for all summative assessment (coursework assignments and exams).
A separate folder is required for each individual summative assessment containing all the relevant information and corresponding online submission point/s. Folders for formative assessment can be included, where appropriate.
Module convenors coordinate with the Programme Administrator about the layout of content in this area.
Items for coursework assignments
| Menu item | Instructions | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Study Advice & Library – Assessment Guides (Folder) | Keep this folder visible. Make guides inside it visible, as required. | This folder contains pre-linked support guides. Add links to other support guides, if required. |
| Important Assignment Information (Folder) | Keep this folder visible. Only hide items inside it if they are not applicable. | This folder contains centrally authored standard University statements. Add any further general assignment information, if required. |
| Assignment – [title] (Folder) | Edit the folder and add the asssignment title. Create a folder for each summative assignment. Keep Assignment folders visible. | Always name the folder with the prefix ‘Assignment – ’. Add all relevant materials and online submissions points for the assignment inside the folder. Use conditional release to control the visibility of time-sensitive content and/or submission points within the folder, if required. The Programme Administrator creates the online submission point for summative assignments. For formative assignments add ‘Formative’ to the description field of the folder. |
| Assignment > Assignment Brief (File) | Edit and replace the file with the Assignment Brief, if your School/Department uses one. Hide or delete if not applicable. | Always name the item with the prefix ‘Assignment Brief’. Keep the Assignment Brief as the first item in the Assignment folder. |
Items for modules with exams
Schools or Departments that do not run examinations can delete these folders. If your module might use exams in the future years, keep these items hidden.
| Menu item | Instructions | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Important Exam Information (Folder) | If your module has exams, make this folder visible and do not delete. | This folder contains essential details for students taking an exams. |
| Important Exam Information > University exam guidance (Link) | Keep this item visible. | |
| Important Exam Information > [School / module] specific exam information (Document) | Edit the Document to add School, programme or module specific exam details. Only make this visible if it is applicable. | Use the Description field to signpost what information it contains. |
| Important Exam Information > Online Exam – Instructions and support (Content Collection page) | Keep this item visible. | This is a centrally authored item containing essential information about how to take an online exam. |
| Online Exam – [title] (Folder) | Edit the folder and add the exam title if there is an online exam. Create a folder for each exam. Keep this folder hidden until the exam time. | Always name the folder with the prefix ‘Online Exam – ’. The Programme Administrator manages this folder, sets conditional release settings, adds the exam paper and creates the online submission points. |
| In-person Exam – [title] (Folder) | Edit the folder and add the exam title if there is an in-person exam. Create a folder for each exam. Make visible when ready. | Add any relevant materials student need to know in before for the exam, for example, preparation tips, an exam briefing or marking criteria. |
| Past Exam Papers (Folder) | Make visible if you want to make past papers available. | Add any relevant resources and instructions in this folder |
| Past Exam Paper > Past exam paper archive (Link) | Make this visible if you want students to search the ‘Examinations Office – Past Papers Archive‘. | Add Links to specific exam papers instead, if preferred. |
| Exam Feedback (Document) | Edit the Document and add generic feedback. Only make this visible after the corresponding exam marks are released to students. | Required for generic feedback on written exams. (Refer to Assessment Handbook – Section 12: Providing feedback to students on their work, 5. Generic feedback on written examinations.) Programme Administrators manage this item, add the completed proforma and, where necessary, the corresponding question paper to this Document. |
Learning Materials
Use this learning module to structure learning resources and activities in a chronological sequence. Refer to the Digitally Enabled Learning guide for design ideas.
| Menu Item | Instructions | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Week folders 1 to 12 (Folder) | Edit the week folder and add a short descriptive title. Make the week folder visible to students well in advance. | There are pre-built folders for Week 1 to 12 (for a Semester). Use the Description field to signpost what each week folder contains. Always name the folder with the prefix ‘Week number– ’. Add resources and activities sequentially by week and per Semester. Inside a week folder, add and organise your content and use tools to create activities. Provide key learning resources at least 48 hours in advance of a taught session. |
Longer modules and non-weekly delivery
- Modules longer than one Semester: Create a separate Learning Materials menu item for each Semester. Edit the titles, for example ‘Learning Materials – Semester 1’ and ‘Learning Materials – Semester 2’.
- Modules with Non-weekly teaching delivery: Use an alternative sequential folder structure, for example, by Block or Session.
Creating topic folders
Ask your Programme Director or DTL before creating topic folders to ensure a consistent approach across modules.
- A topic based folder can be added in specific instances, in addition to the Week folders, where agreed with the DTL.
- A topic folder should only be added as an exception for resources used throughout the module.
- Locate a topic folder above the Week folders.
Online Reading List
| Menu Item | Instructions | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Online Reading List (Content Market tool) | This automatically links to the module’s Talis online reading list. Click the link to check this. Keep this item visible where an Online Reading List is used. | See the Library’s Online Reading list guide to see how to link multiple reading lists or to a section of a list. Contact your Academic Library Liaison if you have any questions. University of Reading Malaysia (UoRM) and BIT China courses have a Reading List Folder. Talis is not used for programmes delivered outside of the UK due to licencing restrictions. |
Library – Explore key resources in your subject
| Menu Item | Instructions | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Library – Explore key resources in your subject (Link) | Keep this item visible, unless it is not appropriate. | This is a link to the library’s subject resource index and Academic Library Liaison contact details. |
Videos (YuJa channel)
| Menu Item | Instructions | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Videos (YuJa channel) (Link) | Keep this item visible. All staff who make classroom recordings for the module, must click on the Videos (YuJa channel) link before publishing for the first time. This will set up the integration between your instructor’s account, the module, and the YuJa channel. It ensures that the module appears on the list of YuJa channels you can publish video content to. | This is a link to the module’s YuJa channel. It is where students access your classroom capture recordings. See the Make Videos Available with YuJa, for instructions on publishing to a module channel. |
Microsoft Teams Meetings
| Menu Item | Instructions | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams Meeting Schedule (Institutional tool) | Add ‘Microsoft Teams Meetings’ to the Course Content if you want to use this tool to deliver live online sessions for the module. Locate the ‘Microsoft Teams Meetings’ item below ‘Videos (YuJa channel)’. | This item is not part of the template by default and needs to be added if you want to use it. Enable the MS Teams Meetings link in the course and schedule meetings for the course using this integrated tool. |
Module Evaluation
This learning module signposts students to the formal end-of-module evaluation and can also include any other informal module feedback.
| Menu Item | Instructions | Details |
|---|---|---|
| How to complete the end-of-module evaluation (Content Collection page) | Keep this item visible. | Centrally provided page explaining the module evaluation process, including a link to the Student Module Evaluation Portal. |
| Mid-Module Evaluation (Document) | Edit the Document if you run an informal mid-module evaluation. Add details about where and when this happens. Make this visible, if applicable. | As well as describing any informal mid-modul evaluation activity that takes place, where appropriate, use the Document to feed-forward the general themes and any future actions or responses regarding the feedback received. |
Guide last updated on October 23, 2024
