Desire2Learn 9.0

Publishing Content: Creating Topics

In Desire2Learn, content is organized by modules which contain topics. Topics are components of modules and sub-modules. Topics can be links to course files (e.g., syllabus), web pages on the Internet, or tools in D2L (e.g., discussions) that students access as they complete the course. There are a number of options you can use to publish course content such as PowerPoint presentations, Excel documents, and Word documents.

For information about modules, see Publishing Content: Creating Modules. For information about determining when students can see course content, see Releasing Course Content.

You have six options when creating a topic:

Creating a Topic: Creating a New File
Creating a Topic: Using an Existing Course File
Creating a Topic: Uploading a New File
Creating a Topic: Adding Topics in Bulk
Creating a Topic: Linking to Course Content with Quicklink

Creating a Topic: Creating a New File

You can use Desire2Learn's editor to create an .htm file.

WARNING: This option creates a file that is native to Desire2Learn. It is always a good idea to have a copy of course content files. If this option is used, we recommend saving a copy of the file to a shared drive.

From the Course Home page, click CONTENT
The Manage Content pane appears.
Click NEW TOPIC
The New Topic pane appears.
Click CREATE NEW FILE
The New Topic - Create New File pane appears.
From the Parent Module pull-down menu, select the module this topic will appear under
In the Title text box, type the desired title
OPTIONAL: In the Short Title text box, type an abbreviated title
NOTE: Short Titles, when available, are used in the sidebar of the Content map.
OPTIONAL: In the Content section, in the File Name text box, type a name for the file
NOTE: The filename defaults to the Title indicated in step 5
RECOMMENDED: Remove any spaces in the filename.
To select a location for the new file,
1. Click CHOOSE DESTINATION
  The Select a Path dialog box appears, showing your existing course folders and files.
2. Select the appropriate location for the new file
3. Click SELECT A PATH
  NOTES:
  You are returned to the New Topic pane.
  The location you have selected appears after Folder:
In the HTML Editor, type the topic's content
HINT: You can use tools within the Editor to alter the appearance and functionality of your text.
OPTIONAL: Set release conditions
OPTIONAL: Add any comments
To save this topic, click SAVE
To save this topic and create another new file, click SAVE AND NEW
Verify your link by clicking it within the Content area

Creating a Topic: Using an Existing Course File

Use this option to create a topic by using a file you have already uploaded to your current course. For more information, refer to Managing Course Files.

From the Course Home page, click CONTENT
The Manage Content pane appears.
Click NEW TOPIC
The New Topic pane appears.
Click COURSE FILE
The New Topic - Course File pane appears.
From the Parent Module pull-down menu, select the module this topic will appear under
In the Title text box, type the desired title
OPTIONAL: In the Short Title text box, type an abbreviated title
NOTE: Short Titles, when available, are used in the Content navigation widget.
To select the file,
1. Click BROWSE
  The Select a File dialog box appears.
2. Locate and select the file
3. Click SELECT FILE
  The path and filename appear after Course File:
OPTIONAL: Set release conditions
OPTIONAL: Add any comments
To save this topic, click SAVE
To save this topic and create another of the same type, click SAVE AND NEW
Verify your link by clicking it within the Content area

Creating a Topic: Uploading a New File

Use this option to create a topic by uploading a new file from your computer.

From the Course Home page, click CONTENT
The Manage Content pane appears.
Click NEW TOPIC
The New Topic pane appears.
Click UPLOAD NEW FILE
The New Topic - Upload New File pane appears.
From the Parent Module pull-down menu, select the module this topic will appear under
In the Title text box, type the desired title
OPTIONAL: In the Short Title text box, type an abbreviated title
NOTE: Short Titles, when available, are used in the Content navigation widget.
To select the file that will be uploaded,
1. In the Content section, click BROWSE...
  The Choose file dialog box appears.
2. Using the Look in pull-down menu, locate and select the file
3. Click OPEN
  The path and filename of the file appear in the File to Upload text box.
To select the location of the uploaded file within your other D2L course files,
1. Click CHOOSE DESTINATION
  The Select a Path dialog box appears, showing your existing course folders and files.
2. Select the appropriate location for the new file
3. Click SELECT A PATH
  NOTES:
  You are returned to the New Topic pane.
  The location you have selected appears after Path:
OPTIONAL: Set release conditions
OPTIONAL: Add any comments
To save this topic, click SAVE
To save this topic and create another of the same type, click SAVE AND NEW
Verify your link by clicking it within the Content area

Creating a Topic: Adding Topics in Bulk

Use this option to create a group of topics from previously uploaded files.

Unless the module already exists, create the module these topics will appear under
From the Course Home page, click CONTENT
The Manage Content pane appears.
Click ADD MULTIPLE TOPICS
The Add Multiple Topics pane appears.
In the Properties section, from the Parent Module pull-down menu, select the module these topics will appear under
In the Course Files section, select the files you want to use
NOTE: Items are selected when a checkmark appears.
To assign a title to a selected file, type the desired title in the Topic Title text box
NOTE: If you do not assign a title, the file name will appear instead.
OPTIONAL: In the Topic Short Title text box for each file, type an abbreviated title for the topic
When finished, click ADD
Verify your links by clicking them within the Content area

Creating a Topic: Linking to Course Content with Quicklink

QuickLink allows you to link to a course file, another area within your course, or a website. Creating a topic with QuickLink also allows you to link relevant course material to its appropriate section in the Course Content page. This is beneficial to the student because it eliminates the need to leave the Course Content page for materials pertinent to the chosen section. For example, you can create a link to a quiz directly from the Course Content page, rather than having the student search for the correct quiz from Quizzes on the Navigation bar. For information on how to use QuickLink, refer to Creating Topics with QuickLink.