5.1. Creating a Course

This topic describes how to use Studio to create and set up a course.

Another way to create a course is for a system administrator to re-run an existing course. For more information, see Re-running a Course.

You can also export and import courses as XML files. You can do this when you need to back up a course or edit the course in XML.

5.1.1. Identifying the Course

Before you create a course, consider the identifying information that you will provide for it carefully.

  • For Course Name, you enter the title of your course. For example, the name might be “Sets, Maps, and Symmetry Groups”. Use title capitalization for the course title, and normal spacing and punctuation.

  • For Organization, you enter the identifier for your organization. Do not include spaces or special characters.

  • For Course Number, you enter both a subject abbreviation and a number. For example, for public health course number 207, enter PH207. For math course 101x, enter Math101x. Do not include spaces or special characters in the course number.

    Note

    If your course will be public, be sure to include the “x”. If it is exclusively an on campus offering, do not include the “x”.

  • For Course Run, you enter the term in which your course will run. For example, enter 2014SOND or T2_2014. Do not include spaces or special characters.

    The value that you enter for the run does not affect the course start date that you define for the course. For more information, see Setting Start and End Dates.

The organization, course number, and course run values that you enter are used to create the URL for your course. Because URLs do not have an unlimited length, the total number of characters that you enter for these values must be 65 or fewer.

Important

The values that you enter for the organization, course number, and course run cannot be edited after you create your course.

5.1.2. Create a Course

To create a course, follow these steps.

  1. Sign in to Studio.

  2. Select New Course.

  3. Enter the identifying course information, and then select Create.

    The course creation page in Studio, showing the fields required for creating a new course: Course Name, Organization, Course Number, and Course Run.

    The Course Outline page opens. You can start developing course content. For more information, see Getting Started with Course Content Development.

5.1.3. Edit a Course

After you create a course, the course opens in Studio automatically and you can begin editing. Your next steps might include adding other course team members, setting the course start and end dates, or developing the course outline.

When you return to Studio later, your My Courses dashboard page lists the courses that you created as well as any courses for which you have course team privileges.

Image of the course on the Studio dashboard.

To edit a course, select the course name. The Studio Course Outline page appears.