6.2. Developing Your Course Outline¶

6.2.1. Open the Course Outline¶

To view the course outline, follow these steps.

1. Log in to edX Studio.

2. In the My Courses page, select the course you want to develop.

   The course outline opens by default when you open a course.

When working in a course, to open the outline, from the Content menu, select Outline.

The first time you view an outline for a course, it contains no content.

You must create the first section.

6.2.2. Understanding a Course Outline in Studio¶

The following example shows a partial course outline in Studio, with indications for sections, subsections, and units. As you develop your course, it will begin to look like this example.

As this example shows, the course is organized into the following levels.

1. Sections
2. Subsections
3. Units

Components are not shown in the outline. You add or access components by selecting the units that contain them.

Use the links above for more information and instructions on working with each type of object in the course. The topics in the rest of this section provides more detail about the course outline.

6.2.3. View the Course Organization as a Learner¶

The content you see in the outline in Studio is displayed to learners in the Course page in the LMS. The following image shows how a learner sees your course content.

1. Sections are listed in the course navigation pane. Learners select a section to see the subsections that it contains.

2. Subsections are listed in the course navigation pane after a learner expands a section.

3. Units appear in the unit navigation bar, represented by icons, after learners select a subsection. A tooltip with the unit’s name appears when learners move the pointer onto an icon.

   Learners select icons in the unit navigation bar to access course units. They can also use the Previous and Next options at either end of the unit navigation bar to move back to the previous unit or forward to the next unit.

6.2.4. Navigate the Course Outline¶

In Studio, you navigate the course outline by expanding and collapsing sections and subsections. Use the “drop-down” icon next to a section or subsection name to expand or collapse its contents.

When you expand a subsection, all units in the subsection are visible.

Select the name of a unit to open the unit page.

6.2.5. Add Content in the Course Outline¶

You add sections, subsections, and units directly in the outline.

• To add a section to the outline, select New Section. This option appears at both the top of the page and below the current sections in the outline. For more information, see Create a Section.

• To add a subsection to the end of the section, expand the section and select New Subsection.

  

• To add a unit to the end of a subsection, expand the subsection and select New Unit.

  

  The unit page opens.

6.2.6. Modify Settings for Objects in the Course Outline¶

You modify settings for sections, subsections, and units in the course outline. Specifically, you can complete the following tasks.

• Set a Section Release Date
• Hide a Section from Learners
• Set a Subsection Release Date
• Set the Assignment Type and Due Date for a Subsection
• Hide a Subsection from Learners
• Hide a Unit from Learners

To modify settings for a section, subsection, or unit, select the Configure icon for that object. In the following example, the Configure icon is circled for a section, a subsection, and two units.

For more information, see the links above.

6.2.7. Publish Content from the Course Outline¶

You can publish new and changed units for an entire section or subsection. You can also publish individual units.

To publish new and changed units, select the Publish icon for a section, subsection, or unit. In the following example, the Publish icon is circled for a section, subsection, and unit.

For more information, see the following topics.

• Unit Publishing Statuses
• Publish all Units in a Section
• Publish All Units in a Subsection
• Publish a Unit

6.2.8. Reorganize the Course Outline¶

You can reorganize your course content by dragging and dropping sections, subsections, and units to new locations in the outline.

To move a section, subsection, or unit, move your cursor over the handle on the right of the object’s box until the cursor changes to a four-headed arrow. For example, in the image below, the handle for the subsection Lesson 1 - Getting Started is selected.

Then, click and drag the object to the location that you want.

If you expanded the section or subsection you are moving the object to, when you move the object, a blue line indicates where the object will land when you release the mouse button. For example, in the image below, the subsection Lesson 1 - Getting Started is being moved to the end of the section Introduction.

If you did not expand the section or subsection you are moving the object to, the outline of that section or subsection turns blue when you have moved the object to a valid location. You can then release the mouse button. For example, in the image below, the subsection Lesson 1 - Getting Started is being moved to the collapsed section Introduction.

6.2.9. Delete Content in the Course Outline¶

You delete sections, subsections, and units from the course outline.

Select the Delete icon in the box for the object you want to delete.

You are prompted to confirm the deletion.