Highlights from the 6.0 release (January 26, 2015)
Video Summary
New Features
Editing Repository Containers in Design Mode
In design mode, you can send containers, including nested containers, of objects to the repository. This release enables editing of those containers while in the repository, allowing the same repository container to be utilized in several courses, yet updated in one place.
To add a container to the repository, left-click and dragging it to the top of the screen where it says ‘Drop to add to repository’, then click ‘Add’. The container is now visible in the repository and can be found by searching by the container title, or in the list view.
To edit the repository container, you have two options. The simplest method is to open the course where you wish to place the container, view the list of containers in the repository, and click on the container you wish to edit. This will open the container in ‘Container Designer’ mode. From here, you may add or remove containers, nested containers, or learning objects. You may also save and publish your changes from the Container Designer page.
Creating a new learning object or opening an existing object will reveal the standard tools and options you are familiar with, all of which are editable. Student, Instructor and Designer content is also editable at this point. When you are finished making changes, click ‘Save’ and then the back arrows to return to the Container Designer page.
If you made changes to the learning object, save and publish them.
When the container is published, you will see a spinning icon which indicates that there are updates or changes that have been made. Click this icon to accept the changes to the container. To leave the container without the update, do not click the spinning icon.
The second method of editing a repository container is done by dragging and dropping the container into the ‘Drop to edit in repository’ zone. This action opens the repository container editor where you will be able to edit objects, add objects, remove objects, and add or remove nested containers.
For this example. I will add a new object and update the content of an existing object.
If I want these changes to be available in all the courses where this container is being used, I will need to click ‘publish’.
When viewing a different course with the same container, you will now see a new ‘spinning arrow’ icon, indicating changes were made to the repository container. To accept the change, click the icon. To keep the container the way it is without the update, you may choose to do nothing, or drag it to the right to create a copy of the container for that course. If you choose to accept the changes, the icon will revert to the lock icon again once the changes have been accepted.
You can also search for containers in the repository. Click the ‘Design’ icon, and then click ‘Search’ in the horizontal Repository list. Start typing your search term, and the search results will display based on title and tags.
To add a container to a course from the repository, simply click on the container in the list, hold the mouse button while dragging it to the course, and release the mouse button to drop it into the course. The repository container will now be in the course, and will have a “locked” icon at the far right side.
Video Uploads in Design Mode
The next feature is uploading video while in design mode. In addition to the YouTube button that was added in a previous release, you may now upload and embed your own video files if you prefer not to put them on YouTube.
Note: At this time, all video must be in MP4 format and must not exceed 100MB in size. Future file formats will be added in future releases.
Within the editor, click the ‘Upload Video’ icon.
Select the video you wish to upload and click ‘Upload Video’.
From here, I can preview the video, clear it, resize it or cancel and choose a different file. Click ‘Insert Video’ to insert the video into the content area.
When you are finished entering and editing content, click ‘Done Editing’. This is what the video will look like for both instructors and students.