Creating Course Sections
If you need to set up several classes with similar curricula and schedules, you have two options. You can create several copies of a course, or you can create multiple sections from a "parent" course.
- • Several copies of a course. This method allows you to modify each course's assignments independently. However, making any global changes later will require you to edit every course separately.
- • Multiple sections of the same "parent" course. This method allows you to create sections with a separate gradebook, but the textbook, assignments, and options are inherited from the parent course. Any subsequent changes made to the parent course will cascade through and update all of its sections automatically.
One common use for sections is setting up a main lecture course with several lab sections taught by collaborative instructors. Each instructor can manage their section's gradebook, but cannot alter the content, options, or overall due dates in the parent course.
If you have collaborative instructors who are teaching their own courses, you can also create a course export file to distribute to fellow instructors or adjuncts to import into their own account. See To export a course for more details.
Sections are useful for a single instructor who teaches several identical classes. This allows the instructor to maintain separate gradebooks for each section while managing content and assignment dates across all sections from the parent course.
You can create unique assignments for specific sections, but in general, sections are most useful where the class assignments and due dates are very similar if not identical.
To create a course section
To create a section, you first need to create the parent course. You can then create the section using the Create section option which appears on either the Courses or Course Created pages.
- 1. Go to the Courses page and find the appropriate course for your new section.
- 2. Click the Create section link in the Actions column to open the Section Information page.
- 3. Enter the Section Name following the format used at your school.
- 4. Enter an appropriate Section Number.
- 5. To apply new dates for this section, enter the dates you want in the Section starts on and Sections ends on fields using the calendar tool.
- 6. (Optional) Link to a new or existing Syllabus. If appropriate for the section, or you can use the syllabus linked to the parent course.
- 7. (Optional) Select the checkbox next to Allow students to send emails to the instructor while taking assignments.
- 8. (Optional) Select the checkbox next to Require students to provide a student ID on login if you need to set up unique and anonymous student identification for your section. When enabled, this option forces students to create their IDs.
- 9. Click the Create Section button when you are done to open the Section Created page.
Note: Try to coincide your section start date with your students' registration date. This maximizes your students' trial period, as the start date you select determines when their grace period begins.
With this feature enabled, students can send an email message from their assignment take. The email contains their message, the information identifying the specific assignment, a link, and a screen capture allowing you to view the specific question content.
Note: You can include additional instructor email addresses by clicking the plus button under the Enter Instructor Emails heading and entering the address in the new input box.
This feature is especially useful when you are generating reports for large classes where it is likely that students may have similar names. You also have the ability to create and/or edit individual Student IDs from the Gradebook page.
From the Section Created page, you can Create an Assignment for this section, Create Another Section or Export Section, further Edit Section Information, or simply Return to Course List. You can also edit section information by clicking the Edit link on the Courses page.
The rest of the process for creating a course section is the same as for creating a course, with the exception that some fields are labeled "section" instead of "course." For more information, see To build a new course manually.
Course Section Features
- • The parent course's instructor is enrolled as an instructor in all sections.
- • To delegate section grading and management to another instructor, simply enroll that instructor into the section. See Manually Enrolling Users for details.
- • Sections can include both parent assignments and any additional assignments created at the section level.
- • The section instructor can edit the assignment dates in the section without affecting the assignments in the parent course or other sections.
- • Only the parent course instructor can edit the assignment content, dates, or main options in the parent course.
- • Parent courses do not share uploaded files with their sections.
- • Both the parent course instructor and section instructor can review and edit grades for a particular section, or create and edit additional assignments. See Editing Grade Details for additional information on editing assignment scores.
- • The section instructor can customize both the due dates and the number of assignment takes for specific students in assignments inherited from the parent course.
Note: On the Assignments page, you will see a clock icon
in the Status column that indicates which assignments are Assigned to Parent Course.
