Self-check: The D2l Content Tool

Content defaults to display to everyone in the class all the time. But the "Restrictions" tab allows you to set start and end dates or hide modules and/or topics. If you set a restriction to a module, all of the child topics are affected as well. You can also restrict content modules and topics to specific groups of students based on group membership.

When asked what the best practice is in terms of displaying all content at the beginning of the course or waiting to display it as the course progresses, the argument goes both ways. Hiding content until you get to the unit is nice because it keeps the class working together. On the other hand, it's nice to give students the flexibility to work ahead if they need to. The problem occurs when you end up with one or more over-achieving, go-getting, eager beaver students. They may get so far ahead, especially if they are asking a lot of questions and trying to complete the discussion activities ahead of time, that you might feel like you are teaching two separate sections. So really, it's your call how you want to use the "Restrictions" in Content, if at all.

Most people use Content to link to course files that are uploaded to D2L (e.g., syllabus, calendar, articles, assignment directions, etc.). But you can also use Content to create links to external web pages as well as to other places in the D2L course. For example, you can link directly to a quiz or a discussion topic from the Content root or from within an HTML document. This feature is brought to you today from the very cool yet modest Quicklink tool. Check it out.

Modules and Sub-Modules are static text that appear in Content to help organize the Topics, which are clickable links.

As much as I wish you could edit any file in D2L, only HTML files can be edited in D2L. All other files must be opened and modified in the corresponding editing software (i.e., Word files must be modified in Microsoft Word and so on...). Once the file has been modified, you must save the file and reupload it to D2L. So unless you want to experience premature balding from pulling your hair out every time you must edit a file outside of D2L, try using the HTML editor whenever possible to create files in D2L.