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Structuring Content: Learning Modules, Folders and Documents

This guide will outline:

  • the differences, benefits and relative suitability of Learning Modules and Folders;
  • how to create Learning Modules, Folders and Documents.
  • how you can organise content and activities within Blackboard using Learning Modules, Folders and Documents;

You must include a ‘Start Here’ Learning Module as the first item in your Course. This should include key information such as the module outline. This is a Blackboard Minimum Standard.

Quick links

Learning Modules and Folders

Providing a coherent and consistent structure for your Blackboard Course is not only good practice for keeping things tidy, but it may be essential for students who use assistive technologies to navigate and access materials. For reference, see the Minimum Standards for Blackboard in the Durham Learning and Teaching Handbook [Internal SharePoint page, Durham University Login Required]. opens a new window

Learning Modules and Folders in Blackboard are ways to collect or organise items and materials, such as Blackboard Documents. You can add Release Conditions (see Anthology’s Blackboard Guide on Release Conditionsopens a new window) to individual Documents or items, as well as the overarching Folder or Learning Module. When you put release conditions on a Folder or Learning Module, the items within them are also hidden/made available under the same conditions.

Learning Modules are designed to be arranged or engaged with in some form of order. For instance, for a given topic, you might want to include a pre-seminar reading, followed by supplementary materials from your seminar, followed by a post-task or a series of signposts. See Anthology’s guidance on Learning Modulesopens a new window.

Learning Modules appear slightly differently within the Blackboard interface than Folders and come with additional features, such as the ability to:

  • add a thumbnail
  • enforce a ‘Sequence‘ so that students must engage with the content in the order that it is presented within the Learning Module

Should I use Learning Modules or Folders?

If Learning Modules and Folders are so functionally similar, then does it matter which one I choose?

  • For maximum flexibility and the best student experience, we advise that Learning Modules are used at the top level of the module to encapsulate blocks of associated content (e.g. a week, unit, topic or ‘phase’ of learning).
  • Folders are best used to add an additional layer of organisation within a Learning Module, or to house connected materials that do not need to be accessed sequentially (e.g. assignment briefs and submission points.)

For example, you may use a Folder to collect information pertaining to assignment submission for the module, whereas you may use a Learning Modules are used to group learning and teaching materials by topic/unit/phase of learning.

Creating a Learning Module

Within your Blackboard Course:

  1. Hover over anywhere within the ‘Course Content‘ section and click on the ‘+‘ icon and select ‘Create‘
  2. Select ‘Learning Module‘ from the list.
  3. Enter a Name and a plain text Description for your Learning Module which outlines clearly what it will contain.
  4. add a thumbnail image (optional) to your Learning Module by scrolling to the bottom of the options menu and selecting ‘Add Image’.
  5. Select ‘Save‘
Screenshot showing the Add Course Content Menu.
Screenshot showing the Create Item menu.

Enforcing a sequence

You can enforce a Sequence on a Learning Module to make students engage with material in the order that you present it in (for instance, if you wanted your students to view the pre-seminar reading before viewing the seminar materials).

To enforce a Sequence on a Learning Module

  • Select the elipses (…) next to your Learning Module
  • In the right-hand pane window, scroll down to ‘Advance in Sequence‘
  • Select ‘Forced Sequence‘
  • Press Save.
The 'enforce sequence' menu in Learn Ultra.

Learning Module Table of Contents

A collapsible Table of Contents panel in visible on the left-hand side of Learning Modules. Students also see this Table of Contents which supports content navigation. Instructors can move between module items and access content that isn’t yet available to studentsn without switching to Student Preview or changing availability settings. This helps instructors review and organize course content more efficiently, saving time and improving course management.

The Table of Contents panel includes all items in a learning module. Select Contents to open or collapse the panel.

Screenshot showing table of contents on the left and learning module content on the right.

Creating a Folder

Within your Blackboard Course:

  1. select ‘+‘ icon and select ‘Create‘.
  2. Select ‘Folder‘
  3. Enter a Name and a plain text Description for your Folder which outlines what it will contain.
  4. Select Save
Screenshot of Course Content Create menu.

For more information, see Anthology’s Blackboard guidance on Foldersopens a new window.

Changing Folders and Learning Modules

There is an option to change a folder to a learning module or a learning module to a folder. This can be done using by clicking the ellipses on the right-hand side of the folder or learning module.

Screenshot of the folder menu with options of Edit, Student Progress, Create Learning Module and Delete.
Screenshot of the Learning Module menu with Edit, Student Progress, Change to Folder and Delete options.

Note however that there will be a warning dialog box as settings such as the thumbnail image, sequencing and progress will be removed when the learning module is changed to a folder.

Change to folder dialog box warning that converting to a folder will remove image, sequencing and progress bar.

Documents

A ‘Document’ in Blackboard is a blank canvas that you can include a collection of materials such as text, images, embedded videos from Panopto, attached files – such a Microsoft Word Documents and Powerpoint Presentations – and customised HTML. Documents are modular, meaning that you can add multiple items and re-arrange them at a later point in time.

You can embed multiple documents within a Folder and Learning Module to add structure.

A document in Blackboard containing multiple pieces of content

Creating a Document

Within your Blackboard Course

  1. click on the ‘+‘ icon and select ‘Create‘
  2. Select ‘Document‘
  3. Enter a Name and a plain text Description for your Document which outlines what it will contain
  4. Press Save

For more information, see Anthology’s Blackboard Guidance on Documents.opens a new window

Screenshot showing Create Item menu showing Learning module, Folder and Document.

Adding Content to Documents

Within your Document click on the ‘Edit Content’ icon in the top right hand corner.

Edit Content

You can now add:

  • Content to open the text box editor. Here you can add text, hyperlinks or embed videos from Panopto or Reading List items from Talis Aspire using the ‘Content Market‘
  • HTML to enter custom HTML, or embed items from third party sources.
  • Knowledge Check to create a simple single quiz question. You can find out more about knowledge checks here.
  • File Upload to upload Documents, PDFs, PowerPoint Presentations or Images from your harddrive.
  • Cloud Upload to browse for files in your Durham University One Drive account.
  • Content Collection to re-use content that you have already uploaded to your Blackboard Course
  • Image enables you to embed an image within a document rather than attached an image file. You upload your own images, select images from Unsplash or use the AI Design Assistant to generate images. Captions can be added either above or below the images
  • Audio/Video enables you to upload your own video and audio files or record audio or video from within Blackboard.
  • Convert a File to produce an alternative format of a file using Blackboard Ally. You can find out more information about alternative formats here.
Image of content selection menu available in Document showing options, content, HTML, knowledge check, file upload, content collection, image, divider and convert a file.

Adding Text and Files to a Document

The document acts in a similar way to a web page, you can add text and images, embed videos and attach files such as Word documents, PDFs and Excel spreadsheets. You may include several documents within the folder or learning module which builds into a sequence of information and activities to enhance the learning.

To add text to a document:

  1. Open the document.
  2. Click Edit Content to activate the text editor. 
  3. Hover over a block of existing text and select the purple ‘pen‘ icon.
  4. Type directly into the text editor, basic editing tools are displayed along the top of the text editor. 
  5. Click Save when the editing is complete.
Three icons, a pen, a :: and a trash can

To add a hyperlink to a document:

  1. In the text editor, select the text you would like to use as the link.
  2. Click the Hyperlink button on the toolbar.
  3. Paste in the URL (web address) and click Insert.

To add a file as an attachment, e.g. Word Document, PDF, JPG, MPEG file within a document:

  1. In the text editor, place the cursor where the document is to be displayed.
  2. Click the Attach button on the toolbar.
  3. In the Browse window, navigate to the file, select it and then click Insert. 
  4. Note: Images will be displayed at their actual dimensions, you will need to edit these files to be a viewable size before attaching. Images which are larger than the width of the screen will be shrunk to fit.

To add an image or media file:

  1. Select the ‘image’ icon from the text editor toolbar.
  2. Select the type of content, e.g. Image from the internet.
  3. Paste in the URL and type in Alt text.
  4. Click Save.
The image icon in the text editor interface

To upload a file to the document:

  1. Click the plus sign, select Upload from computer.
  2. Select the file from the browse window.
  3. The file will then be uploaded.
  4. Set the access to the document, this can be View and download, View only, Download only.
  5. Click Save.

Dividers have been included so that you can present the content in a segmented way with a line between each section.

To add a divider: 

  1. In the document, click on the + sign in the place where you wish to place the divider.
  2. Select the divider and this will be placed across the document.

The divider can be edited by clicking on the 6 dots. The divider can be indented from the left or right or moved using this option.

Document showing divider added between sections.

Editing Block Layout

Blocks can be divided into columns. This is particularly useful if text and images are to be laid out side by side.

There are a number of editing options for the block. Blocks can also be stacked, in the example above there are 2 columns with a text block on the left and an image block on the right.

Selecting the edit icon (6 dots) for a block prompts a menu with three options: Change row, Change [block/column] size, and Change [block/column] position. Each of these options have a sub-menu, with the related actions.

  • Change row
    • Move to row above
    • Move to row below
    • New row above
  • Change [block/column] size
    • Expand to the left
    • Expand to the right
    • Shrink from the left
    • Shrink from the right
  • Change [block/column] position
    • Move to the left
    • Move to the right
Example of stacked columns with page width divided into 4 columns with an image block and text block in each column.

There are up to 4 available columns across the width of the page and items can be resized to fit 1, 2 or 3 of the columns.

Edit menu showing Change column size selected with submenu showing Expand to the right, Shrink from the left and Shrink from the right.

Document and the AI Design Assistant

Documents now have the AI Design Assistant button at the top of the document edit screen. This will enable the AI Design Assistant to improve the look and layout of your document.

AI Design button on the edit menu bar at the top of a Blackboard document.

When in document edit mode, there is now a fourth button on the toolbar. The AI Design Assistant button is located between the Add Item and Undo buttons.

On clicking this button, select whether you would like to include images either from Unsplash or AI generated and then check the Include knowledge check button if you wish to add this item. Then click Generate.

AI Design assistant options to include images selecting stock images from Unsplash or generating images and an include knowledge check tick box.

Below is an example of a basic document containing a few short paragraphs of text and an image.

Original document with four short paragraphs of text at the top and a single image across the width of the screen.
New document showing a clear title and an additional image from Unsplash on the left. Paragraphs 1-3 are now in the right.

After applying the AI Design Assistant, a new image has been included and the text moved to the side. On scrolling down the document you can see the last short paragraph has been included with the original image.

Second part of the newly designed document showing paragraph four across the screen and the original image below it.

Finally, at the bottom, a knowledge check question has been added. If you are happy with the new layout, click the Apply Layout button and then don’t forget to click the Save button at the top of the document to ensure all changes are saved.

Third part of the new document layout showing the new knowledge check which has been generated in the layout design. The Cancel and Apply Layout buttons are located at the bottom of the screen.

Block Styling Options

When adding content to a document, there are some styling options which produce highlighted paragraphs. These can be added by selecting the Content block from the document menu. Once the content block is inserted click the palette icon on the menu. To remove the styling, click the Reset styling option at the bottom.

Screenshot showing block styling options menu with question, tip, key points, next steps and reset styling.

Question: Use for prompts or reflective questions. Keep questions concise and open-ended to encourage critical thinking.

Example of a question showing a question mark in white on a blue background to the left with text to the right and a blue border around.

Tip: Use for tips, insights, or helpful suggestions. Ensure tips are actionable and relevant to the content.

Example of a tip showing a light bulb in white on a yellow background to the left with text to the right and a yellow border around.

Key points: Use to highlight key points or essential facts. Keep these blocks brief and focused to reinforce retention.

Example of a key point showing a push pin in white on a purple background to the left with text to the right and a purple border around.

Next steps: Use for next steps or instructions. Present steps in a clear, logical order and consider using numbered lists for clarity. 

Example of a next steps highlight showing a double white arrow in white on a greenbackground to the left with text to the right and a green border around.

Use Styling Purposefully

  • Apply block styles to add visual interest, organize your content, and guide students through key ideas, actions, or reflections.
  • Use styles consistently to build familiarity and reduce cognitive load.
  • Clearly communicate the purpose of the styles to students to improve usability and accessibility and help all learners understand their significance

Printing Documents

This new option allows users to: 

  • Physically archive content
  • Review content offline
  • Share content with students or peers

A print button has been added to the top right-hand corner of the document. Click the button to launch the print dialog box. Select options and print.

When printing from a mobile device, the Document prints as displayed on a desktop web browser. 

Depending on the size of some content (for example, images), items may shift to the next page depending on the page layout and scale. 

Knowledge Check Questions

Knowledge check questions are single multiple choice questions which can be inserted into documents to check progress. These can be inserted from the document features list above. Further information on setting up knowledge check questions.

Adding Content from the Content Collection

The Content Collection is a storage area where you can upload files related to the course. These files can then used when creating learning modules and can be inserted into documents.

To upload content to the Content Collection:

  1. On the main menu on the left of Blackboard, select Tools and then select the Content Collection icon.
  2. There will be folders for each of your courses, select the folder for the relevant module from the list.
  3. If you wish to organise your files in folders, click New Folder, give the new folder a name and then select the folder.
  4. Click the Upload button and select either Files or Zipped Folder.
  5. Navigate the Browse window to select your files, then click Submit. The files will then be uploaded to the folder.

When you embed a video from Panopto, use the ‘Content Market‘ embed option instead of using a HTML embed code. The ‘LTI embed‘ method means that there won’t be any unforeseen issues with students having permission errors when trying to view videos. When you use the HTML embed method and your Course rolls over, students may get ‘Access Denied‘ errors.

Do not create a Turnitin Submission Box within a Document. This will not function correctly and it will not create a GradeBook column.

Make the Content Available

Visibility menu from within the learning content item showing Visible to Students selected. The other options are Hidden from students and Release conditions.

Finally, make the content available to the students.

This can be done from within the learning content item, the settings are at the top right.

The content visibility can also be set from the main content screen, the settings are below the title.

Visibility menu the main content window showing Visible to Students selected. The other options are Hidden from students and Release conditions.

Remember, you can add Release Conditions (see Anthology’s Blackboard Guide on Release Conditionsopens a new window) to individual Documents or items, as well as the overarching Folder or Learning Module. When you put release conditions on a Folder or Learning Module, the items within them are also hidden/made available under the same conditions.

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