Types of course materials

All course material assets are categorized by type. The following table provides a list of available asset types. You may not have access to each of the types shown here. Additionally, icons in your course may differ from those shown here.

Note: Instructor-only assets display the instructor only icon after the asset name. You cannot assign instructor-only assets or make them visible to students.

Asset Type Description


Discussion

Online discussion board where students can reply to questions posted by the instructor, and read and reply to responses or questions posted by other students. This type of discussion can be assigned to the calendar.


Dynamic study module
Modules designed to help students grasp concepts using an application based on the latest neuroscience research on effective learning. The modules help students increase their long term retention of program materials.

 

eText activity

Online versions of activities found in the corresponding textbook.


eText link

Opens the Pearson eText, an online book associated with the course. You can specify a single page or a range of pages in a link.

 

Extra practice

Machine-gradable activities that provide further practice on the vocabulary or grammar topics in each chapter.


File

Opens a specific web-compatible file. Web-compatible file types include HTML files, MS Office documents, Flash files, images, media, PDF files, and most other file formats supported by web browsers. This asset type lets instructors make any type of web-compatible external file available to students.



Flashcards
Study aids that help students review words and quiz themselves on the vocabulary in each chapter. Flashcards can also be downloaded to mobile devices for select titles.


Folder

Used to organize course materials. Folders can contain other folders or assets. Click to open the folder. To return to the previous folder, click the back arrow at the top of the list or click a folder name that appears in the navigation trail to the right of the arrow.


Games
Games include Concentration (flip cards to match words to visuals), Soccer (provides the appropriate word in a context), and Quiz Show (choose the appropriate response in a multiple-choice format).

Grammar tutorial
Tutorial that reviews key grammar concepts with an English narrator and the help of on-screen notes and visual examples. Each tutorial concludes with a comprehension check with built- in feedback.

Instructor activity
Type of activity used to create voice recording questions.


Link

 

Opens a specific URL. This asset type lets students access course-related web-based resources.


Oral practice

Features a voice-recording tool, powered by BlackBoard Voice™. Students can record their responses to these activities for instructor review. Oral practice can be expanded outside of the classroom.

This option is not available for all MyLanguageLab titles.


Page

Opens an HTML page, which may include links or references. This asset type lets instructors create HTML pages that may be informational or used to present an embedded Flash animation or video.

Practice tests with study plan Comprehensive tests on the vocabulary, grammar, and/or culture presented in the corresponding chapter. MyLanguageLabs generates a unique study plan with remediation materials based on student's individual performance on a practice test. (Not available in all MyLanguageLab titles)

Readiness check
Personalized assessment tools that provide students with an individualized learning experience based on their actual results. A readiness check is typically a collection of two tests (pre-test and post-test) supported by study materials. The pre-test checks student mastery of one or more content areas or learning objectives. Students are then assigned customized study materials to improve their understanding of course material that their pre-test results identified as not yet mastered. The post-test measures the student's understanding of all the content areas covered in the pre-test and reinforced by the study materials.

Student activities manual (SAM)
Offers students online practice opportunities. Many activities feature audio. Activities are either machine-gradeds or instructor-graded.
Test An assessment used to evaluate student mastery.

Video activity
Activities based on the video available for the program.

Chapter vocabulary
List of terms introduced in each chapter.

Web activity
Activities based on the web URLs that require student research.