Create and edit activities

Updated 19 Feb 2024

Within your course, "activity" refers to a specific type of asset that you use to evaluate student performance, such as a quiz or homework (MyLab Languages) or as an exam or Grader project (MyLab IT). An activity may or may not be gradable.

Activity types are like templates that define the functionality and preferences of an activity created using that type. You can think of an activity type as a way to standardize activities that are used for a similar teaching strategy. For example, you can use the activity type "Homework" to create one or more "homework" activities (MyLab Languages) or you can use the "Dropbox" activity type to create an activity that requires students to upload a document or file (MyLab IT).

In the process of creating an activity, you:

Your course creates activity types using a specific behavioral mode that determines the student experience and how the activity functions.

Activity types in your course might include any or all of the following:

  • Student Activity Manual (SAM) activity
  • Extra practice activity
  • Practice test
  • Test
  • Instructor activity
  • Oral practice activity
  • eText activity
  • Video activity
  • LiveChat activity
  • Games
  • Web activity
  • Add Study plan (Readiness check)
  • Add Discussion Topic
  • Add Link
  • Add Page

You can create the following types of activities in your course:

  • Exam [Skill-Based] and Training [Skill-Based]: Allow students to complete the exam/training questions in any order and to move from one question to another and back, provided they have question attempts remaining. A skill-based exam or training can contain simulation (performance-based) questions and standard objective-based questions.
  • Exam [Project-Based] and Training [Project-Based]: Require students to complete all exam/training questions in a specific order, which mirrors the steps required to create a document or project. The outcome of one question forms the starting point for the next. A project-based exam or training can contain simulation (performance-based) questions and standard objective-based questions.
  • Objective-Based Question Only (exam): Allows students to complete questions in any order and to move from one question to another and back. Does not include simulations, only standard question types.
  • Dropbox [File Upload]: Requires students to upload their assignment for evaluation by the instructor.
  • Grader Project [Homework] and Grader Project [Assessment]: Let students work "live" in a Microsoft Office application instead of a simulated environment. Students download a Microsoft Office document or file to use as the starting point and then upload the completed document or file for automatic evaluation.
  • MyLab IT Study Plan: Consists of a pre-test, a post-test, or both, with supporting training materials. If included, the pre-test checks student mastery of one or more content areas or learning objectives. Students are assigned training materials to improve their understanding of course material. If included, the post-test measures the student's understanding of all the content areas reinforced by the training materials.
  • Discussion Topic: A prompt to which students reply on an online discussion board, and read and reply to responses or questions posted by other students.

Regardless of course discipline, you can customize activity type names on the course Preferences > Activities page, so the names of activity types in your course may differ from those shown in the preceding list. You create and edit most activities the same way, regardless of the activity's type or name.

The process of creating and editing readiness check or study plan pre-tests and post-tests is not the same as the process of creating and editing other course activities. For more information, see Add and edit study plans (MyLab Languages only) or Create and edit MyLab IT study plans (MyLab IT).

You create activities from the Add Course Materials menu, which appears on the Course Materials Library and My Course toolbar.

Notes

  • The best way to add activities (create assignments) is with the Course Materials Wizard. To access the wizard, select Course Materials from the menu bar. This wizard lets you add assignments by taking you to the Course Materials Library, copy materials from another course using the Course Materials Library, and manage your content library. Refer to Using the Course Materials Wizard for more information.
  • You can also add activities from the Course Materials Library and then move them to the My Course list where you can set appropriate scheduling. Use the Course Materials wizard to access the library.
  • Another option is to add an activity to the My Course list. If you do that, you will be prompted to save the new activity to the Course Materials Library. In this case, navigate to and select the Course Materials Library folder where you want to save the activity and then click Add and Close.