Using the Course Template Package

The custom course template package that you've purchased enables you to display your online course content in a consistent manner. The course template package includes unique layouts that you can apply to your own courses. A layout is how the text, images, and other content slide elements (e.g., shapes, headers, etc...) are arranged and formatted on the page. Each layout has been customized to include your logo and other design elements to reflect your account's style. These layouts may be applied to content slides in your online course.  

For example, the Agenda template includes a page header at the top. The page is separated into two columns. The left column has several sub-headings followed by a line of text. The right column displays a pink box that contains additional sub-headings which are followed by one or more paragraphs. 

The course template package is provided to you via an online course in your account named Custom Course Template Package. This course contains a Templates chapter. Within the Templates chapter are content slide tasks for each template. 

The code of each template's page contains HTML and references to a CSS file, or Cascading Style Sheet. The CSS file is another component of your custom course template package. It is where all of the formatting and styling is predetermined, whereas the HTML is where all of those elements are laid out in order to bring in those styles. These instructions assume that you do not have access to the CSS file or do not know how to modify the CSS file. 

There are four main steps to apply the course template package to your course:

1. Add the templates to your course.
2. Apply the template to your content slide.
3. Edit the course content slide's content.
4. Prepare your course for learner enrollment.

Adding the Templates to Your New Course

In the following steps you'll add a chapter and content slides to your course so that you can make a copy of all the templates included in the Custom Course Template Package. 

Copying the templates to your course serves two purposes. First, it ensures that you don't inadvertently modify the templates in the Custom Course Template Package. Second, when you begin adding content to your course, it eliminates having to switch between the Custom Course Template Package and your course. 

To add the templates to your course:

1. View the Custom Course Template Package course. The Custom Course Template Package course will typically be in your list of inactive courses. To display this course, you will need to filter the list to include courses with an Inactive status. 

2. Display the Custom Course Template Package course's contents by selecting Edit Content.

3. If you haven't already, add a new online course. You may want to set the course's Status to Inactive so that learners are not enrolled in the course before you have added your content. 
4. Ensure that both the Custom Course Template Package course's content and your course's content are displayed. We recommend displaying the content of both courses in two separate windows and arranging the windows so that they are both visible at the same time. 
5. In your course, add a chapter named Templates. 
6. In your course's Templates chapter, add a content slide with the same name as the template's content slide. For example, you'll want to add a content slide named Course Title to your course. 
7. From both windows, ensure the HTML Editor tab is selected.

8. Copy the code from the template's content slide to your content slide with the same name. For example, you'll want to copy the HTML code from the Course Title content slide in the Custom Course Template Package course to the Course Title content slide in your course. 
9. After copying the code to your content slide, be sure to click Save.
10. Repeat steps 6-9 for each template.

NEXT STEP: Apply a Template to Your Content Slide

Applying a Template to Your Content Slide

After you've identified the template that you want to use, you'll need to apply the template to your content slide.

1. If you haven't already done so, add a chapter for your content and a content slide. 

2. From your course's Templates chapter, duplicate the content slide tasks containing the template you'd like to use. 
3. Rename your copy of the content slide.
4. Move the content slide out of the Templates chapter and into the chapter where you want it to display.

At this point, your content slide is identical to the selected template. In the next step, you'll edit the content slide so that it reflects your course's content.

NEXT STEP: Edit the Content Slide's Content

Editing the Content Slide's Content

Now that you've applied the template to your content slide, you'll need to edit the content slide so that it includes your content and not the content from the template.

We recommend that you take an incremental approach to ensure that you don't make unintentional changes. For example, change the title, save the content slide, then preview it. Or, edit the text, save the content slide, preview, then add your image.

We also recommend that you use WYSIWYG editor to edit your content. 

NEXT STEP: Prepare Your Course For Enrollment

Preparing Your Course for Enrollment

When you've finished adding content to your course, you'll need to complete the following steps:

1. From your online course, change the status of the Templates chapter to Inactive. This will prevent the chapter and its contents from displaying to learners. 
2. Change your online course's Status setting to Active.