Summary: Instructions on how to use the Connexions Collection Composer (formerly known as the Course Composer).
The Collection Composer (formerly known as the Course Composer) allows you to create new collections or edit existing collections. Any number of modules within Connexions' Content Repository can be used to create a collection. You can perform the following tasks with the Collection Composer:
At this point, you should have landed on the "Contents" tab of the collection composer. This is where you will add and arrange the contents of your collection. Basic instructions are provided at the top, but we will go through each editing feature in detail.
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You can add already published modules to the collection from the Content Repository. You cannot add unpublished modules from your workspaces. When adding a module, Connexions does not copy the module into your collection. The module remains in the Content Repository and Connexions inserts a reference or a pointer to the module in your collection. A module cannot be inserted into a collection more than once.
In our example, we first want to add a module entitled Connexions Workshop: Introduction to the top of the collection. To do this, we start by hovering the mouse over the collection's title. To the right, there is a link reading "Add modules":
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Click the "Add modules" link. A pop-up appears with a search box. Enter a word, name, or text string related to the module in the search text box. Click the "Search for modules" button:
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Results will appear in the same pop-up. If you don't find the module you were searching for on first attempt, you can try using a different search term, sorting the results by another parameter, adjusting the number of searches that display per page, or going to the next page of results. Once you find the module or modules you want to add, select the checkbox next to its title(s) and click "Add selected content".
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The module you've selected to add to the collection will now appear below the collection's title in the composer. Remember that this only a pointer to the published module, not a copy of the module itself.
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Let's now continue on to the next step of adding our two subcollections.
A subcollection is a grouping of related modules within a collection. Depending on the nature of your collection, you might think of a subcollection as a section, chapter, part, folder, division, etc. Each subcollection has a heading that identifies its contents to the viewers. You may place subcollections within other subcollections, as deeply nested as desired.
In our example, our collection is structured by two "Parts" that follow the introductory module. To add these, we start by hovering the mouse over the collection's title. To the right, there is a link reading "Add subcollections":
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Click the "Add subcollections" link. A pop-up appears with a text box. Enter the titles of the subcollections you want in your collection, one per line. Click the "Add new subcollections" button:
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Your subcollections will now appear in the composer below any other modules or subcollections you've already added at that level. From there, you can hover your mouse over each subcollection and find a list of actions to take at the subcollection level, such as adding modules, adding nested subcollections, or editing the subcollection's title.
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Let's add some more modules to each of these subcollections so that your collection structure now looks like this:
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Before things are done, we have some changes we want to make. Let's continue.
Since the collection composer adds modules and subcollections to the bottom of the collection or subcollection where you added them, you will sometimes need to rearrange the modules and subcollections to get them in the desired ordered. To do this, simply click down on the title of the item you want to move, drag it over to the desired location, and click up to drop it in that location. A dotted line appears where there is a valid location to drop the item.
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The new structure is automatically saved when the item is dropped in place.
If your collection contains a lot of modules and subcollections, it can become cumbersome to edit (especially for dragging and dropping). If this is the case in your collection, you can collapse the subcollection by clicking on the arrow to the left of the subcollection title.
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To remove a module or subcollection from the collection, hover your mouse over the item. At the right, there will be a link reading "Remove from collection". In the example, let's say you've decided not to include the module titled Module from Word Document:
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Modules that are published in the Content Repository display the titles given to them by their authors. If these titles are not appropriate for the module when it appears in the context of your collection (e.g., it may contain numbering), you can provide an alternate title for the module. The module displays your alternate title when it is accessed from within your collection. The module displays its original title whenever it is accessed from outside of your collection.
In our example, let's rename "Creating a Module in Minutes" to "Creating a Connexions Module" in order to match the similarly titled module in Part II of the collection. Hover over the module's title and click on the "Edit title/version" link that appears to the right:
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When a module is updated or edited, Connexions saves the previous version of the module in history and uses the latest version of the module for viewing. Each new version of a module is given its own version number. You can either have your collection always use the latest version of the module, or you can pinpoint a specific version to be used.
In the example, let's say that version 1.2 of one of the modules we include was a complete reformatting of that module's content, and that the new format no longer makes sense in the context of your collection. Hover over the module's title and click on the "Edit title/version" link that appears to the right:
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Links allow the viewer to display related information or examples that are not part of the collection with the click of a mouse. Links may be defined by the module's author, but they may also be added or redefined/overridden/removed for that module by the collection's author. Any changes you make in the collection composer to a module's links only display when viewing the module from within your collection.
In the example, let's say that you felt strongly that the introductory module really needed a link to the Connexions home page. To add this link, hover your mouse over the module's title. Click the link at right reading "Edit featured links":
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You can edit an existing collection with the Collection Composer in the same way you create a new collection. You can edit only collections for which you have a maintainer role. To use the Collection Composer on an existing collection, first make sure you are logged in, then you can:
More about this module: Metadata | Downloads | Version History
This work is licensed by Connexions, Sarah Coppin, and Mark Husband under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 3.0), and is an Open Educational Resource.
Last edited by Connexions on Jul 26, 2011 12:24 pm -0500.
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