Skip to content Skip to navigation

Connexions

You are here: Home » Content » Creating Adaptations of Published Content

Navigation

Lenses

What is a lens?

Definition of a lens

Lenses

A lens is a custom view of the content in the repository. You can think of it as a fancy kind of list that will let you see content through the eyes of organizations and people you trust.

What is in a lens?

Lens makers point to materials (modules and collections), creating a guide that includes their own comments and descriptive tags about the content.

Who can create a lens?

Any individual member, a community, or a respected organization.

What are tags? tag icon

Tags are descriptors added by lens makers to help label content, attaching a vocabulary that is meaningful in the context of the lens.

This content is ...

Affiliated with (What does "Affiliated with" mean?)

This content is either by members of the organizations listed or about topics related to the organizations listed. Click each link to see a list of all content affiliated with the organization.
  • CNX Documentation display tagshide tags

    This module is included inLens: Connexions Documentation
    By: ConnexionsAs a part of collection: "Connexions Tutorial and Reference"

    Comments:

    "The canonical how-to guide to using Connexions."

    Click the "CNX Documentation" link to see all content affiliated with them.

    Click the tag icon tag icon to display tags associated with this content.

  • JVLA Affiliated display tagshide tags

    This module is included inLens: Jesuit Virtual Learning Academy Affiliated Material
    By: Jesuit Virtual Learning AcademyAs a part of collection: "Connexions Tutorial and Reference"

    Click the "JVLA Affiliated" link to see all content affiliated with them.

    Click the tag icon tag icon to display tags associated with this content.

Also in these lenses

  • OER/LOR Connexions T display tagshide tags

    This module is included inLens: OER/LOR Connexions Training
    By: ConnexionsAs a part of collection: "Connexions Tutorial and Reference"

    Comments:

    "This collection has the basic training for authoring modules (chapters/sections) and collections (textbooks/courses etc)."

    Click the "OER/LOR Connexions T" link to see all content selected in this lens.

    Click the tag icon tag icon to display tags associated with this content.

Recently Viewed

This feature requires Javascript to be enabled.

Tags

(What is a tag?)

These tags come from the endorsement, affiliation, and other lenses that include this content.
 

Creating Adaptations of Published Content

Module by: Mark Husband, Max Starkenburg. E-mail the authors

Summary: Instructions for using the Derive Copy function from content editing and using the Reuse/Edit shortcut from content viewing.

What is an adaptation?

The Derive Copy function in Connexions allows you to create a derivative work ("adaptation") that is based on any published module or collection. An adaptation starts with a copy of existing content, to which you make changes and then publish as your own, with proper attribution to the original authors. The creation of adaptations is not a method of collaboration, though it is possible to add the original authors to your new content, should they wish to collaborate with you on your new adaptation.

Warning:

Any adaptations you create is a snapshot of the original at the time you created the work. If at a later time the original content is updated, your adaptation will not reflect those updates.

Adaptations are permitted under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which applies to all Connexions content. When you publish an adaptation, Connexions automatically adds an attribution statement that identifies the original work and its author, which is legally required by the Creative Commons Attribution License.

Examples

Some examples of adaptations are:

  • Adaptations of others' work: You may wish to create a module or collection that is similar to an existing one, but with some changes. For example, you may find an existing module with excellent explanations that uses an example that won't make sense for your students. You can create a derived copy with a new example. Or perhaps you want to you a module in your collection, but the module contains errors. You contact the original author and suggest corrections. The original author does not respond to your suggestions, so you create a derived copy of the module, insert your changes, and publish the new module.
  • Adaptations of your own work: For example, say you are teaching two mathematics courses, but that each course uses a different calculator. You can write modules that show instructions for functions using one of the calculators, and then derive a copy of those modules to show the same functions using the other calculator.
  • Translations: Derived copies provide a mechanism whereby content can be translated from one language into another.

Creating Adaptations

There are two ways to derive copies of existing content:

  1. If there is a published collection or module that you would adapt, you can now quickly derive a copy directly from the content page itself. At the top of each page of published content, there is now a Reuse / Edit dropdown link.
  2. Or you can checkout content to one of your work areas and derive a copy at a later time from the Edit Content page. (This method is more convenient especially if you wish to derive copies of multiple items. First do a batch checkout, and then derive a copy later.)

Through the "Reuse/Edit" menu

To check out an editable copy of a collection or module, Search the Content Repository for the content you want to copy. Click on the title of the content you want to copy.

Near the top right corner, select the menu reading Reuse / Edit and click the "Reuse or edit" link for the content you want to copy. (If you are viewing a module in the context of a collection, there are "Reuse or edit" links for both the collection and the module.)

Figure 1: The 'Reuse / Edit' menu in the Content Actions bar.
The 'Reuse / Edit' menu in the Content Actions bar.

You will be prompted to log in if you have not already done so. Then,

  • If you have permission to edit the content, it is assumed that you want to checkout a copy of the content. If you do actually wish to derive a copy and create an adaptation of your own content, you can do that from the Edit Content page after you checkout a new copy of the content (see below).

    You will be prompted to select a work area to edit the content in.

    Figure 2: 'Choose a work area to check out content to' popup.
    'Choose a work area to check out content to' popup.

    If you leave the "Edit the content now" checkbox selected, you will be redirected to the work area in order to immediately start editing the content.

  • If you do NOT have permission to edit the content, you will be prompted either to:

    • Derive a copy of the content. Deriving a copy allows you to adapt this content and then publish your adaptation.
    • Or check it out anyway. You might choose to checkout the content, even though don't have permission to publish changes. You may ask to be a co-author later, derive a copy later, or just want to see how the content is constructed.
    Figure 3: Derive a copy or check it out anyway.
    The pop-up with options to derive a copy or check it out anyway

    The next step in the pop-up will ask you to select a work area in which to edit the content.

    Figure 4: Choose a work area and accept the license.
    Choose a work area and accept the license.

    If you leave the "Edit the content now" checkbox selected, you will be redirected to the work area in order to immediately start editing the content. You will also need to agree to the Creative Commons Attribution License for your newly derived content. Agree to the license and click Yes, Create Copy to proceed.

    At this point, an adaptation of the original content will be checked out in the work area you selected above. All the contents of the new module or collection are exactly the same as the contents of the original. The metadata is the same, except for the roles. The roles now show you as an author, maintainer, and copyright holder. You can edit the content of the module or collection, its files, metadata, roles, and links as necessary.

From a checked out copy

If you chose to checkout content for which you did not hold the maintainer role, then if you try to publish the checkout, you will be prompted to derive a copy.

Figure 5: The "Publish" option is blocked.
'Publish blocked' message on the Publish tab.

You can derive a copy of any item in one of your Work Areas at any time. Click on the content to edit it. Then click the Derive Copy link in the Module Status portlet on the right side of the page.

Figure 6: The Module Status portlet with a "Derive Copy" link.
Module Status portlet.

Content actions

Download module as:

PDF | EPUB (?)

What is an EPUB file?

EPUB is an electronic book format that can be read on a variety of mobile devices.

Downloading to a reading device

For detailed instructions on how to download this content's EPUB to your specific device, click the "(?)" link.

| More downloads ...

Add module to:

My Favorites (?)

'My Favorites' is a special kind of lens which you can use to bookmark modules and collections. 'My Favorites' can only be seen by you, and collections saved in 'My Favorites' can remember the last module you were on. You need an account to use 'My Favorites'.

| A lens I own (?)

Definition of a lens

Lenses

A lens is a custom view of the content in the repository. You can think of it as a fancy kind of list that will let you see content through the eyes of organizations and people you trust.

What is in a lens?

Lens makers point to materials (modules and collections), creating a guide that includes their own comments and descriptive tags about the content.

Who can create a lens?

Any individual member, a community, or a respected organization.

What are tags? tag icon

Tags are descriptors added by lens makers to help label content, attaching a vocabulary that is meaningful in the context of the lens.

| External bookmarks