A guide on how to organize your class using GLOW.
Organizing Your Class in Glow
Please visit the VRC Demo Course in Glow to view all of these options as a student.
- Add an Image for Your Course
In Settings, Course Details, click the Image button to select an image for your course that will appear as the thumbnail on the dashboard for you and your students. You can drag and drop, browse to an image on your computer, or choose Unsplash to search broad categories: sculpture, painting, dots, etc. Remember that students have a choice of transparent color films that will overlay the image, so simple images and graphics that do not rely on specific colors work best.
- Use Modules for Your Home Page and Start with Course Essentials
This is the default setting in Glow and will allow you to easily organize your course by week, lecture, or topic. To avoid endless scrolling, modules may be expanded to show greater detail or contracted to display an outline. Add a module called Course Essentials at the top of your site that includes your most important and frequently accessed information, such as your syllabus, Zoom links, timeline, introductory videos, etc. Modules can be dropped and dragged into any order you choose and I would recommend putting the most current module directly below Course Essentials.
- Add a Variety of Resources for Each Additional Module and Publish on Schedule
Add recorded lectures, PDF readings, links to external URLs, discussions, assignments, and quizzes. Publish when you are ready for the students to begin work on that content. To pre-schedule the release of a module, in Edit, check Lock until and specify a date and time. Students will appreciate a regular schedule.Artstor image groups can be added easily to modules as external URLs. In Artstor, under Share, select generate group link, and click the Copy to Clipboard button. In Glow, click the + button for the module, External URL, paste the URL, name the Page, click Load in a new tab, and Add Item.
- Add a Webcam Video to Discussions, Pages, Announcements, Assignments, etc.
You and your students can easily record and upload a webcam video in Glow anywhere there is a Rich Content Editor window. Click the button with the play symbol and the music note and select Upload/Record Media. In the next window, choose Record, Finish, and Save. This is the ideal tool for recording casual video updates for your students or asking them to respond to discussions in video format.
- Use Student View to test
But what do my students see when they look at my Glow course site? That’s easy! On your course homepage, in the top right corner, click the glasses for Student View. A magenta border appears to remind you that you are now viewing the course as a test student. You can even submit responses as this student to test out your course. Click the Leave Student View at the bottom to return to your teacher view and advanced editing rights and features.
- Remove Extra Menu Items from Navigation, especially Files
Keep things clean and simple for your students by removing unnecessary items from the left sidebar menu. It is especially important to remove Files from student view if you are publishing modules on a set schedule. Students have been known to access content early through Files even if the module has not been published yet. Go to your course Settings, select the Navigation tab, and drag down any items that you wish to keep hidden from student view.
- Store Your Pre-recorded Lectures and Videos in the Course Media Gallery not Files
The Course Media Gallery (Panopto) has unlimited storage for all of your pre-recorded lectures and video content. Glow Files has a storage limit and you might reach max capacity given the very large size of video files. It’s easy to upload a video file to the Course Media Gallery even if it was not recorded in Panopto. Open the Media Gallery and click on the Create button, select Upload media, and drag your files.
- Embed Your Pre-recorded Lectures on Pages to Add to a Module
The best way to add a video or pre-recorded lecture to a module is by embedding the video on a Page. Once the video has been uploaded to the Course Media Gallery, click on the + button next to your module and select Add Page and [New Page]. Title the page with the name of the lecture or video. Click the Add Item button. Click on the page title to open and then click the Edit button. Click the green button for the Course Media Gallery and then choose your video and click insert. Click Save.
Please feel free to contact Amy if you have any questions.
Amy McKenna, Visual Resources Curator, [email protected]
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