ANGEL Help and Information Guide
Support Forms
Master Courses
Table of Contents
Definition of a Master Course
An ANGEL master course is a special course an instructor can use to create a course template, complete with content. As opposed to an ANGEL learning object repository, used to share only "Lessons" tab content items, a master course includes all ANGEL course tabs (Syllabus, Calendar, Lessons, Resources, Communicate, Report, Manage), not just the "Lessons" tab. Once all content has been added to the master course, it can be shared with other instructors.
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Benefits of a Master Course
- You have a space where you can place all course content one time for others to access repeatedly.
- You can specify who can access a master course, from all people with editor rights in any course throughout the University down to the editor in a specific section of a specific course.
- Individuals with access to a master course can copy the entire course into their empty course.
- Using a master course is a great way to help achieve course consistency if the same course is taught by multiple instructors.
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Considerations when Using a Master Course
- Potentially, people who should not have access to a master course might gain access.
Although you may have set your master course to be available to other faculty within your own college or department, those faculty may grant course editor rights to individuals unknown to you. An editor has the same access to the course as the faculty member. These individuals may be undergraduate students taking the course, teaching assistants, staff, colleagues from other universities, or anyone granted full access to the faculty member's course. Once such individuals have full access to a course that has access to your master course, they will also have access to your master course. While this is a convenience in most cases, it is possible for individuals to view sensitive course information in your master course without your knowledge or consent.
If you have any questions or concerns about security of sensitive material that you wish to make available in ANGEL, you may submit your question through the ANGEL Support contact form and ANGEL Support staff will assist you.
- If others rely on your master course, it is your responsibility to update and maintain it.
- Please warn anyone accessing your master course to only import a master course into an empty course. Although it is difficult to do so, you can potentially wipe out existing content in a course if you press several wrong buttons in a row.
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An Alternative to Using a Master Course
If you have sensitive material in ANGEL you wish to share only with specific colleagues, consider creating an ANGEL group and adding those colleagues to the group. Group settings allow you ensure that only the individuals you specify can access the group and its contents.
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Create a Master Course
Complete the Master Course Request Form. The ANGEL Help Desk staff will then create a master course in a timely manner and notify you when it is ready.
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Add Content to a Master Course
Once your master course is created, it will appear on your "My Profile" page like a course. In fact, it is a course—just a specialized one. To add content to the master course, select its name to enter it and add content just as in a course.
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Access a Master Course
To use content from a master course to which you have been granted access:
- On "My Profile," select the name of the course into which you are importing the master course content.
- Select the "Manage" tab.
- Select the "Import Wizard" link beneath the "PSU Data Management" subheading.
- Select the "Master Course" link.
- From the pull-down menu, select the title of the appropriate master course.
- Click the "Import" button.
Caution: You should only import a master course into an empty course. Although it is difficult to do so, you can potentially wipe out existing content in a course if you press several wrong buttons in a row.
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Master Course Archiving Policy
Master Courses will be archived one year after the last time an editor has entered these repositories. Approximately one month before an inactive Master Course is to be archived, the editors of those repositories will receive an e-mail notification reminding them to access their repositories if they wish to keep them active. Archived repositories will be kept in long term storage for another two years before being permanently deleted.