Adding Course Materials in Brightspace

A module must be created before you can begin adding or creating content (“topics”) in Brightspace. Submodules can also be created to further categorize content. The following items provide you with the steps to add additional content and materials to a module.

On this page:

Accessibility Considerations for Course Materials

Keep in mind that these items must comply with accessibility and inclusion requirements. To learn more about how this can be accomplished, please visit the SUNY OSCQR Standards pages Content & Activities  and Design & Layout.  Brightspace, in conjunction with Anthology Ally, reviews all digital content added to a course and provides a meter gauge as an indicator.

Please note: the meter indicators are not visible to students, however, students will be able to select a more preferable option for how to access content by selecting the arrow next to the course item in question. Visit Brightspace's guide on improving the accessibility of course content using Anthology Ally

Adding Materials to Your Course

Caution when naming web pages (created using Creat a FIle)

When using  Upload/Create > Add a File, Brightspace creates a web page and stores it in the Manage Files area of the course.

Due to the way that Brightspace stores web pages in Manage Files, instructors must refrain from using names for web pages. Naming a new web page with an existing name, even in a different module, will overwrite the older version of the web page.

For example, instead of creating a web page in each module called Readings, name them Reading 1, Readings 2, etc.

You can add content using a variety of tools and methods in Brightspace.

  1. Go to a module in your course and click Upload/Create.
  2. Select one of the following options:
    • Upload Files: Add a file from your computer.
    • Video or Audio: Add a URL or embed code for a video or audio recording.
    • Create a File: Create content in Brightspace using the Brightspace Editor. You can apply a Document Template created by Brightspace that adds a professional—and accessible—look to your content. Use the Insert Stuff tool to add images, embed Panopto videos and more.
    • Create a Link: Direct users to a webpage outside of Brightspace. Be sure to check Open as External Resource to avoid security errors.
    • Add from Manage Files: Add content that has already been uploaded to the Manage Files area of the course. Manage Files is not accessible by students.
    • Add Object from LOR: If your unit is using a Learning Object Repository (LOR), you can pull content from LOR into your course.
    • New SCORM/xAPI Object: Add interactive content that was created in an eLearning authoring program such as Captivate, iSpring or Articulate.
    • New Assignment: Create an assignment directly in a module. The assignment will also be available in the Assignment tool.
    • New Checklist: Create a checklist.
    • New Discussion: Create a discussion directly in a module. The discussion will also be available in the Discussions tool.
    • New Quiz: Create a quiz. The quiz will also be available in the Quizzes tool.
    • New Survey: Create a survey. The survey will also be available in the Survey tool.
  3. Set additional settings (e.g., availability, release conditions, etc.) as desired. 

Copy Course Content Between Courses

In Brightspace, you start in the destination course (e.g., a current semester's course) and pull content from the source course (e.g., a previous semester's course).

  1. Go to your destination course.
  2. On the navbar, click Instructor Only and select Copy Course.
  3. Click Copy Components from Another Course.
  4.  Click Search for Course.
  5. In the search field, enter a source course's name or course ID and click Search.
    •  Clicking Search without entering anything in the search field will display a list of all your courses.
  6. Click the radio button to the left of the source course you want to copy to your destination course.
  7. Click Add Selected.
  8. At the bottom of the page, click Copy All Components (or you can copy a subset of the course by clicking Select Components).
  9.  Click View Content or Review and Manage Dates when Brightspace has finished copying the content.

Additional Content and Organization Resources