Module Publisher Content Options

Summary In the Module Publisher, the body of a module can be built in four ways. PaT, the main LMS publisher, builds the module from elements, much like an SD, with a preview of what the student will see. Custom stores documents you have already written elsewhere, as an original file plus a pdf. Html is for advanced users who can code in HTML. SD, the recommended option, links the module to a strategy document, which lets students comment on it and manages version control automatically. Each option stores and presents the content differently.

Steps

Step 1

The Module Publisher has two sections. The header section, at the top, manages how the module's content is distributed within the organisation: which roles need to study it and how often it is presented. The body section, below it, determines how the content is stored and presented. Choose how to build the body with the four options at the left of the dark bar under the header: PaT, Custom, Html and SD.

Step 2

Select PaT, the first option, to use the main PaT LMS publisher. It works in a similar way to an SD.

Step 3

As you build the module, preview it to see how it looks: click the page icon at the top left of the screen, the first of the three icons under the PaT logo. The preview shows the module in a pdf viewer, which is what the student will see.

Step 4

Build the module from the 11 elements in the row of buttons above the body: paragraph, comment, step, decision, warning, anecdote, image, tip, remember, do and dont. They are similar to the elements in an SD. To add a paragraph, click and hold paragraph, drag it into the body and let go. Most people enjoy building modules this way. The publisher is loosely modelled on the "Books for Dummies" range: icons draw the student's attention to the different ideas you want them to understand, and images help anchor an idea better than text alone.

Custom: your own documents

Step 5

To build the module in your favourite word-processing app instead, select Custom, the second option. PaT stores your source documents.

Step 6

Two boxes appear in the body. Original Files, the purple box on the left, is where you upload your source documents. It is ideal for pre-written policies, SOPs or any other documents, and a great way to get up and running quickly if you already have them.

Step 7

First upload the original file: click upload files here in the Original Files box. It will usually be in a word-processing format such as Word or Google Docs, or even Excel if it prints nicely to an A4 or letter-sized pdf.

Step 8

Then upload a pdf version of the document: click upload files here in Module Pdf, the yellow box on the right. The files saved in each box are listed in the table under it, which has a Submit button.

Step 9

With Custom, you manage version control yourself, by naming your files clearly: for example [module name]V1, [module name]V2 and so on, for both the original files and the module pdf files. To change the module later, download the latest original file, edit it and save it as the next version, with a name to match. Then create a pdf of it and upload both new files. In the Module Pdf section, PaT asks you which pdf to use as the current one.

Html: for advanced users

Step 10

Select Html, the third option, if you can code in HTML: it is for advanced users. An editor opens in the body. Modules built in HTML are the fastest to load.

Step 11

For tips and instructions on using the Html option, click Tips for inserting videos or SDs under the editor. A page opens with the code for inserting a video into the HTML area of a module. The video must be added with its embed link.

Step 12

These are instructions for uploading a youtube video, and a loom video.

SD: the recommended option

Step 13

Select SD, the fourth option, to build the module in a strategy document (SD). PaT recommends that all of your content ends up in SD format eventually, because: - Students can comment on topics as they view the module, which unlocks community learning. Over time, questions are asked and answered, keeping the content dynamic and current. - Comments go automatically to the module's author (the SD Owner), so the student doesn't need to know who owns it. - When an author leaves, an automated workflow hands the SD over to their supervisor, who can keep it or reassign it when a replacement is hired. So modules are never orphaned, forgotten or neglected when people leave, and the content stays fresh and current for new staff.

Note. In an SD, students step through the material at their own pace by expanding and collapsing Section Headers, which removes peripheral distractions and lets them stage their own learning. SDs look great and are easy to navigate on mobile phones as well as desktop screens. Section Headers can also hold rich extra context, such as videos, images or interactive demos, that helps drive a point home without cluttering the screen or distracting from the key message.

Step 14

In the Sd URL box, paste the link to the SD that holds the module's material, then click Update SD URL under it. PaT detects that an SD link has been pasted and treats that SD as an LMS document from then on.