Customizing Course Templates

After you create a Course Template in ampEducator, you can customize its details by clicking the Edit icon next to it in the list. This will take you to the Details tab, where you’ll find various sections listed on the right-hand side for easy navigation.

The Details section within the Details tab allows you to define the core settings and structure of your Course Template. Here, you can set key course information, including:

In the Instructors section, you can add new instructors to a course. When adding an instructor, you’ll need to specify the level of Course Access you want to grant them. The New Instructor pop-up includes an explanation of each access level and what it allows the instructor to do. You can add multiple instructors, each with different access levels as needed.

In the Schedule section, you can define the course’s schedule by adding specific time slots for different components, such as lectures or labs.

Click Add Schedule Item to open a modal where you can set the Weekday, Start and End Times, and Attendance Hours. You can also enter an Identifier to label the session (e.g., in-class or lab) and choose a Resource, such as a classroom or lab space, if applicable.

Once saved, the schedule item is added to the Course Template, providing a preset structure when creating new courses.

Note: In order to use the schedule for taking attendance, you must first add it to Attendance Events (discussed below). The schedule itself simply creates a timetable for the course.

You can customize resources for your courses by going to Institution Config / Resources / Add New Resource. Resources can include things like materials, equipment, or facilities needed for your courses. Customizing and adding resources helps ensure that all necessary items are properly tracked and assigned to the right courses, streamlining your course management process.

When you create a new course using this template, the fees set in the Fees section will be automatically applied. You can create different fee classes for domestic and international Students, and the correct fee class will be assigned based on whether a Student is marked as an International Student in their profile.

To add a fee, click New Course Fee, then select the Fee Class, Revenue Account, Description, Amount, and select any applicable taxes. Within each fee class, you can add multiple fee items. Default accounts are available for Tuition, Registration Fees, Materials, and Other, making it easy to structure course fees as needed.

You can set prerequisites for your courses to prevent Students from enrolling if they have not completed the required prerequisite course. To add a prerequisite, click New Prerequisite, then select a course from the list of Course Templates—only courses listed as templates will be available. For this to work, any prerequisite course must also be set up as a Course Template.

Additionally, Enforce Prerequisites must be enabled in Institution Account / Courses / Defaults for prerequisites to be enforced during enrollment.

The Grading Schema in ampEducator allows you to define how different components of a course contribute to a student’s final grade.

When entering the Grading Schema, you will encounter 5 Grade Link Types: Assignment, Attendance, Evaluation, Test, and External LTI Tool. Each type corresponds to different fields that you'll need to fill out. The specific fields that appear will depend on the Grade Link Type you choose. For more detailed information on setting up and using these link types, refer to the LMS section of the guide.

Each grade type can be assigned a specific weight, and you can configure them based on your grading requirements. The schema can be customized to match your institution’s grading policies, ensuring that each grade component is accurately reflected in the final course grade. Once set up, the grading schema will automatically calculate and assign grades based on the criteria you've defined.

Note: Be sure that the total of all the grade components adds up to 100% to ensure accurate grade calculations.

Grade Groups in ampEducator allow instructors to organize their grade items into categories, making it easier to manage and track student performance. This feature is especially useful for courses that have multiple types of assessments, such as tests, assignments, and evaluations. Grade Groups help you organize these items into logical categories, set weighted values, and track the overall performance of students within each group.

To create a Grade Group within the Grading Schema section, click on the More Actions dropdown menu and select New Course Grade Group. Here, you can add a name for each group (e.g., Assignments) and assign a weight that reflects its value in the overall course grade. Once a Grade Group is created, you can add individual Grade Items (e.g., specific tests or assignments) to the group.

Each grade item can be given a weight that contributes to the total group weight. The weight of all grade items within a group must total the group’s overall weight, ensuring the total percentages align.

You also have the option to configure the Take Best feature within a group. This feature allows you to specify that only the best scores (e.g., top 4 out of 5) will be counted towards the final grade for that group.

Once set up in a course, grade groups are displayed in the Gradebook, showing both individual grades and group totals.

In the Grading Scale section, configure the relationship between letter grades, percentages, and grade point averages (GPA) for the course. You can disable any letter grade you don’t use for the course. Each letter grade represents a range between the mark assigned and the letter above it. For example, if A = 85% (3.7 GPA) and A+ = 90% (4.0 GPA), any mark between 85-89% would be assigned an A (3.7 GPA).

In the 'Custom Scales' section, you can create your own grading scales. You have the flexibility to choose whether you want grades to round to the closest value, round up, or round down.

The Documents section is where you can upload and manage course-related documents. To add files, click Upload Document(s) to upload up to 5 individual documents at a time. You can also choose whether or not Students will have access to each document.

If you have multiple files to upload at once, click More Actions and select Upload Zip Archive to upload a compressed folder.

Any documents you add here in the Course Template will automatically appear in the Documents section within the LMS tab when you create a new course from the template. This helps streamline course setup and ensures materials are readily available.

You can enable LMS content by scrolling to the bottom of the Details section of the Course Template and checking the Course LMS Content Enabled box. This will cause a new LMS tab to appear next to the Details tab, allowing you to create, manage, and organize course materials within the Learning Management System.

For comprehensive instructions on setting up, organizing, and managing Course Content, click here to be redirected to Courses / LMS / Content within this user guide.