Adding a Glossary Activity
Margarita Berezyanskaya
Last Update a month ago
The Glossary activity is a very flexible activity. Students and the teacher(s) can use it to create and maintain a list of definitions, like a dictionary, or to collect and organize resources or information. Comments on entries can be allowed and rated by teachers or other students. In fact, the rating can be incorporated into the grade book. Images and audio can be included in the Glossary entries. Entries can be searched or browsed alphabetically or by category, date or author. Another setting automatically links the concept words and/or phrases to the definition.
Using the Glossary Activity to Enhance Blended Learning
In addition to the traditional collaborative bank of key terms provided by the teachers, students can take more ownership of this actively and build the Glossary based on in-class activities. A Glossary could be added to a course for students to write about themselves.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Adding a Glossary Activity
1. On your course, click the Turn editing on button.
2. Click the Add an activity or resource link in the topic where you want to add this activity.
The Add an activity or resource window appears.
4. The Adding a new Glossary page appears.
Settings in the General section are used to set the general information about the activity.
5. Type a descriptive name in the Name text box.
9. Select No in the Approved by default setting if students are allowed to contribute to the Glossary and you want to approve an entry before it is available to other students.
14. There are seven different formats available in the Display format setting. They include the default Simple, dictionary style, as well as Encyclopedia, Entry list and other formats.
21. The Roles with permission to rate setting indicates who can rate postings.
25. The Availability setting is used to Show/Hide the activity. This is identical to using the Show/Hide icons when the Turn editing on function is enabled.
29. Upon selecting the Add a restriction... button, a restriction pop-up appears.
30. Click the Save and return to course button to save/update the activity.
Adding a Single Entry to Your Glossary
1. Click a Glossary link on the course home page.
2. Click on the Actions menu icon.
3. Click Add a new entry.
The Add a new entry page appears.
5. Enter the item in the Concept text box.
9. When the This entry should be automatically linked option is enabled, a hyperlink to the Glossary definition will be automatically created wherever that Glossary item appears in the course.
Note: Hyperlinks will not be created in the SCORM pages.
10. When the This entry is case sensitive option is enabled, only items that match the case (upper and lower) will be automatically linked.
Adding Audio to a Glossary Entry
Audio can be added to a Glossary entry using the Record Audio tool in the Definition toolbar.
Refer to the Label module – Creating a Label (with Audio or a YouTube video) article for instructions on using the Record Audio tool. (See Recording audio in a label.)
Importing Glossary Entries
To import multiple glossary entries into your Glossary, refer to the Importing Entries into a Course Glossary from the Repository article.
Exporting Glossary Entries
1. On the Glossary page, click on the Actions menu icon.
2. Click Export entries in the drop-down list.
Deployment Tips
The Random glossary entry block is a dynamic way to use a glossary and keep a course page refreshed. Instructions for this block can be found in the Random Glossary Entry Block article.
Video Resources
This video explains how to add a glossary to a course and the settings. It also demonstrates how to use the Random glossary entry block.
Resources