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Administrators

Last Update för 11 dagar sedan

Avenue Reporting for Service Provider Administrators Profile Page Reports Accessing Avenue Courses Course and ePortfolio Access Instructions for SPO Managers Navigating to a Course from the Avenue Dashboard

Creating Collaborative Courses on Avenue.ca

Margarita Berezyanskaya

Last Update för 11 dagar sedan

Collaborative (shared) courses on Avenue.ca are a valuable tool for fostering instructor engagement and strengthening the instructional community - especially in remote or hybrid teaching environments. These courses function as shared workspaces where instructors can collaborate on course content, make better use of existing teaching materials, and support one another through knowledge exchange and professional development.

Why Use Collaborative Courses?

Collaborative courses offer a wide range of benefits for educators and program managers:


  • Team building opportunities
    Facilitate professional connection and cooperation among instructors, especially those working in different locations or departments.

  • Efficiency in learning object creation and reuse
    Save time and effort by sharing and recycling learning objects (e.g., H5P activities), eliminating the need for every instructor to build from scratch.

  • Centralized teaching resource hub
    Store and manage course materials in one accessible location, ensuring all instructors have access to up-to-date and consistent content.

  • Consistency across course delivery
    Promote alignment in how content is presented to learners, especially when multiple instructors are teaching similar courses or levels.

  • Collaborative planning environment
    Provide a shared space for planning units, lessons, and activities together, supporting a culture of co-teaching and peer feedback.

  • Time savings for instructors
    Reduce duplication of effort by enabling instructors to contribute to and draw from a common pool of ready-to-use materials.

  • Support for new instructor onboarding
    Offer new educators a rich resource base to help them get started quickly and confidently, with access to model content and teaching tools.

  • Platform for professional development
    Use the course space to host internal training sessions, share best practices, or organize collaborative learning opportunities for staff.

Steps to Set Up a Collaborative Course

If you are a program manager or admin setting up a shared course, follow these steps to get started:

1. (Optional) Appoint an experienced instructor or coordinator to oversee the shared course. This person can help coordinate contributions, encourage participation, and serve as the main point of contact.


2. To access the Course Builder and request a new course, click the Classroom link on the main portal page.



3. The Course Builder link is located in the navigation drawer. Click it to open the eUnit catalogue.



4. The eUnit catalogue displays the available eUnits using cards.

 


5. Pin/select at least two relevant eUnits that align with the content or instructional goals.


6. Click on the shopping cart icon to display the selected eUnits panel.

 


7. Click on the Request Course button at the bottom of the shopping cart panel.



8. In the New or existing course? drop-down menu select Create a new course, please.


9. Under Selected eUnits, you can rearrange the eUnits to set the order in which they will appear in the course.



10. Select a template if required.


11. Check Make this a sandbox/test course.



12. In the Course Details section:


  • Enter the New Course Name you would like to use for the course.
  • Select the Service Provider/School Board from the dropdown menu.
  • Enter the Site/School Name.
  • Enter the Course Start Date and Course End Date.
  • Select the Language of Instruction. 

Once all fields are completed and the information is accurate, click the Submit Course Request button at the bottom of the page.


13. Once the course is created, enrol all participating instructors and relevant administrative staff as Editing Teachers to ensure they have full access to add and modify content.


14. Add relevant blocks. The following blocks are recommended:


  • Sharing Cart block allows instructors to easily copy and share content between courses.

  • Mass Actions helps manage course items in bulk (e.g., duplicating, moving, or deleting activities).


15. Create topics to organize content by theme, skill area, or teaching strategy to support clarity and ease of use.
Note: For step-by-step instructions, refer to the Adding a New Topic to a Course Page article. 

16. Add resources to the General Section.


  • Include a welcome message, course purpose, and usage guidelines.

  • Post links to key articles (e.g., links to the articles on how to use the sharing cart and mass action blocks) and shared planning templates or tools.
Note: For step-by-step instructions, refer to the Linking to a Website (URL) article. 

17. Send an email or post an announcement within Avenue inviting instructors to explore the course, add content, and participate in shared planning. Encourage regular engagement by highlighting upcoming collaboration opportunities or areas in need of contributions.

Note: For step-by-step instructions, refer to the Announcements article.