Page Templates in eLearn

If you add pages to your course in eLearn they should be formatted to match the rest of the course. Typically, this means you will need to apply a template to the page. We strongly suggest you use one of the Vol State document templates when you create new pages of content in your eLearn course. Using these design templates will save you a great deal of time and help you create beautiful, accessible content.

Create a New Page and Apply a Template

1. Create a New Page.
   In the module where you want the new page, click the “Upload/Create” button and select “Create a Page” from the options shown.
2. Give the page a title.
3. Click the choose the best template for your page from the "Select Document Template" dropdown button.
   • Content with Table: Start with this template if you need a table anywhere on the page. If you need the table, be sure not to delete it out when you add your text. Instead, add and subtract columns and rows to make it fit your needs.
   • Module Introduction:  Start with this template at the beginning of each module. It has a fancy numbered list to help your objectives standout.
   • Syllabus: Start with this template for most syllabi, update each section to match your course.
   • Syllabus- Math and Science: Start with this template for Math and Science courses, it mirrors the approved department template but is in HTML format.
   • Content – General: Start with this template page for most general pages of content.
   • Content with References: Start with this template if your page has content from an outside source like an embedded YouTube video or text from a blog post or academic article. It has a place for you to cite your resource (model the citation style manual you would ask your students to use).
   • Content with Math Equations - MathJax: Start with this template if your page content has math equations. It improves accessibility by retaining the typical visual representation of the equations but also allows screen reader users to hear the alt text.
4. Highlight the page title (Heading Level 1) and replace the text with your new title.
5. Replace the "Lorum ipsum" placeholder paragraph with the body of your own content. Highlight the text in the template, paste or type over it with new text.
6. Add/adjust heading levels to the content to ensure you are making it accessible.

Keys for Success

• Use htmltidy.net to improve text formatting. If you are copying text from a web location, it should correctly format in eLearn. If you are copying text from another source (Word, PDF, etc.) you will need to run it through a text cleaner before pasting it into eLearn. If you skip this step, your text will retain the old formatting and not match the template. This 1-minute video shows how to use HTMLtidy.com.
  
  
• When you apply a template to a page, it will wipe out all of the current content. If you want to save the content that is currently on the page, copy the content and paste it into HTMLtidy.net just as a holding tank. Apply the new template and then copy the text from HTMLtidy back into eLearn. If you accidentally add a page template and forget to grab the text, click the cancel button at the bottom of the page. It will cancel the changes to the page and return it to the original content.
• Never delete the page title; it causes the side margin to disappear. If that happens, re-apply the template and then update the title and add page text.
• It is best to copy and paste small sections individually rather than the entire page at once. Copying smaller chunks makes it easier to see any inconsistencies and to use the undo command to return to the previous version of the document.