How do I set up the Topics course format?

The Topics format is a course format that organises your course into topic sections that a course creator can rename. This format also allows the course creator to add a description for the section. Each section will track and make note of the types of resources and activities that have been added to that section.

The Brookes VLE template for academic courses is based on the Topics course format.

From September 2023 all academic modules (i.e. the ones with a module code that are linked to Banner, our Student Record System) will use the new Brookes VLE template which provides accessibility improvements, consistency and standardises layout, number of core sections and labelling.

All course sections are collapsible which reduces scrolling (especially for courses with a lot of content) and they can be collapsed/expanded individually or all at once.

For more guidance on how to use the new Brookes VLE template, please see our documentation.

How do I use the course format?

Once you are in your course homepage:

1. From the course homepage, click on the cog wheel to access Settings (top right).
2. Click Edit Settings.
3. Click Expand all from the top right.
4. Scroll down to find the Course Format section.
5. Click the drop-down menu next to Format (first option) to reveal the available course formats and choose Topics format.
6. Click the drop-down menu net to Course layout (third option) to reveal the options for customising the Topics format.
7. Scroll down and click Save and display.