The MVP for the Content Libraries Overhaul enables course authors to create and manage course components (text, video and problems) independently of the course outline, and to reuse components in as many courses as they wish, with the ability to sync updates centrally.
The next phase expands Library support to units, subsections and sections.
This expansion will enable Libraries to support the full range of use cases identified in initial product discovery phases. Most importantly, it will enable course authors to create units, subsections and sections - in other words, full learning sequences - independently of the course outline, and reuse these learning sequences freely.
Functional Requirements
Similar to the Libraries MVP, this phase of work includes user stories that bridge workflows in both Libraries and in courses, more specifically the Course Outline page.
Functional requirements: Library Side
Users can create new units, subsections and sections in a Library
Users can add and remove units, subsections and sections from Collections
User can add and remove tags to units, subsections and sections
Search, filter and sort applies to units, subsections and sections
Users can publish units, subsections and sections
Functional requirements: Course Side
Users can search Libraries for units, subsections and sections from within the course outline
Users can select units, subsections and sections from Libraries to use from within a course outline
Users receive notifications about content updates made in a library
Users can review and accept/deny content updates
Users can edit/modify re-used units, subsections and sections with options to keep or break the library sync [This requirement needs to be fleshed out in more detail based on user needs and what’s feasible]
Users can track key metadata on Library content, including which courses it’s used in
UX/UI Needs
Library-side
Libraries must support a creation workflow for creating new units, subsections and sections
Libraries must support an editing workflow/editor environment for units, subsections and sections
In-context sidebars must be expanded such that each unit, subsection and section has a sidebar.
Needs discovery: Are previews necessary? Even possible?
Library Home must contain one tab each for units, subsections and sections, where users see a filtered view by content type
All of the searching, sorts and filters that apply to components must be extended to units, subsections and sections.
Course-side
Course outline page must be redesigned to include the ability for authors to access a library from within a course, search for content, choose a unit, subsection or section, and pull it into a course
Needs discovery: How will authors choose where in the course outline to place the library content? What would it take to make the “reuse content” workflow a persistent option from the course outline page?
Library sync page must be updated to include any content syncs from re-used units, subsections and sections
Content blocks from Libraries must contain fine-grained editing/modification capabilities, so that authors can add content to a re-used section while retaining the sync on the original content
Out of scope
Unit page additions. For now, authors will not be able to add library content to the horizontal course nav bar from the Unit page. Instead, all library content at the unit level and above will be added from the Course Outline page.
Implementation Contingencies
Open Questions
I’m not too familiar with the plans of this feature. If my questions are off-topic or already answered, feel free to remove them.
When the course author is editing a section or a subsection, how/can the UI display the context of the unit being edited? Current implementations replace the entire browser window with the editor, obscuring information about the section and subsection. See this comment for more details.
A common workflow for larger courses is for multiple authors and editors to collaborate in another tool (e.g. Google docs) and then copy and paste the content into the editor. Can this be supported, and streamlined?
Can we establish minimum performance expectations for opening content for editing? These should be based on real-world legacy content.