Introduction to the Elementary Experience - Instructors (Enterprise)

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Schoology is now offering a new experience for elementary learners. The new experience enables teachers to display their courses and materials in a more simplified and visual format that is engaging and easy to use for young learners. Teachers can enable Schoology's Elementary Experience for any course of their choosing. Students will then have access to an elementary-friendly user interface to interact with easily.

The Elementary Experience offers the following features:

• Simpler navigation: Students have access to a simplified course layout.
• New course view: Focused on a more visual and engaging experience.

• Brand new Assignment experience: Students can draw, record, photograph, annotate, and more to submit their work. The current phase of the Elementary Experience enables students to take a photo, record audio/video, upload a file, type, and submit to the assignment.
  
  

  

  • To get started with Elementary Experience, system administrators can enable Course Themes from Feature Options. Once enabled, this allows teachers to set the Elementary course theme in any of their courses.
  • For students using the Schoology mobile apps, reference these articles:
    • Using the Elementary Experience on the iOS Mobile App – Students (Enterprise)
    • Using the Elementary Experience on the Android Mobile App – Students (Enterprise)

What is the Elementary Experience exactly?

The Elementary Experience offers a simplified version of the course that is focused on engaging students more visually and efficiently. Instead of the traditional course menu navigation and Upcoming items on either side of the screen, students are presented with the most important content all at once. This includes a simplified course navigation menu and folders and course materials displayed as individual cards on the main page. The course navigation menu provides access to My Activities (Materials page) and any installed course apps. When students access course materials, they are arranged in a more simplified full-page display.

Teachers can customize the display of their course by adding featured images for each course material item and folder to further enhance their course and help increase engagement and stimulation.

Above: Course view in the Elementary Experience. This view shows a simplified course navigation menu on the left, along with folders and materials displayed as cards for a smooth experience. Each course item has a Featured Image displayed to the left.

Below: Assignment view in the Elementary Experience. Materials are displayed in a simplified full-page view.

Use the Back button to return to the previous page:

How do I enable the Elementary Experience for my class?

System administrators must first enable Course Themes for the school district before teachers can enable the Elementary Experience in a course.

Teachers can enable the Elementary Experience for any of their courses from Course Settings.

To enable the Elementary Experience:

1. Click Course Options from the desired course.
2. Select Edit Privacy / Course Settings.
3. Under Course View Settings, select Elementary from the Course Theme drop-down menu:
   

   

4. Click Save Changes to confirm.

The Elementary theme changes the display of your course for students only. Additionally, there is no option to select a course landing page since the Materials display is the main, simplified visual experience for elementary.

Teachers that wish to preview the student display for the Elementary Experience can use the View Course As feature to preview the course as the students do. Alternatively, teachers may create and add a test Student account to their course. Depending on your method of provisioning, this test account may be unenrolled after a daily sync. Contact your Support Contact if you have any questions about creating test accounts in your organization.

Who should the new Elementary Experience be enabled for?

Teachers may enable the new Elementary Experience for any of their courses based on students’ needs, grade levels, or accommodations. Schoology built this new experience to better serve the needs of K-5 grade levels with an emphasis on pre-readers.

How do I preview the course as my students see it?

Teachers may use the View Course As feature to see how the Elementary Experience displays for their students.

• To use View Course As, at least one member must be enrolled in the course.
• Teachers who would like to use View Course As before their course members have been provisioned should contact their System Admin.

To preview a course:

1. Click Course Options under the course profile picture.
2. Select View Course As.
3. Choose a student from the list and navigate the course from their perspective.
   

   

4. Once you have finished previewing your course as that member, click Exit to return to your regular course display as a teacher. If you need to preview the course as a different student, repeat the previous steps.