Schoology's elementary experience provides a simplified, visual course layout designed to engage younger learners and make course content easier to navigate.
Key features include:
-
A simplified course layout with streamlined navigation
-
A more visual experience with card-based course materials and folders
-
The ability for teachers to add images to folders and materials
-
Flexible assignment submissions, including file uploads, typed responses, photos, audio recordings, video recordings, and annotations
To use the elementary experience, system administrators must enable Course Themes in Feature Options. Instructors can then apply the elementary course theme to any of their courses.
Enable the elementary experience for a class
System administrators must 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.
-
Select Course Options for the course.
-
Select Edit Privacy / Course Settings.
-
From Course View Settings, select Elementary from the Course Theme drop-down menu.
-
Click Save Changes to confirm.
The elementary theme only changes your course display for students. Additionally, there is no option to select a course landing page since the Materials display is the primary experience for elementary.
Teachers can use the View Course As feature to preview the elementary experience for the course from a student's perspective. Alternatively, teachers can 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 PowerSchool Support if you have questions about creating test accounts in your organization.
Teachers can enable the elementary experience for any of their courses based on students’ needs, grade levels, or accommodations. Schoology built this experience to better serve the needs of Grades K through 5, especially pre-readers.
Preview the course from the students' perspective
Teachers may use the View Course As feature to preview 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 want to use View Course As before their course members have been provisioned should contact their system administrator.
-
Click Course Options from the course profile picture.
-
Select View Course As.
-
Choose a student from the list and navigate the course from their perspective.
-
After you finish previewing your course as that student, 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.