Build and Manage Your PPN Learn Course

If you are assigned the Front-end Editing Teacher role in a PPN Learn course, you can help manage the learning experience for your participants. Depending on your course and assigned permissions, this may include updating course content, adding activities and resources, communicating with learners, and reviewing participation and completion.

This guide introduces common course-management tasks and helps you choose the appropriate PPN Learn tools for what you want learners to do.

Before You Make Changes

Before editing an established or published course, consider whether the change could affect:

  • Current learners or cohorts
  • Activity or course completion requirements
  • Assessments or grades
  • Continuing education requirements
  • Existing learner progress or completion records
  • Links or instructions elsewhere on PPN Learn
  • Approved or previously reviewed educational content

Important: Before making significant changes to an established learning product, contact your PPN Education team point person to discuss the potential effect on learners, tracking, reporting, and approved content.

Turn Editing On

To make changes within your course:

  1. Open your course.
  2. Turn Edit mode on.
    Edit mode toggle in a PPN Learn course
  3. Navigate to the section, activity, or resource you want to update.
  4. Use the available editing options to add, move, edit, hide, duplicate, or remove content.
    Editing menu with options for managing course content

The options available to you depend on your assigned role and the configuration of the course.

Tip: If an expected editing option is unavailable, the restriction may be intentional. Contact your PPN Education team point person instead of changing other settings to work around it.

Choose the Right Activity or Resource

Select an activity or resource based on what learners need to do. The table below provides guidance for several commonly used PPN Learn tools.

I want learners to... Consider using...
Read instructions, introductory information, or brief course content Text and media area
Open or download a document, template, handout, or presentation File
Visit an external website, video, tool, or partner resource URL
Submit written work or upload a file Assignment
Participate in a discussion, reflection, or question-and-answer activity Forum
Answer questions that can be evaluated or scored Quiz
Complete an ungraded survey or provide feedback Questionnaire
Complete multimedia or interactive learning Interactive Content
Complete a packaged eLearning module with progress tracking SCORM Package

Share Information or Instructions

A Text and media area is useful for information learners should see directly on the course page, including:

  • Section introductions
  • Instructions
  • Learning objectives
  • Brief explanatory content
  • Images, links, reminders, or callouts

Keep course-page content concise and easy to scan. Longer educational content may be better suited to a separate resource or activity.

Share a Document or External Resource

A File is appropriate when learners need to open or download a document, worksheet, template, reference document, or presentation.

Give files descriptive, learner-friendly names instead of displaying only the uploaded filename.

Preferred: Community Exercise Planning Worksheet

Less helpful: final_document_v3.pdf

A URL is appropriate when an external website, video, online tool, or partner resource is an intentional part of the learning experience.

Configure external resources to open in a new window or tab when appropriate so learners can easily return to PPN Learn.

Collect Learner Work or Feedback

An Assignment is useful when learners need to submit something for review. Depending on its configuration, learners may enter text, upload a file, receive feedback, or receive a grade.

A Questionnaire can collect ungraded responses such as course feedback, needs assessments, learner reflections, program evaluations, or experience surveys.

Create Discussion or Interactive Learning

A Forum is useful for asynchronous discussion, reflection, collaboration, introductions, case discussions, or learner questions.

Before opening a forum, add an introductory post explaining its purpose, how learners should participate, and what they should contribute.

Interactive Content can provide multimedia or interactive learning experiences. Before selecting this option, consider accessibility requirements and whether learner participation or completion needs to be tracked.

Assess Knowledge or Track eLearning Completion

A Quiz is appropriate when learners need to answer questions that can be evaluated or scored. Quizzes may support knowledge checks, formal assessments, passing-score requirements, feedback, and activity or course completion.

Important: Changes to an existing quiz may affect learner attempts, grades, or completion. Consult the PPN Education team before making significant changes to an assessment already in use.

A SCORM Package is commonly used for interactive eLearning developed in an external authoring tool. Depending on the package and configuration, SCORM may report:

  • Attempts
  • Completion status
  • Passing or success status
  • Scores
  • Time spent
  • Learner interactions

Important: Do not replace or substantially modify an active SCORM activity without first consulting the PPN Education team. Changes may affect existing learner progress, attempts, and completion records.

Move, Hide, Duplicate, or Remove Content

With editing enabled, you may see several options for managing existing course content.

Move

Change where an activity, resource, or section appears within the course.

Hide

Temporarily prevent learners from accessing an item while keeping it available to authorized course staff.

Duplicate

Create a copy of an existing activity or resource as a starting point for another item.

Delete

Remove an activity or resource from the course.

Use caution when deleting content. An activity may already contain learner participation, submissions, attempts, completion information, or other records.

If learners have already used an activity, do not delete it solely to replace or reorganize content. Contact your PPN Education team point person if you are unsure how the change could affect existing learner records.

Before Publishing Your Changes

After editing your course, review the experience from the learner’s perspective.

Course Review Checklist

  • Instructions are clear.
  • Activity and resource names are understandable.
  • Links work.
  • Files open correctly.
  • Required activities are visible.
  • Activities appear in the intended order.
  • Completion requirements match the intended learning experience.
  • Assessments behave as expected.
  • Hidden or draft materials are not unintentionally available.
  • Learners can determine what they are expected to do next.

Recommended: For substantial changes, ask your PPN Education team point person to review or test the course before learners begin.

Need Help?

Contact your PPN Education team point person if you:

  • Are unsure which activity or resource to use
  • Need to change course completion requirements
  • Need to modify an assessment
  • Want to add or replace a SCORM package
  • Are making significant changes to an established course
  • Encounter unexpected learner completion or tracking behavior
  • Need functionality that is unavailable with your assigned role

The PPN Education team can help determine the best approach while protecting the learner experience and existing course records. If you do not know your PPN Education team point person, contact PPN Learn Support .