Course activity types

Updated on 22 Nov 2023
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Activities

Activities are interactive items of content that you can add to a course. Unlike resources (which tend to be passive content items) activities encourage participation from learners and other course users - whether that be making a post, submitting an assignment, casting a vote, or another interaction. There is a wide range of different activity types available in Totara Learn, from interactive SCORM e-learning modules through to glossaries, forums, seminars, quizzes and more.

Activity type	Description	Related pages
Assignment	Tasks for learners to complete, either directly into the text editor or by uploading a file (e.g. a Word document).	Assignment activity settings Using assignment marking workflow
Blog	Spaces for learners to note their reflections and notes for others to read.	Enable the blog activity Blog settings Add a blog entry Edit a blog entry Delete a blog entry Share a blog entry Comment on a blog post Configure blog preferences Blog blocks Set up an RSS feed for a blog Add an external blog
Certificate	Provides a certificate (e.g. a PDF document) to prove that the learner has completed the course.	Certificate activity settings View issued certificates Customise certificates
Chat room	Live group discussions in a chat room.	Using the chat activity Chat activity settings
Choice	A poll consisting of a single question used to take a vote of enrolled users.	Choice activity settings Choice activity results
Database	A space for users to collaboratively create with text and files.	Set up a database activity Create database fields What are database templates? Edit a database template Set up a database preset Add a database entry Grade database entries Database capabilities
External tool	This activity allows you to incorporate content from external providers.	External tool activity settings Manage external tools Add an external tool to a course Add an external tool at the site level
Feedback	A series of questions and text input fields allowing learners to provide feedback about the course.	Feedback activity settings Feedback activity question types Set up a feedback activity Configure feedback question dependencies Edit a feedback activity question Map feedback activities Create a feedback template Use a feedback template Delete a feedback template Import and export feedback template questions Analysing feedback activity responses
Forum	A space for users to post comments and discuss topics relevant to the course. This is asynchronous communication, as opposed to the live discussions in the Chat room activity.	Create a forum activity Forum activity settings Configure forum preferences Using the forum activity Add and edit forum subscribers Archive a forum thread
Glossary	A collection of searchable and browsable definitions of terms relevant to the learning.	Glossary resource settings Add glossary entries Create glossary categories Import and export glossary entries
H5P	Author and edit content using H5P libraries, selecting from a range of different activities and interactions.	What is H5P? Install H5P content types Manage H5P libraries Create an H5P activity H5P activity settings
Lesson	A series of pages (or a single scrolling interface) presenting learning content and questions.	Lesson activity settings Designing lesson activities Create a lesson activity Import questions into a lesson activity Add content pages to a lesson activity Add a question to a lesson activity Add a question cluster to a lesson activity Manage lesson activity pages Grade essay questions in a lesson
Quiz	A series of questions intended to test learners' knowledge of the course content. This can optionally be graded.	Quiz activity settings Quiz capabilities Set up a quiz activity Configure quiz feedback Using quizzes Adding quiz questions Import and export quiz questions Quiz import and export settings Quiz activity results Setting up question banks Configuring quiz question behaviours See the Quiz activity questions section for more information on using the different question types.
SCORM package	E-learning modules following the SCORM standard.	Add a SCORM activity Update a SCORM activity SCORM troubleshooting SCORM reports SCORM activity settings
Seminar	Face-to-face or virtual training events managed via a Totara course.	What are seminars? Enable seminars Set up a seminar See the Seminar activity section for the full list of seminar documentation.
Survey	Premade surveys to help creators and trainers to understand the effectiveness of the course.	Set up a survey activity Survey activity settings Survey activity types Survey activity response reports
Wiki	An informative page (or set of pages) that learners can edit and contribute to.	Setting up a wiki activity Wiki activity settings Using the wiki activity
Workshop	An activity for learners to submit work and peer review others' work.	Using the workshop activity Workshop activity settings

Resources

Resources tend to be passive content items that are useful for distributing information. They are normally added to the course by a Trainer or Site Administrator and then accessed by Learners (or other Trainers). There is a wide range of different resource types available in Totara Learn which can add depth to your courses.

Resource type	Description	Related pages
Book	Multi-page resources divided into sections and chapters.	Book activity settings Add chapters to a book activity
Embedded media	Audio or video resources shown within the course page.	-
Folder	A selection of related files displayed in one folder.	Folder settings
IMS content package	A collection of files following the IMS standard.	Add an IMS content package IMS content package settings
Label	Labels allow you to add additional text or multimedia assets to the course page.	Add course content as a label Label settings
Page	Accessible and updatable web pages.	Create a page resource Page resource settings
URL	Allows you to add hyperlinks to other web pages and useful resources.	URL resource settings

Can't find what you're looking for? Contact us at documentation@totara.com. Alternatively, book a call to have a chat about your Totara platform with a dedicated Customer Success Manager.

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Activity completion

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Activities
Resources