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Create an Activity

Create custom activities that combine your own questions with textbook questions.

The same questions will be given to every student.

Important The activity bank, question bank, and question editing are not available for all courses.

Your learning path is organized with either units or folders at the top level. Follow the pattern of the existing content in your learning path when adding new units and folders.

A unit can be placed in a folder, but not in another unit.

A folder can be placed in a unit, but not in another folder.

Activity Types

Each activity type applies certain settings for grading, feedback, and attempts. These settings may vary depending on your course. To view the default activity settings for your course, click User menu > Course Settings > Activity Settings and select an activity type.

You can edit both the default settings for an activity type and the settings for an individual activity.

Course Readiness
Assessment of prerequisite skills and concepts with follow-up activities to help students refresh their knowledge of essential topics before class.
Why Does "This" Matter To Me? and Reconsider the Issue Polling
Introduction to the chapter topics with Credit / No Credit grading and immediate feedback.
Learn It
Instructional content and assessment questions presented side-by-side to help students understand key concepts.
Study It
Practice assessments to help students review key concepts.
Apply It
Homework, assessments, and case study content to help build critical thinking skills.
Additional Resources
Videos and case studies with concepts from multiple chapters.
Quizzes and Tests
Evaluate student understanding without hints or multiple attempts.
Before you begin

This task is different depending on the version of MindTap used in your class.

If these directions do not match what you see in your class, click MindTap version in the toolbar above and select your MindTap version.

  1. Click + Add / Create > Activity.
  2. Click Activity Bank.

    The activity bank opens, showing all available MindTap activities for your course.

  3. Click New Activity.
  4. In Enter name of activity, enter the title the activity will display in the learning path.
  5. Select an activity type.
  6. Click Create Activity.
  7. Optional: Click Activity Settings to view and edit behavior for this activity.
    Question Attempts
    How many times the student can submit a question (1-10).
    Show Correct Answer
    When to show students the answer key for the activity.
    Show Correctness Marks (✓ / ✗)
    When to show students whether their answers are correct or not.
    Show Feedback
    When to show students any available hints or guidance for how to answer the question.
    Show Points Possible
    When to show students the available points for each question.
    Show Earned Score
    When to show students their earned points for each question.
    Grading Policy
    Count either the student's Best Attempt (recommended) or Last Attempt for the final activity score.
    Does this count toward a grade?
    If turned on, the activity score is used as part of the overall course grade.
    Set Credit / No Credit threshold?
    If turned on, award full credit when the student achieves the threshold score. The threshold determines the point at which the score is 0 or 100.
    Limit the time to complete?
    If Yes, set a time limit on the activity.
    1. Click Apply Settings to save your changes.
  8. Add a question to your activity.

    Add an existing question from the question bank:

    The question bank is not available for all courses.

    1. Click Question Bank.
    2. Optional: Filter the question bank to find questions you want.
    3. To preview a question, click Preview.
    4. Select questions to add.
    5. Click Add to Activity.

    Create your own question:

    1. Click New Question.
    2. Select a question type.
    3. Enter your question and possible responses.
    4. Click Save.
    The new question is added to your activity.
  9. To continue adding questions, click Add Question.
  10. When you are finished creating your activity, click Save and Close.
  11. In the Editing Activity window, set the activity title, description, dates, and location in the learning path to assign the activity to your course.
    Title
    Label for the activity in the learning path.
    Description
    Information or instructions displayed when the activity is opened.
    Require Password
    Password protection for scoreable activities to prevent students from accessing them ahead of time.
    Available Date
    When students can start work on the activity.
    Due Date
    When students must end work on the activity.
    Associated Topic
    Textbook topic related to the activity.
    Order Within Topic
    Position in the learning path under the specified topic.
  12. Click Add.

  1. At the top of the learning path, click + Activity > Activity.
  2. Click Create New > Create Activity.
  3. Enter a title in Activity title and click Save.
  4. To add questions from the question bank, click  Browse Question Bank.
    1. Optional: Filter the question bank to find questions you want.
      Browse questions by:
      • Question Source
      • Question Type
      • Categorization
      • Chapter/Subchapter
      • Certification
      • Difficulty
    2. Optional: To search question content, enter your search criteria in Find by content and click Search.
    3. To preview a question, click Preview.

      To view the question answer, click Check Answer.

    4. To view more questions, click  Previous or Next  at the top or bottom of the question list.
    5. Select questions and click Add Question(s).
    6. Click  Back to return to the activity editor.
  5. To create and add your own question, click + Create Question.
    1. Click Add New.
    2. Click a question type and add your question.
    3. Click Save.
    4. Click  Back to return to the activity editor.
  6. To view your activity, click Preview.
  7. Click Save.
  8. Optional: To schedule your activity now, click Assign This Activity.
    You can also schedule your activity later from the Activity Bank.
    1. Enter your assignment information and click Next.
      Title
      Label for the activity in the learning path.
      Description
      Information or instructions displayed when the activity is opened.
      Date Available
      When students can start work on the activity.
      Date Due
      When students must end work on the activity.
      Total Points Possible
      How many points the activity is worth in the gradebook.
      Password
      Optional: Require password protection for the activity.
      Timer
      Optional: Set a time limit for students to complete the activity.
    2. Click an activity type in the Settings Group dropdown to apply a set of scoring and feedback settings.
    3. Click Next.
    4. Optional: Set any student accommodations for this activity.
    5. When you are finished, click Save All.
    6. Set the activity's location on the learning path in Folder and Placement.
    7. Click Save.

Video

Video: Add Prelab Activities to MindTap Biology Courses

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