Popular searches

Teaching with Folio

Contact Info

Folio is Georgia Southern University’s branded version of the D2L Brightspace learning management system. It allows faculty to share resources, collect assignments, provide feedback, and update grades for students in courses across modalities.

What is Folio?

Folio is Georgia Southern University’s branded version of the D2L Brightspace learning management system (LMS). A Folio course shell is created for all courses, regardless of the modality. By using Folio, faculty can conveniently share resources, collect assignments, provide feedback, and make grades transparent for ALL students. In addition, Folio is the platform used to administer fully online courses. However, it can be used by all modalities to enhance your teaching.

Folio for Online Instruction

Folio provides a comprehensive platform for designing and delivering online courses. Folio contains a flexible suite of tools for creating custom content for online delivery. Instructors can promote student engagement and successful learning outcomes through the utilization of the many tools and features. Organize content units of instruction (modules) of all related materials and learning activities. Folio features allow you to design and deliver content for a transformative environment for teaching and learning.

Folio for Face-to-Face Instruction

How Does Folio Work as A Supplement to Face-to-Face Courses?

Folio provides tools to supplement face-to-face (F2F) instruction by providing additional online information. Students can access content for courses they are enrolled in through Folio. Georgia Southern provides Folio course sites for all course modalities automatically. 

Folio modules allow you to organize units of related materials that students can access from any device with an internet connection. You can use Folio’s features to help manage your courses, such as Gradebook and Assignments. Organized content in modules makes great stand-alone resources to review materials, videos, images, and self-paced activities such as practice quizzes). You can also use the Quizzes feature to provide online practice quizzes. Folio also allows you to try new teaching practices such as flipped classroom models.

Folio Navigation

Folio Tech Support: Technical support for Folio is provided by the Learning Technologies Support (LTS) team.

Folio Tools, Templates & Tutorials

Explore a comprehensive collection of resources to support your teaching with Folio, Georgia Southern’s learning management system. Whether you’re new to online instruction or looking to enhance your existing course design, these guides, templates, and video tutorials will help you create engaging, accessible, and effective learning experiences. Topics include course setup, communication tools, grading, discussions, intelligent agents, and more—organized to support faculty in every modality.

The Folio Learning Path (FLP) is a fully online, self-paced (non-facilitated) course that is a prerequisite for the Teaching Online Courses Workshop (TOC). The FLP includes practice activities to familiarize you with Folio tools and to enhance your ability to utilize Folio resources for a more efficient teaching and class management experience.

With (4) Action Plans and 1 Capstone Reflection, the FLP offers your the opportunity to earn a Teaching with Technology (TWT) badge by submitting a total of four (4) Action Plans and a Reflection at the course’s completion.

Update May 2025

The Folio Learning Path is being updated to reflect the changes due to the release of the New Content Experience.

Registration Temporarily Closed

Teaching with Folio is a faculty resource that guides you in using Folio to support instruction in all modalities.

If you need assistance applying the tutorials to your course, submit a Help Ticket: Faculty Center Teaching Services Request (select Faculty Center).

Folio Learning Path (FLP)

This self-paced tutorial is designed to provide lessons on navigating and using Folio tools and concepts. This course contains hands-on activities to practice Folio tools.

Register for the Folio Learning Path

Accessing Folio

Folio can be accessed from myGeorgiaSouthern.

Announcements & Emails

Instructors can post important announcements or communicate course updates using the Announcements tool in Folio.

In Folio, the Announcements tool enables you to communicate course updates, changes, and new information to students quickly and effectively by displaying on the course’s homepage–the first page that students see when they log in or access their courses.

There are two ways to create Announcements in Folio.

Example 1:

  1. From the course homepage, Click on Communications in the navigation bar and select Announcements.
  2. Click on the New Item button
  3. Add a Title/Headliner
  4. Add content for your announcement
  5. If you wish, you may add a start/end date
  6. Click Publish

Example 2:

  1. From the course’s homepage, scroll down to the Announcements area
  2. Click on the down-arrow next to Announcements and select New Announcement.
  3. Add a Title/Headliner
  4. Add content for your announcement
    If you wish you may add a start/end date.
  5. Click Publish

Assignment Essentials

Learners can use the Assignment tool to upload and submit work directly to an assignment folder in Folio, eliminating the need to email the assignment to the instructor. The Assignment tool has the ability to accept multiple submission types such as uploaded files, online text entries, and even record in-class work. Instructors can also set up individual or group assignment folders, associate rubrics, evaluate submissions, and leave feedback.

Content Essentials

Content pages or topics are built on HTML; these web pages (HTML) are the ideal file type for delivering content in Folio. Folio’s HTML pages can be accessed from any device that has internet access. These pages offer significant benefits over other document types – particularly the ability to easily read and watch content on mobile technologies.

Course Management

Discussion Essentials

Discussions are an important part of developing critical thinking skills. Discussion boards are also used to enhance teaching and learning in various contexts. Use the activities and resources on this page to use the Folio discussions tool and learn how to create and manage discussions in your course.

Folio Template

Google and Folio

Grade Book Essentials

The area in which student grades are managed is called Grades. When you click on Grades from the navbar you will be given two options;

  1. Class Progress: Students and instructors can view student progress and course completion. 
  2. Grades: This allows you to create and set up your grade book and post student grades and feedback.

Class Progress

Grades

Groups

Group activities recognize the value of collaboration, active learning, and social interaction in education. It aims to create an inclusive and dynamic learning environment that prepares students for real-world challenges and equips them with essential skills for future endeavors.

Import/Export/Copy Course Content

Intelligent Agents

Quiz Essentials

The Quiz tool in Folio enables you to create and manage points-measured assessments. You can use the quiz tool to help evaluate the learning progress.

Quiz Builder

Quiz – Management

Quiz – Question Library

Quiz – Set Display Options on Quiz Results

Rubrics

Here you can find guidance on building learning modules for Folio-enhanced courses. Folio enhanced instruction is typically organized by “learning modules” – individual units of learning that begin with a set of learning objectives and end with assessments to determine how well students meet the objectives. Below, you will find guidance on how to begin to build a learning module for an online course.

Designing for Remote Instruction

Instruction Through Content

In a Folio-enhanced classroom, content becomes the first voice of the instructor since it “speaks” for instructors in their absence. Instruction within a learning module typically consists of materials (assigned readings, electronic documents, multimedia presentations) and activities (assigned tasks, discussions, assignments, quizzes). Activities may be graded or ungraded.

Instruction Through Feedback

After students complete and submit evidence of engaging learning materials, online instructors engage students through guidance and feedback to encourage and elicit performance. Feedback may be automated using Folio grading rubrics and standardized quiz question feedback, but personalized responses through email, discussion, and other communication tools help students feel the instructor is aware of their presence and personal learning paths.

Using the Folio Course Template

While the use of the Faculty Center’s Folio Course Template (Login Required to download) is not required, web pages (HTML files) are the most practical and efficient file format to deliver content (text, images, multimedia, and web links) to online students—which is not to say you cannot use other document types (Word, PowerPoint, PDF) for your instruction as well.

Add Documents (Topics) and Files to Content

Support instruction with any additional files (Word, PowerPoint, PDF) you wish to add to the module. Desire2Learn refers to content as “topics”.

Setup Gradebook

Edit gradebook settings before creating assessments. You can change your settings later if you change your mind.

Download Tutorials:

Watch Video: Understanding Grades

Create a Quiz

Create a quiz and link it to the gradebook.

Create an Analytic Rubric

Folio rubrics are quite powerful and make the grading process much more efficient. Create an analytic rubric for a discussion activity or an assignment activity.

Download Tutorial: Create an Analytic Rubric

Create a Graded Discussion Forum and Thread

Create a discussion assignment. Add a grading rubric (if desired) and link to the gradebook.

Create an Assignment Dropbox

Create a Dropbox assignment. Add a grading rubric (if desired) and link to the gradebook.

Add Quicklinks to Tools

Help students navigate Folio with content links to quizzes, discussions, assignment dropboxes, and other tools assigned during your module.

Create a News Item

Create a News Item describing what will happen during the learning module.

Create a Calendar Event

Create a Calendar Event based on a planned schedule of activities in the module.

Course design and quality has a significant impact on student success in an Folio-enhanced course. The following eight indicators are recommended guidelines when designing or reviewing a Folio supported course.

  1. Design
  2. Organization
  3. Clarity
  4. Accessibility
  5. Instructor-Interaction
  6. Peer-Interaction
  7. Content-Interaction
  8. Richness

The following list provides Indicator descriptions and indicator examples:

1. Design

The course’s design should include the following:

  • Specific and measurable learning objectives
  • Alignment to assessments and learning activities
  • Authentic real-world experiences

2. Organization

  • Easy to navigate
  • Logical and consistent format
  • Alignment between topics and subtopics
  • Manageable sections

Organization Examples

  • Course is organized with sequential modules.
  • Lecture items are appropriately chunked
  • Activity items are included in module
  • Students do not have to navigate to menus in order to complete activities
  • Capstone/Group project items are included in “weekly” modules

Organization in Folio

3. Clarity

  • Manage student expectations
  • Provide orientation to the course
  • Illustrate alignment of objectives, assessments, and activities
  • Clear instructions and directions
  • Description of grading and assessment plan

Clarity Examples

  • Instructions are written in sequential order using numbered list format rather than paragraph format.
  • Rubrics are included when applicable.
  • Headings are properly used.
  • Instructions appear on OR are linked in activity’s description.

Clarity in Folio

4. Accessibility

  • Reduce barriers to students by following accessibility guidelines for video captions, image alt-text, and screen-reader friendliness in materials

Accessibility Examples

  • Videos are properly captioned with high accuracy, capitalization, punctuation.
  • No accessibility Errors appear using Folio’s accessibility checker.
  • No objective accessibility Warnings appear when using Foio’s accessibility checker. (contrast, list items).
  • Few subjective accessibility Warnings appear when using Folio’s accessibility checker.

5. Instructor-Interaction

  • Express interest in student learning
  • Actively participate in discussions
  • Facilitate learning and peer interaction
  • Expand students’ thoughts and knowledge provide new prompts and additional content
  • Provide timely and detailed feedback on assessments and student inquiries

Instructor-Interaction Examples

  • Weekly overview videos
  • Instructor-created lectured videos
  • Facilitates discussion posts with replies
  • Completes grading within a timeframe to allow students to reflect on feedback prior to next major assessment.

6. Peer-Interaction

  • Facilitate active learning through frequent peer involvement and meaningful collaborative work
  • Provide opportunities and technologies available for students to learn from each other.

Peer-Interaction Examples

  • Provides discussion assignments
  • Encourages peer responses in Q&A areas.
  • Uses Peer-to-peer tools such as Perusall
  • Creates group or team projects that utilize collaborative tools such as Google Docs or Padlet.

7. Content Interaction

  • Strategically enhance the student interaction with accessible and interactive content
  • Support dialogue, critical reflection and analysis, and real-world applications of the content
  • Provide materials that are current, rich, and sufficient in breadth and depth
  • Identify important topics and provide context

8. Richness

Provide richness in learning materials and activities, support and instructions, instructor interactions, and tools and media.

Richness Examples

  • Content Videos
  • Relevant images
  • Interactive tools such as Perusall, YuJa, Nearpod, Padlet, or Thinglink.

Adapted from the National Research Center for Distance Education and Technological Advancements (DETA) at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, https://detaresearch.org/research-support/teaching-resources/

The U.S. Department of Education mandates that all online courses and programs include regular and substantive interaction between students and their instructors. Regular and substantive interaction is critical for student engagement, learning outcomes, and program quality.

Regular Interaction

In learning environments of any kind, (asynchronous, synchronous, blended/hybrid), regular and substantive interactions must be:

  • With an instructor as defined by the institution’s accreditor.
  • Initiated by the instructor.
  • Scheduled and predictable.
  • Academic in nature and relevant to the course

Differing from correspondence courses, online courses with substantive interaction assumes direct interaction between the instructor and the student.

Substantive Interaction

Substantive interaction is defined as engaging students in teaching, learning, and assessment, and includes at least two of the following:

  • Providing direct instruction
  • Assessing or providing feedback on a student’s coursework
  • Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or competency
  • Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency
  • Other instructional activities approved by the institution’s or program’s accrediting agency

The following image from the Online Learning Consortium provides an example of how to meet this definition of responsive and substantive interaction.

Please access the following resources for more information:

View Brightspace Tutorials on YouTube

Folio’s Intelligent Agents

Intelligent Agents (IAs) allow you to add automation to your course and are one way to boost instructor-student interactions. Intelligent agents (IAs) are customizable messages automatically emailed to individual learners when they fulfill a particular task. For example, a teacher may choose to set an intelligent agent to let a student know when they have missed a deadline on an assignment or whoever achieves an exceptional score on a quiz.

Intelligent Agents (IAs) require initial setup (which can take less than five minutes), and you can copy them over from semester to semester (with a little tweaking of the date, etc). IAs work all on their own in the background of the course.

Common Uses

Here are some of the most common situations where using an IA might be beneficial to your learners:

  • Hasn’t accessed course in 2 weeks
  • Incomplete tasks on a checklist
  • Completed all tasks on a checklist
  • Earned 80% or higher on quiz/assignment
  • Failed test
  • Late assignment
  • No posts authored in a discussion topic

Considerations

When you create a new agent, you need to determine:

The criteria the agent looks for. The agent can check user login activity, course activity and/or triggered release conditions. Be aware that intelligent agents (IAs) evaluate the status of release conditions at the time that they run. A user that may have satisfied a release condition on a prior run may no longer satisfy a release condition on a subsequent run, especially in the case of our “not” conditions.
How often is the agent scheduled to run and find users that meet its criteria? If you don’t set a schedule, the agent must be manually triggered on the Agent list page.
How often the agent takes action when a user satisfies the criteria. For example, will the IA send an email the first time the user triggers the agent or send reminder emails to the user every time the agent runs?
When sending emails to users, consider using {InitiatingUser} in the mail TO: field. This tells the system to review the class roster and get email addresses. Even though it doesn’t say email address, this replacement string looks for each user’s email address and triggers this agent. Instead of being a 1 to 30 email message, this will appear as a 1 to 1 email message.

Tutorials

Written Tutorials

Video Tutorials