Add a content block
Add any supported content type to your course learning journey — files, video, quizzes, hand-ins, SCORM, and more — with due dates and access conditions.
A content block is the atomic unit of a course’s learning journey. Each block delivers one piece of content or one activity — a downloadable file, an embedded video, a self-graded test, a hand-in for teacher review, a SCORM package, and so on. Teachers add blocks in the Content Manager; once saved (and published as required by your journey workflow), they appear for students in the Learning Journey tab.
Choosing the right block type shapes how students engage and how you assess them. Blocks for reading and watching support self-study; blocks where students submit work collect files or answers; embed blocks bring in external packages or AI-assisted documents.
Why it matters
Course design in higher education usually mixes presentation (readings, lectures, media), practice (quizzes, surveys), and assessment (hand-ins, exams). Content blocks encode that mix inside one sequenced path instead of scattering links across Drive, chat, and email.
Dates and conditions turn a flat list into a pedagogically ordered journey: students unlock later steps only after earlier ones are done, and missed deadlines surface clearly in the learning journey. That structure also feeds grading and progress monitoring for the same blocks.
How it fits
| Related area | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Build the learning journey (teachers) | Sections, Table/Student/Path views, reorder, and publish around your blocks |
| Learning journey | Create, edit, assign, and monitor the journey as a whole |
| Content Database | Reuse or sync shared blocks instead of creating every item from scratch |
| Create and edit a Workbench | Design multi-page interactive documents for the Workbench block type |
| Review submissions and grade | Review student work on deliverable blocks |
| View and publish course grades | Publish grades to students after review |
Key concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Block type | The kind of content or activity (Files, Hand-in, SCORM, and so on) |
| Section | A named group of blocks in the journey (for example a week or topic); blocks can also sit under Standalone Blocks |
| Due date | When students should complete the block; missed deadlines are flagged in the learning journey |
| Start date | When the block becomes available; before this date it is hidden or locked for students |
| Conditions | Predecessor blocks that must be completed before this block unlocks |
| SCORM | Sharable Content Object Reference Model — a standard for packaging e-learning content so an LMS can launch and track it |
| Formative vs summative | Formative blocks check understanding during learning; summative blocks evaluate achievement at a milestone |
Add a content block
Open your course and go to the Content Manager tab.
In Table View or Student View, click Add block inside the target section (or under Standalone Blocks for blocks outside any section).
Choose a block type from the picker (see the list below).
Enter a title and any optional settings — description, due date, start date, and conditions.
Save the block. It appears immediately in the learning journey.
Content block types
Fuxam supports the following block types:
Info materials
Use these for presentation and self-study — typically formative or non-graded exposure to content.
| Block type | Description |
|---|---|
| Files | Upload one or more files for students to download or view |
| Video | Embed or upload a video |
| Image | Display an image inline |
| Audio | Upload an audio file; counts as done when the student listens to at least 90% |
| Text | Rich-text content written directly in Fuxam |
| Link | A clickable link to an external URL |
User deliverables
Use these when students must produce answers, files, or interactive completion. Many of these support grading and submission review.
| Block type | Description |
|---|---|
| Hand-in | Students upload a file or write a submission for teacher review |
| Test | A self-graded quiz using multiple-choice, true/false, or open questions |
| Exam | A graded assessment with configurable attempt limits |
| Assessment | Interactive tests to assess knowledge with customisable difficulty and time limits |
| Survey | Collect feedback or responses from students |
| Workbench | A multi-page interactive document students complete in Fuxam (see Create and edit a Workbench) |
| External Deliverable | A task completed outside Fuxam that a teacher marks complete |
Embed
| Block type | Description |
|---|---|
| SCORM | A SCORM-compliant e-learning package |
| DocuChat | An AI-powered document the student can chat with to ask questions |
| Certificate | A certificate awarded on completion of the course or block requirements |
Set a due date or start date
When creating or editing a block, you can optionally set:
- Due date — the date by which students should complete the block. Missed deadlines are flagged in the learning journey.
- Start date — the date from which the block becomes available. Before this date, the block is hidden or locked for students.
Set access conditions
A block can require students to complete one or more earlier blocks before it becomes available. To add a condition, edit the block and use the Conditions settings to select the required predecessor blocks.
Conditions are a common way to enforce pedagogical order (for example: read the Text block, then unlock the Hand-in). Preview the student experience with View as a student or Student View in the journey editor so locks behave as you intend.
Choosing a block type
| Goal | Consider |
|---|---|
| Share readings or slides | Files, Text, or Link |
| Lecture recording or demo | Video or Audio |
| Quick knowledge check | Test (self-graded) or Survey |
| Formal file submission | Hand-in — students submit; you review |
| Multi-page interactive worksheet | Workbench |
| Packaged e-learning from an authoring tool | SCORM |
| Task done offline or in another system | External Deliverable |
Best practices
- Group related blocks under named sections rather than one long list of standalone blocks.
- Prefer one clear purpose per block; split large dumps of unrelated files into separate blocks or use the course Drive for always-available reference materials.
- Set conditions sparingly — only where order truly matters — so students are not blocked by an optional early step.
- For graded deliverables, confirm file expectations (and accepted types on Hand-in) in the description before the due date.
- Reuse institutional materials via the Content Database when the same module runs across cohorts.
Common pitfalls
- Adding blocks but leaving them unpublished or draft-only so students never see them — check publish state in the journey editor.
- Putting large reference packs only in the journey when they should stay always available on Drive (or the reverse: burying required readings only on Drive with no journey step).
- Setting a due date without a matching start date or clear instructions, which leads to late confusion.
- Over-conditioning the path so one incomplete optional block locks an entire week.
FAQ
What is the difference between Content Manager and the Learning Journey tab?
Teachers and editors who can edit the learning journey use Content Manager to add and configure blocks. Students open the same course content in the Learning Journey tab as a progress and completion view. Editors can also use Student View and related journey tools — see Build the learning journey (teachers).
Should every file live in a content block?
Not necessarily. Use journey blocks for sequenced, trackable learning steps. Use the course Drive for shared reference files that should stay available outside the sequence.
Can I reuse a block in another course?
Yes — maintain shared blocks in the Content Database and import or sync them into each course.