HealthTasks.ai

Courses & Assignments

Create and manage course structures, assignments, and map them to curriculum competencies for accreditation and curriculum mapping

Courses & Assignments

The Courses & Assignments page allows administrators to create and manage course structures, assignments, and map them to curriculum competencies for accreditation and curriculum mapping.

Overview

Courses & Assignments templates provide a structured way to:

  • Organize courses and their assignments
  • Map assignments to curriculum competencies
  • Link courses to classrooms and evaluation templates
  • Import courses and assignments from Canvas LMS
  • Import from Excel/CSV files
  • Support curriculum mapping and accreditation reporting

Key Concepts:

  • Course: A class or course offering (e.g., "NURS 501 - Advanced Assessment")
  • Assignment: A learning activity or assessment within a course
  • Competency Mapping: Connection between assignments and curriculum objectives
  • Template: Container for courses and assignments

Getting Started

Creating a New Template

  1. Navigate to Templates → Courses & Assignments tab
  2. Click "Create Courses & Assignments Template" or "New Template"
  3. A new template is automatically created
  4. You're redirected to the template editor

Editing an Existing Template

  1. Navigate to Templates → Courses & Assignments tab
  2. Click "Edit" on the template you want to modify
  3. Make your changes (most changes save automatically)
  4. Click the floating Save button when done

Template Configuration

Template Name

  • Enter a descriptive name for your template
  • Auto-save: Saves automatically when you click away from the field
  • Examples: "Nursing Program Courses", "Fall 2024 Curriculum"

Competency Template

  • Optional: Select a curriculum objective template
  • Purpose: Provides competencies for mapping assignments
  • Required for AI Mapping: Must be selected to use AI-powered mapping
  • Auto-save: Saves automatically when changed

Why Select a Competency Template?

  • Enables mapping assignments to curriculum competencies
  • Required for AI-powered mapping features
  • Provides context for curriculum alignment

Managing Courses

Adding a Course Manually

  1. Enter Course Name (e.g., "Advanced Assessment")
  2. Enter Course Code (optional, e.g., "NURS 501")
  3. Click the "+" button
  4. Course is created and linked to the template

Course Code Behavior:

  • If a course with the same code already exists, it's linked instead of created
  • Course name is updated if different from existing
  • Prevents duplicate courses across templates

Editing a Course

  1. Click the pencil icon on a course
  2. Update course name and/or code
  3. Click "Save Changes"
  4. Changes are saved immediately

Deleting a Course

  1. Click the trash icon on a course
  2. Confirm deletion in the dialog
  3. Warning: This also deletes all assignments in the course
  4. Course objective items (CO items) are also deleted

What Gets Deleted:

  • The course record
  • All assignments in the course
  • All course objective items (CO items) for the course
  • All competency mappings for assignments

Expanding/Collapsing Courses

  • Click a course row to expand and see its assignments
  • Use "Expand All" / "Collapse All" to expand/collapse all courses at once
  • Assignment count is shown next to course code

Course Sorting

Courses are automatically sorted by:

  1. Course code (if available)
  2. Course name
  3. Course ID

Managing Assignments

Adding an Assignment

  1. Expand a course
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the assignments list
  3. Click "Add Assignment"
  4. A new assignment is created with empty fields
  5. Fill in the assignment details (see below)

Assignment Fields

Assignment ID:

  • External identifier (e.g., Canvas assignment ID)
  • Optional field
  • Used for LMS integration

Name:

  • Assignment title (required)
  • Auto-save: Saves when you click away
  • Examples: "Initial Patient History", "Final Case Presentation"

Description:

  • Detailed description of the assignment
  • Auto-save: Saves when you click away
  • Multi-line text area

Competency Mapping:

  • Map assignment to curriculum competencies
  • See "Mapping to Competencies" section below

Editing Assignments

  • Click in any field to edit
  • Changes auto-save when you click away (blur)
  • No manual save needed for individual fields

Deleting an Assignment

  1. Click the trash icon on an assignment
  2. Confirm deletion in the dialog
  3. Assignment and all its competency mappings are deleted

Moving Assignments Between Courses

Drag and Drop:

  1. Click and hold the grip icon (⋮⋮) on an assignment
  2. Drag it to another course
  3. Drop it on the target course
  4. Assignment is moved and saved automatically

Visual Feedback:

  • Target course highlights when dragging
  • Assignment appears in new course immediately

Mapping to Competencies

Manual Mapping

  1. Click "Map to competencies..." on an assignment
  2. A searchable popover opens with all competencies from the selected template
  3. Search by competency name or ID
  4. Click competencies to select/deselect them
  5. Selected competencies show with a checkmark
  6. Mappings auto-save when you make changes

Mapping Features:

  • Search: Type to filter competencies by name or ID
  • Select All: Select all filtered results
  • Deselect All: Deselect all filtered results
  • Clear All: Remove all mappings for this assignment
  • Selection Count: Shows how many competencies are selected
  • Competency Display: Shows competency ID, name, and subcompetency

Best Practices:

  • Map each assignment to 5-10 relevant competencies
  • Focus on direct, explicit alignment
  • Be selective - not every competency needs to map to every assignment

AI-Powered Mapping

Requirements:

  • Pro plan subscription
  • Educator AI enabled for your institution
  • Competency template must be selected

Individual AI Mapping:

  1. Click the sparkles icon (✨) next to an assignment
  2. AI analyzes the assignment name and suggests relevant competencies
  3. Suggested mappings are automatically applied and saved
  4. You can still manually adjust the mappings

Batch AI Mapping:

  1. Click "AI Map All" button (top right, next to Import)
  2. AI processes all unmapped assignments in one batch
  3. Mappings are automatically applied and saved
  4. A success message shows how many assignments were mapped

How AI Mapping Works:

  • Analyzes assignment names
  • Reviews all available competencies
  • Selects 5 most relevant competencies per assignment
  • Focuses on direct, explicit alignment
  • Prioritizes precision over broad inclusion

When to Use AI Mapping:

  • Starting a new template with many assignments
  • Need quick initial mappings to refine later
  • Want suggestions for complex assignments
  • Time-saving for large templates

After AI Mapping:

  • Review and refine the suggested mappings
  • Add or remove competencies as needed
  • AI suggestions are a starting point, not final

Linking Courses

Linking to Classrooms

  1. Click "Link classrooms to course..." on a course
  2. A searchable popover opens with all active classrooms
  3. Search by classroom name
  4. Click classrooms to select/deselect them
  5. Linked classrooms are saved immediately

Purpose:

  • Connect courses to specific classrooms
  • Used for curriculum mapping and reporting
  • Enables classroom-level course tracking

Linking to Evaluation Templates

  1. Click "Link evaluations to course..." on a course
  2. A searchable popover opens with all active evaluation templates
  3. Search by evaluation template name
  4. Click templates to select/deselect them
  5. Linked templates are saved immediately

Purpose:

  • Connect courses to evaluation templates
  • Used for assessment planning
  • Enables evaluation tracking per course

Importing Data

Import from Canvas LMS

Prerequisites:

  • Canvas LMS integration configured in Settings
  • Canvas API credentials set up

Process:

  1. Click "Import" → "Import from Canvas"
  2. Browse dialog opens showing all Canvas courses
  3. Search: Use search box to find courses/assignments
  4. Select Courses: Check boxes to select entire courses
  5. Expand Courses: Click to expand and see assignments
  6. Select Assignments: Check individual assignments within courses
  7. Bulk Selection:
    • "Select All Courses": Select all visible courses
    • "Select All Assignments": Select all assignments from selected courses
  8. Click "Import Selected"
  9. Import runs in the background
  10. You can close the dialog and return later

Import Behavior:

  • Courses are created or linked if they already exist
  • Assignments are imported with Canvas metadata
  • Assignment IDs are preserved for future sync
  • Due dates and point values are imported

Rate Limiting:

  • Canvas API has rate limits
  • System automatically retries with backoff
  • Large imports may take time

Import from Excel/CSV

  1. Click "Import" → "Upload spreadsheet (.xlsx, .xls, .csv)"
  2. Select your file
  3. System parses and imports courses and assignments

File Format:

  • Required Columns:
    • course_name (or course)
    • assignment_name (or name or title)
  • Optional Columns:
    • course_code (or course_id)
    • assignment_code (or code)
    • assignment_description (or description or desc)

Example CSV:

course_name,course_code,assignment_name,assignment_code,assignment_description
Advanced Assessment,NURS 501,Initial Patient History,initial-patient-history,Students will conduct and document a complete patient history
Advanced Assessment,NURS 501,Final Case Presentation,final-case-presentation,Students present a comprehensive case study
Pharmacology,NURS 402,Drug Interaction Analysis,drug-interaction-analysis,

Import Behavior:

  • Groups assignments by course
  • Creates courses if they don't exist
  • Links to existing courses if code matches
  • Generates assignment codes if not provided
  • Skips duplicate assignments (by code)

Download Template:

  • Click "Download template (.xlsx)" to get a sample file
  • Use this as a starting point for your own imports

Auto-Save

The template uses automatic saving for most operations:

Auto-Saves:

  • Template name (on blur)
  • Competency template selection (immediately)
  • Course name/code (when edited via dialog)
  • Assignment fields (name, description, ID - on blur)
  • Competency mappings (immediately when changed)
  • Course-classroom links (immediately)
  • Course-evaluation links (immediately)
  • Assignment moves (immediately after drag-drop)

Manual Save:

  • Floating Save button (bottom-right)
  • Primarily saves template name if changed
  • Most other changes save automatically

Visual Indicators:

  • Save button shows spinner during save
  • No explicit "saved" notification (saves happen in background)
  • Changes persist even if you navigate away

Best Practices

  1. Consistent Naming: Use clear, descriptive course and assignment names
  2. Course Codes: Include course codes for easier identification
  3. Selective Mapping: Map each assignment to 5-10 most relevant competencies
  4. Use AI as Starting Point: Let AI suggest mappings, then refine manually
  5. Organize by Course: Group related assignments under appropriate courses
  6. Link Appropriately: Link courses to relevant classrooms and evaluations
  7. Regular Updates: Keep assignments current with curriculum changes
  8. Import Strategy: Use Canvas import for existing courses, manual entry for new ones

Troubleshooting

Can't Map to Competencies

  • Verify a competency template is selected
  • Check that the competency template has objectives
  • Ensure you have admin permissions
  • Refresh the page

AI Mapping Not Available

  • Check that you have Pro plan subscription
  • Verify Educator AI is enabled for your institution
  • Ensure a competency template is selected
  • Contact support if issues persist

Canvas Import Failed

  • Verify Canvas integration is configured in Settings
  • Check Canvas API credentials
  • Ensure you have access to the Canvas courses
  • Try importing smaller batches
  • Check for rate limiting messages

File Import Failed

  • Check file format matches requirements
  • Ensure required columns exist (case-insensitive)
  • Verify file is not corrupted
  • Try downloading the template file first
  • Check for duplicate course codes

Changes Not Saving

  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify you have admin permissions
  • Look for error messages in the console
  • Try manual save with the floating button
  • Refresh the page

Assignment Not Moving

  • Ensure you're dragging from the grip icon (⋮⋮)
  • Check that target course is expanded
  • Verify you have admin permissions
  • Try refreshing the page

Course Already Exists

  • System automatically links to existing courses by code
  • If you want a separate course, use a different code
  • Check existing courses before creating new ones
  • Curriculum Objective Templates: Create the competency templates used for mapping
  • Classrooms: Link courses to classrooms for curriculum mapping
  • Evaluation Templates: Link courses to evaluation templates
  • Program Outcome Templates: Use course assignments for program-level mapping
  • Accreditation Suite: Use assignments for accreditation reporting

Last updated on

Compliance

Manage compliance requirements, upload documents, track expiration dates, and configure institutional compliance settings

Curriculum Objective Templates

Create and manage templates that define competency objectives for curriculum mapping and skills tracking

On this page

Courses & Assignments
Overview
Getting Started
Creating a New Template
Editing an Existing Template
Template Configuration
Template Name
Competency Template
Managing Courses
Adding a Course Manually
Editing a Course
Deleting a Course
Expanding/Collapsing Courses
Course Sorting
Managing Assignments
Adding an Assignment
Assignment Fields
Editing Assignments
Deleting an Assignment
Moving Assignments Between Courses
Mapping to Competencies
Manual Mapping
AI-Powered Mapping
Linking Courses
Linking to Classrooms
Linking to Evaluation Templates
Importing Data
Import from Canvas LMS
Import from Excel/CSV
Auto-Save
Best Practices
Troubleshooting
Can't Map to Competencies
AI Mapping Not Available
Canvas Import Failed
File Import Failed
Changes Not Saving
Assignment Not Moving
Course Already Exists
Related Features