LEARN frequently asked questions

General Information

Course Management

What browsers are supported?

Please see System and Software Requirements.

How do I request a course to be created?

Seven weeks prior to the start of term, login to Waterloo LEARN and click the "Course Request" link found in the system navigation bar.

Select the shell for the course and then individually select the sections you want to be included in the course or choose the "select all" box to add all sections. Once you have submitted the request, we will approve it as quickly as possible and in most cases, the course will be available after 9:00 am the next day.

Why is my course empty?

By default, all requested course shells are empty. To add content to your course please see Copying course content.

When are my courses activated and disabled for the term?

By default, courses that are using LEARN are activated the morning of the first day of classes for the term in which they are being taught. Courses from the previous term are disabled on that day, just prior to the activation of the new term rosters. While this is the default setting, instructors may elect to release courses prior to, or later than, the first day of classes. To request an early release or extension, please contact learnhelp@uwaterloo.ca.

How do I add TAs to my course?

Please see Adding your TAs to your course for detailed information.

Select Connect from the course navbar.
Select Classlist from the menu.
Select Add Participants.
Select Add Existing User.
Search for the TA by entering their Last Name, username, or student ID number.
Check the name of the appropriate TA.
From the Select a Role drop-down menu, to the right of the TA’s name, choose the access level at which you would like to enrol the TA (TA level 1.5, 2, 3, or 4).
Click Enrol Select User button.
Click the Done button or the Add More Participants button if you have additional TAs to add.

How long will my course appear on my LEARN homepage?

By default, courses are kept on instructors’ LEARN homepages for a year (3 terms) after the term of offer. A snapshot is taken of the course a month after the course has been taught and archived (only content is archived, not student data). At the end of the 3 terms, the courses are removed from the instructors’ LEARN homepage.

How often are class rosters updated?

Class rosters are updated daily at 7:30 am, 11:40 am, 4:40 pm, 8:40 pm, 12:40 am.

How do I transfer course content from one term to another?

If you have tools enabled in your original course you must enable these same tools in the destination course or the items contained in that tool will not copy. One example of this is Attendance. If you have enabled Attendance in the original course but not the destination course the Attendance Registers will fail to copy and you will see an error message when you view the Copy Course Components History.

If you must enable a tool in the destination course click Course Admin in your course navbar and choose Tools from the list of options.

See for detailed information.

Click the Table of Contents on the left-hand side of the page.
Click the Import Course button and choose Copy Existing Course.
From the Import/Export/Copy Components page, select the Search for Offering button and click Search to perform the search.
A list of courses that you currently have access to will be displayed, select the course you are copying from the list by checking the radio button to the left of the course title and
Click the Add Selected button. The Search for Offering button should now be replaced with the name of the course you selected.
Determine if you want to Copy All Components or only Select Components
1. Copy All Components the entire selected course will be copied into the destination course.
2. Select Components allows you to select individual files, specific quizzes or dropboxes etc. to copy forward. If you are selecting components ensure that you select both Copy all items and Include associated files if listed,
If you are selecting course components, click Continue once you have made your selection(s).
If you need to modify what you are copying you can do this now by clicking Go back, otherwise, click Finish.
Wait until all selections have a green checkmark to the right.

OR

Click the Course Admin link on your course navigation bar.
Click Import/Export/Copy Components.
From the Import/Export/Copy Components page, select the Search for Offering button and click Search to perform the search.
A list of courses that you currently have access to will be displayed, select the course you are copying from the list by checking the radio button to the left of the course title and
Click the Add Selected button. The Search for Offering button should now be replaced with the name of the course you selected.
Determine if you want to Copy All Components or only Select Components.
1. Copy All Components the entire selected course will be copied into the destination course.
2. Select Components allows you to select individual files, specific quizzes or dropboxes etc. to copy forward. If you are selecting components ensure that you select both Copy all items and Include associated files if listed,
If you are selecting course components, click Continue once you have made your selection(s).
If you need to modify what you are copying you can do this now by clicking Go back, otherwise,
Click Finish.
Wait until all selections have a green checkmark to the right.

How can I see what a student sees when viewing my course?

See Impersonating the test student for detailed information.

Click Connect from the course nabvar.
Click Classlist from the menu.
Click the Test Student tab.
Click the down arrow to the right of the test student's name.
Click Impersonate.
Click Yes in the pop-up window.
To return to your own view click the Test Student's name in the top right-hand corner and click the X.

How can I get a class list that can be used for maintaining marks outside of LEARN?

If you would like to maintain your grades outside of LEARN you can export your grades.

Click Grades from the course navbar.
Click the Enter Grades tab.
Click the Export button.
Select Export to CSV or Export to Excel.
Click Download.

How can I get a member list of all the groups within my course?

Select Grades from the course navbar.
Select the Enter Grades tab.
Click Export.
Under Key Field select Username.
Under User Details select Last Name, First Name, Email, and Group Membership.
Deselect any grade items.
Select Export to CSV.
Open the Excel Spreadsheet.