VIU Campus

Upload and create files

To add content topics to your VIULearn course, you can either upload supported files from your computer, or create HTML (website) pages directly inside VIULearn. Before you can add any files to your course content, you will need to set up at least one course module. 

Any content uploaded, embedded, or linked to on VIULearn is subject to Canadian copyright law. Please ensure that your content is either appropriately licensed, falls under Fair Dealing, or is your own. Please make sure to advise your students of appropriate use and sharing of copyright protected content.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Copyright Office at copyright@viu.ca and review the copyright Instructors Guide.

Upload files

There are two options for uploading files into the Content tool. You can drag and drop into the table of contents or use the Add Existing button. 

Note: for large files (anything over 25MB), we recommend uploading your file through Manage files and then adding the file to content once it has finished uploading. Larger files may time out when uploading directly into content, resulting in errors. 

  1. Open Content
  2. Drag your files over the table of contents on the left side of the page and drop to begin the upload
  3. Depending on the size of your files it may take a few minutes for your files to upload. You will see a loading screen while the upload processes 
  4. Once your files have uploaded you can drag them to reorder content in the module or move files to another module in the course 

  1. Open Content 
  2. Click the Add Existing button 
  3. Drag and drop into the field at the bottom of the page or click browse to search for the file on your device 
  4. You will see a loading screen while the file(s) upload. Once the file is uploaded you'll be taken back to content 

What files can I upload?

VIULearn supports all of the following file types. Text documents (such as Word or PowerPoint files) will be converted into PDF files for online viewing, but you and your students can still download these files in their original format.

ExtensionFile type
HTM, HTML, MHT, MHTMLWeb document
RTF, PPT, PPS, PDF, DOC, DOCX, PPTX, XML, XLS, TXT, WPD, XLSXText document
JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIF, TIFFImage
SWF, MPG, MPEG, RM, MP3, MP4, M4V, M4A, AVI, WAV, RAM, ASF, MOV, RAMedia

File size limits

VIULearn has a system-wide file size limit of 2GB. When adding materials to your course, you can upload individual files up to 2GB in size. However, we do not recommend this as a practice for two reasons:

  1. The larger your overall course file size is, the longer it will take for things in your course to load. Students on poor or intermittent internet connections will have trouble accessing your course if there are numerous large files.
  2. If your overall course is larger than 2GB in size, you will not be able to export and import your course as a whole. Course backup files must be no larger than 2GB in total in order to be imported into VIULearn. If you have a number of large files in your course, you may need to exclude these from any course backup.

To keep your course file size manageable, we recommend media files be uploaded to VIUTube instead of directly to VIULearn.

Create pages in VIULearn

VIULearn pages allow you to  add text, links, and embedded media. When deciding whether to create a file in VIULearn or upload a document (such as a PDF), here are some things to consider: 

Reasons to create a fileReasons not to create a file
  • Create a consistent look for the course
  • Update file directly in VIULearn as content changes 
  • Add links and media with contextualizing text 
  • Loads quickly and efficiently 
  • Mobile friendly
  • Can be time consuming
  • Tables and charts may not display well on some devices 
  • Formatting can be tricky 
  • Files are stored only online - no offline backup unless you create one

  1. Open Content 
  2. Click Create New 
  3. Select Page 
  4. Give your page a title 
  5. If you want the content item to show up in the course calendar you can add a due date 
  6. If you want to use an HTML template to style your content, select it first before adding anything to the page content box. 
  7. When you have finished entering your content click Save and Close to create the page and return to content 
    • If you want to save the content as a draft, toggle the item to hidden before clicking save. 

You can set availability dates, release conditions and completion tracking on the right side of the page.  

The main benefit to using pages in VIULearn instead of uploaded files is how easy it is to edit your content when needed. 

  1. Go to the page you want to edit in Content 
  2. Click the three dots located in the upper right of the page (just left of the navigation arrows) 
  3. Select Edit in the context menu
  4. Make any changes you need to 
  5. Click Save and Close to save your changes and return to content 

Accessibility Checker:

When creating Files in VIULearn, consider using the Accessibility Checker. The Accessibility Checker will review the HTML file you have created and will flag for you any elements in the file that make it difficult for a screen reader or person with low vision to read your file. The Accessibility Checker will look for things like captions, alt text on images, use of headings and other HTML formatting elements, and colour contrast between font and background.

To learn more about making your course materials accessible, CIEL's Curriculum Teaching and Learning Specialists have created Designing for All: A toolkit for maximum learning impact.

  1. Go to the page you want to edit in Content 
  2. Click the three dots located in the upper right of the page (just left of the navigation arrows) 
  3. Select Edit in the context menu
  4. Click More Actions (... icon) on the right hand side of the HTML editor bar.
  5. Click the Accessibility Checker button (icon with an eyeball and a checkmark underneath it).
  6. If there are any accessibility issues that can be detected in your file (text hard to read due to color choices, headings used in an non-sequential order, etc) you will see these warning displayed on screen. If your file does not contain any detectable accessibility issues, you will see a "No accessibility issues detected" message. 

Classic content experience 

The classic content experience will be available for courses up to the end of the 2025-2026 academic year. Courses for Fall 2026 and onward will use the New Content Experience. 

Upload files to VIULearn

VIULearn supports drag and drop for uploading one or multiple supported files into a content module. Once your content is uploaded, you can drag and drop to move items and modules within Content.  If you are working on a small screen or tablet, or if you're not comfortable with drag and drop, you can also add files through the Upload/Create Button.

  1. Navigate to a module in Content.
  2. Open the location on your computer where your files are located (in Windows Explorer or Finder).
  3. Select the files you want to add to your course.
  4. Click and drag to bring the files into content. It may take a few moments for your files to upload.
  5. You can now rearrange your files by clicking the dotted lines to the left of the title and dragging the content to another location within this module or to another module. 

  1. Click Content from the course navigation bar. 
  2. Click on the Module or Sub-Module where you want to add the file to. 
  3. Click the Upload/Create button. From the dropdown menu, select Upload Files.
  4. If you would like to upload a file that is being stored on your computer, select My Computer. If you would like to add a file that has already been uploaded to your course, select Course Offering Files. In most cases, you will be uploading a file that has been stored on your computer.
  5. Click the Upload button. Find and select the file you wish to upload. 
  6. Once your file has finished uploading, click the Choose Destination button if you wish to change where this file is saved in your Manage Files area. Otherwise, click the Add button to add the file to your Content Module. 

Create files in VIULearn

VIULearn files are HTML pages where you can add text, links, and embedded media.

  1. In your course, select Content in the navigation bar.
  2. Navigate to the module where you want to add the file.
  3. Click the blue Upload/Create button and select Create a File.
  4. Enter a title for your file.
  5. Enter your content in the box provided. You can use the tools along the top of the content area to format your content. 
  6. To save and publish your file, click Save and Close.

Sometimes after you have created a File, there are edits or updates that need to occur. 

  1. Click Content from the course navigation bar. 
  2. Click on the Module or Sub-Module where the File you wish to edit is located. 
  3. Click on the arrow to the right of the File and select Edit HTML.
  4. Once you have entered the editing screen, edit as necessary.
  5. You have the option of notifying students that you have changed or updated your File. If you wish to do so, click the checkbox next to the Notify students that the content has changed.
  6. Once you have finished making your changes, click the Save and Close button.