Creating Activity Templates and Sending Activities

Updated August 17, 2026 16:29

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This article explains how to build a reusable activity template and how to create and send an activity using the “Activities” area, including how to target students by section, placement label, or major.

This article is intended for administrators, node administrators, and faculty members who are node administrators or section instructors.

Note: Once an activity is sent, submission, review, scoring, and reporting all work the same way described in your existing help articles. This article covers template creation and sending only.

Prerequisites

You must be an administrator, a faculty member who is a node administrator, or an instructor on at least one section to access the “Activities” menu.
To target students by Placement Label, you need placements already set up in Placement Management, with a label applied to the ones you want to target.
To target students by Major, your institution’s major data needs to already exist in the system and roles by major need to be created in the section membership.

Finding Templates and Activities

You’ll find an “Activities” option in the side navigation, your one-stop entry point for templates and activities. It features two tabs:

Activities – A list of every activity you’ve sent, displaying its workflow and template so you can track them in one place. Status details, such as “Required” or “Available for Withdrawal,” appear as clear badges on each activity card.
Activity Templates – Where you create and manage reusable templates.

Administrators always see the “Activities” menu. Faculty see it if they are a node administrator or an instructor on at least one section. Students do not see this menu.

The My Activities page displaying the side navigation with Activities selected, showing the Activities and Activity Templates tabs along with a list of sent activities.

If You Use Academics & Offices

The “Templates” sub-tab and “Activity Scheduler” sub-tab under Academics & Offices also use this workflow, so you can keep using them alongside the “Activities” area. Creating a template or an activity from either location opens the same experience described below.

If You Use Classic Admin

For those utilizing Classic Admin, the “Templates” and “Activity Scheduler” sub-tabs now feature a notification guiding you to the “Activities” menu or the “Academics & Offices” area for managing your workflow. Selecting the “Settings” icon within a specific section similarly provides information about transitioning to the updated navigation menu.

The “Templates” sub-tab is now dedicated exclusively to homepage templates. From this area, you can manage and build homepage-specific templates only.

Templates sub-tab navigation view accessed within a course section.

Activity Scheduler sub-tab interface viewed from within a course.

Building a Reusable Activity Template

A template is not tied to a single workflow. Build a template once, choosing the same components you use today—such as text fields, file uploads, rubrics, and reference material—and reuse it across any workflow when you create an activity.

To Create a Template

Go to the “Activities” side menu, open the “Activity Templates” tab, and select “Create Template” to open the Create Activity Template dialog.
Enter a name for your template in the “Template Name” field (up to 90 characters).
Check “This is a GoReact Template” if you are building a GoReact template to start with standard GoReact fields.
Select “Create Template” in the dialog to continue to the component selection page.

Create Activity Template dialog box showing template title field, character counter, and GoReact checkbox.

Select the components you want to include. The Assessment Panel on the right starts empty until you add scoring or rubric components.

Component selection interface showing the component palette on the left, canvas in the center, and empty assessment panel on the right.

Select “Save” to store your template as a draft (visible only to you until assigned to an organization), or select the dropdown arrow next to “Save” and choose “Save to organization” to assign it directly to an organization.

Save menu options dropdown displaying options to Save as draft or Save to Organization.

Note: The standalone “My Templates” side menu is no longer available. Saving a template without assigning it to an organization keeps it private to you, appearing in your Activity Templates list with options to transfer it to any node.

Managing Your Templates

From the Activity Templates list, each template’s action menu offers the following options:

Edit – Update the template’s components.
Save to organization – Assign a draft template to an organization.
Copy – Create an independent duplicate to use as a starting point.
Move to Hierarchy Node – Relocate a template to a different organization or node you manage.
Archive – Retire a template you no longer use.
Transfer – Send an unaffiliated template to another organization for an administrator to accept or reject.
Preview – View the template’s components in a read-only layout.

Note: Field ownership, scoring, and workflow settings are configured during activity creation (Step 2 below), not on the template itself.

Creating and Sending an Activity

Selecting “Create Activity” opens a guided, four-step wizard. You can select “Save” at Steps 1 through 3 to store progress as a draft; Step 4 concludes with “Publish”.

Step 1 – Activity Template and Name

Enter a title in the “Activity Name” field (up to 100 characters).
Select the “Activity Template” dropdown and choose your template. Use the search field to quickly locate specific templates.
Select “Preview Activity Template” to review components and Assessment Panel details before proceeding.
Select “Save” to store as a draft, or click “Next” to proceed.

Step 1 of Create Activity wizard showing empty Activity Name input and Template dropdown.

Step 1 wizard with Activity Name filled in and Template search dropdown open displaying available templates.

Preview Activity Template dialog displaying a read-only view of fields on the left and rubric in assessment panel on the right.

Step 2 – Verify Response Ownership

Choose the activity’s workflow here. Each activity's workflow is selected during sending rather than bound to the template.

Select an Activity Workflow. Field ownership placeholders will display until a workflow is chosen.

Step 2 wizard prior to workflow selection displaying placeholder dropdowns.

Once a workflow is selected, field roles automatically default and display a role flow diagram showing response sequence.

Step 2 wizard after selecting Standard Workflow, displaying role flow diagram and default field owners.

If you have previously sent an activity using this exact template and workflow combination, prior ownership settings apply automatically.
Select “Customize” on any field to explicitly define role visibility and editability by status (“Awaiting Submission”, “Awaiting Assessment”, “Done”).
Select “Preview by Role” to view the activity interface from any user perspective before continuing.

Activity Preview dialog with dropdown controls for role and activity status.

Select “Bulk Assign” to apply visibility, submission, or ownership rules across all fields of a specific type simultaneously.

Bulk Assign dialog showing visibility settings, status rows, and submission rules.

Select “Reset Field Ownership” to clear custom ownership rules. Choose Workflow Default or Most Recently Used Settings. Resetting field ownership preserves submission settings.

Reset Field Ownership modal displaying options for Workflow Default and Most Recently Used Settings.

Step 3 – Activity Settings and Schedule

Configure distribution options and scheduling parameters:

Activity Settings – Enable options such as submission withdrawal, marking as required, LMS gradebook integration, assessment panel visibility, or ePortfolio conversion.
Activity Schedule – Set the Visibility Date and Time, Submission Open Date and Time, and Submission Due Date.

Step 3 configuration screen displaying activity settings checkboxes and date picker scheduling fields.

Step 4 – Set Activity Destination

Select “Select Activity Destination” to specify targeting for activity distribution:

Step 4 targeting menu with choices for Course and Course Sections, Placement Label, and Major.

Course and Course Sections – Select specific courses and sections in a guided two-stage process.
Placement Label – Target student subsets based on Placement Management labels via a three-step wizard.
Major – Distribute activities specifically to enrolled majors using a 4-step wizard (selecting major type, major value, course, and sections).

Note: Next to the “Students Selected” column header, an information icon explains that the count reflects currently qualified students. Additional students receive the activity as they meet criteria (e.g., getting assigned a label).

If initiating activity creation directly inside a section (Academics & Offices > Node > Course > Section), Step 4 only displays targeting steps relevant to that section:

Course and Course Sections: Select specific section roles.
Placement Label: Directly select the placement label.
Major: Select the major type and major value.

Scheduling Activities from the Activity Scheduler

Selecting “Activity Scheduler” opens the Create Activity wizard with section-specific options:

Step 1 presents all available template options.
Step 3 includes scheduling options. The “Submission Due Date” field is optional and blank by default.
Step 4 (Destination) is skipped since you are already inside a course. Step 3 features “Back” and “Schedule” buttons to complete distribution.

Targeting by Placement Label and Majors

You can target activity distribution using Placement Label or Majors alongside standard course/section targeting.

Targeting by Placement Label

Placement labels group student placements in Placement Management. In Placement Management, navigate to Tags to view two tabs: Details (existing tags) and Labels. Create labels using the “Add New” dropdown. New labels default to "Not in Use" status until assigned.

Add a label from the “Labels” tab under Tags in Placement Management, or assign one while creating/editing a placement.
The system automatically generates a corresponding student group under section Membership. This system group cannot be manually renamed or deleted from Membership.
In Step 4 of Create Activity, select Placement Label to target these students.
Manage labels from the “Labels” tab: rename, delete unused labels, or archive labels for historical preservation.

If a label is removed before sending an activity, students are removed from the group. If removed after sending, students are removed from that specific activity.

Placement Management Tags page showing Details and Labels tabs.

Adding a new label dropdown option in Placement Management.

Applying a placement label while editing placement details.

Membership page displaying auto-generated placement label student group.

Step 4 wizard selecting placement label target groups.

Archiving and managing placement labels in Placement Management settings.

Targeting by Majors

Distribute activities to students in specific majors via section Membership:

On the Membership page, select “Create Role” and set Role Group to Major.
Select the desired major from the Role Value dropdown.
Select “Create Role” to generate the student group automatically.
In Step 4 of Create Activity, select Major to send to the group.

Membership page showing Create Role button.

Create Role modal selecting Major as Role Group and choosing major value.

Both Placement Label and Major role groups display alongside custom groups on the Membership page.

Section Membership view listing Major and Placement Label role groups.

Step 4 major destination targeting screen.

Managing Drafts and Sent Activities

Save progress as a draft during Steps 1 to 3. Draft cards appear on the “Activities” tab.

Select the “Edit” icon to resume and publish a draft.
Edit or delete activities directly from the “Activities” tab.
Modify components or settings on distributed activities as needed. Note: Refer to Known Issues below for template/workflow updates on active schedules.

Existing Activity Templates: Existing templates remain fully operational. Workflow associations are automatically detached, allowing them to be repurposed across any workflow. Creating an activity from an existing template defaults Step 2 to its original workflow setup, though you retain the flexibility to select a different workflow.

Edge Cases and Error States

Title or Template missing at Step 1: Attempting to proceed without required fields displays inline errors on both fields simultaneously.
No workflow selected at Step 2: Attempting to proceed without selecting a workflow displays an inline error below the dropdown.
Switching workflows after configuring ownership: Changing workflows after setting field ownership displays a confirmation dialog warning that settings will reset to workflow defaults.
Unsaved changes: Closing the wizard with unsaved changes prompts a confirmation dialog to discard or keep changes.
Template transfer: A template can only have one pending transfer at a time. Rejection leaves the template unaffiliated.
Moving a template to a different node: If target nodes lack specific rubric components, a warning lists affected rubrics before removal upon confirmation.
Known Issue – Limited workflow list for older Form Submission templates: Templates created before this update using Form Submission or Internship Form Submission workflows currently only list those two workflows in Step 2. Newly created templates display all workflows.
Known Issue – Template and workflow changes don’t carry over to an existing schedule: Template or workflow-related changes (such as field ownership or Enable Scoring) cannot be applied to an existing active schedule. To apply changes, distribute a new schedule.
Known Issue – Direct publishing: Initiating activity creation via navigation menus currently bypasses confirmation modals, publishing immediately upon selecting “Publish”.
Known Issue – Folder management in new menu: Folder creation must currently be completed via Academics & Offices side navigation.
Known Issue – Stepper view missing for existing drafts: Legacy drafts created prior to this update do not display the 4-step wizard unless accessed within an un-enrolled new section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the number of students selected for a destination not match the total shown?
The total count includes all members of that course section, placement label, or major group. The “Selected” count reflects only students currently qualifying to receive the activity. Hover over the information icon next to “Students Selected” for details.

What happens to templates I created before this update?
They remain operational. Workflow associations are automatically removed so they can be reused across any workflow.

Can I still edit an activity after I’ve sent it?
Yes, editing components and settings functions as it did previously.

Do students see the Activities menu?
No. Only administrators, node administrators, and faculty who are node administrators or section instructors see this menu.

What happens if I remove a placement label from a placement after I’ve sent an activity?
The system removes affected students from that specific activity. If the activity has not been sent yet, students are removed from the underlying student group.