Choose a Help topic from the list below
To access the Repository’s account features (profile and My Folder), you must register. However, you can still browse the Repository, download, and view items without an account.
Having an account provides access to My Folder, where your added items are stored until you delete them. (See "Add Items to My Folder" on this Help menu for more information). An account also provides you with a profile, where you can edit your user name and password.
There are several options for browsing the Repository. All options are located on the left sidebar. You can browse all items by using the links under the “Entire Repository” heading, or once you are within a discipline, sub-discipline, course, or collection, the sidebar will update with browsing options for each.
Disciplines & Collections:
Hierarchical list of disciplines, sub-disciplines, courses, and collections.
Titles:
alphabetical list of all items in the Repository.
Subjects:
alphabetical list of subjects.
Authors:
alphabetical list of authors.
Media Formats:
list of all media formats in the Repository.
Date Created:
list of items in order of date created, with option to sort by older or newer.
You can search the Repository in a variety of ways. Enter text into the main search box and it will search the entire Repository. Once within a discipline or course, you can limit your search by using the search box on that page, or go back to searching the entire Repository by using the main search box.
Here are some search hints:
What is searched in the general keyword search?
The word(s) you enter in the search box will be searched against the title, subject, author, and other parts of the description for the learning object.
What is not searched - Stop Words?
The search engine ignores certain words that occur frequently in English, but do not add value to the search. These are:
"a", "and" , "are" , "as" , "at" , "be" , "but" , "by" , "for" , "if" , "in" , "into",
"is" ,"it" ,"no" , "not" , "of" , "on" , "or" , "such", "the" , "to" , "was"
Truncation
Use an asterisk (*) after a word stem to get all hits having words starting with that root, for example:
select*
will retrieve "selects", "selector", "selectman", "selecting".
Stemming
The search engine automatically expands words with common endings to include plurals, past tenses, etc.
Phrase Searching
To search using multiple words as a phrase, put quotation marks (") around the phrase.
"organizational change"
Exact word match
Put a plus (+) sign before a word if it MUST appear in the search result. For instance, in the following search the word "training" is optional, but the word "dog" must be in the result.
+dog training
Eliminate items with unwanted words
Put a minus (-) sign before a word if it should not appear in the search results. Alternatively, you can use NOT. This can limit your search to eliminate unwanted hits. For instance, in the search
training -cat
or
training NOT cat
you will get items containing the word "training", except those that also contain the word "cat".
Boolean searching
The following Boolean operators can be used to combine terms. Note that they must be CAPITALIZED!
AND
- to limit searches to find items containing all words or phrases combined with this operator, e.g.,
cats AND dogs
will retrieve all items that contain BOTH the words "cats" and "dogs".
OR
- to enlarge searches to find items containing any of the words or phrases surrounding this operator
cats OR dogs
will retrieve all items that contain EITHER the words "cats" or "dogs".
NOT
- to exclude items containing the word following this operator, e.g.,
training NOT cat
will retrieve all items that contain the word "training" EXCEPT those also containing the word "cat".
Parentheses
can be used in the search query to group search terms into sets.
Operators can then be applied to the whole set, e.g.,
(cats AND dogs) AND (training OR discipline)
The advanced search feature allows you to specify the fields you wish to search, and to combine these searches with the Boolean "and", "or" or "not". Click on Advanced Search beside the simple search box.
Start with search scope, where you can search the entire Repository, or narrow your search to a discipline. Then select the search type that corresponds best with your search (Full Text, Summary, Title, Subject). Then enter the word or phrase you want to search in the right hand column. You can select the Boolean operator to combine searches by clicking on the arrow to the right of the "AND" box.
Note: You must use the input boxes in order. If you leave the first one blank your search will not work.
Each item in the Repository is described by a metadata record. A metadata record is similar to a record in an online library catalog. The record provides important information about an object. Browsing and searching the Repository relies on the information contained in the record. More importantly, the results from a browse or search present information about the items from the metadata record. For example, if you click Titles on the sidebar, results show a brief record with the following information:
Title, summary, subject, course name, course level, media format, and typical learning time.
Click the title or plus sign 
on the top right of any result to expand it and see the rest of the metadata.
To view an entire item before you download, simply click "View" located on the bottom row of every item. Clicking View will open this item in a new tab or window on your browser.
To download an item, click "Download" located on the bottom row of the item. A box will open to give you information on what you are downloading, and if you would like to go through with the download. In most cases, you will download an IMS Content Package, which is a group of multiple files, or an Asset, which is usually a single file.
After you click Yes to continue, your web browser will automatically ask if you would like to open or save the item. Choose save. You should now extract the zip files to a folder. Read below to learn how to extract zip files.
Most items you download will be in the form of a zip file. A zip file is a compressed folder that contains many files.
After downloading an item, check your desktop to find the file.
First, create a folder to put the extracted files in. Right click your desktop, go to New > Folder. Name the folder according to what would help you recognize the learning object.
Then right click the zip file and choose Extract to. Choose the folder you just made, then check your new folder to find the files.
As a registered user, you can store items by adding them to My Folder. Your items will be saved there until you delete them. To add an item to My Folder, make sure you are signed in, and click "Add to folder" on the bottom row of the item. You will see a message confirming that you have successfully added the file.
To view your folder any time, click "My Folder" at the top right of the site next to your user name.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a LO (Learning Object)?
Who can access the Repository? Do I need to register?
Who currently contributes to the Repository?
Who can contribute to the Repository?
How can I become a contributor?
How can I use learning objects?
Can I edit learning objects after downloading them?
Who owns the content in the Repository?
What is a LO (Learning Object)?
LO is the acronym of learning object. A learning object is “any digital resource that can be reused to support learning”1. A LO is comprised of three important characteristics: digital, reusable, and having instructional value. A LO may be a born digital resource or digitized material. A digital image, animation, flash, audio, video, game, text-based webpage, or a whole course, a lesson of a course, can be considered LOs. They can be used by others directly, or can be edited, modified, and combined with other learning materials.
1 Wiley, D. A. (2000). Connecting learning objects to instructional design theory: A definition, a metaphor, and a taxonomy. In D. A. Wiley (Ed.), The instructional use of learning objects: Online version. From http://reusability.org/read/chapters/wiley.doc
The THECB TCRR is the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Texas Course Redesign Repository. The TCRR is a digital collection of learning objects, and it stores, manages, and makes accessible not only learning objects but also related metadata.
To learn more about the Repository, view the About page.
Who can access the Repository? Do I need to register?
The content is available free of charge to all educators in Texas. Anyone can access the Repository to browse, view, and download items, but you must register to access features such as My Folder and to submit items.
Who currently contributes to the Repository?
Contributors to the content of the TCRR are the authors of the redesigned courses. The courses and course content are being created as part of the Board's Texas Course Redesign Project. (????? - should we state specific contributors? if so, could you provide that information?)
Who can contribute to the Repository?
Any learning objects’ developer can contribute them to the TCRR. The LOs must be digital, reusable, and have instructional value. LOs based on Texas education standards and curricula are preferred. Currently the TCRR only stores LOs that support higher education.
How can I become a contributor?
There are two ways to contribute to the TCRR. Register an account to submit the LO directly or send the LO to the project team and let the team upload it. (????? - is this true?) Before contributing, the LO must be reviewed by the project team and approved. For details, please reference the Submission Policy.
How can I use learning objects?
You can use the TCRR for contribution, accessing, and reusing LOs. Here are some examples:
• Share your learning materials;
• Preserve your own LOs;
• Create a new course or reconstruct old courses based on the LOs;
• Combine LOs into an existing course directly or with modification to meet the curriculum;
• Search materials for courses and make the LO available for students without combining it into a course;
• Move a face-to-face course into the online environment;
• Find and collect LOs to build collections for future use;
• Learn from others’ practice (e.g., how to design LOs, structure a course, and organize content).
Can I edit learning objects after downloading them?
After downloading, you can reuse LOs with or without changes and modifications. Changes do not require approval. Currently the TCRR does not accept revised LOs to put back into the Repository.
Who owns the content in the Repository?
The rights holder is The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, P.O. Box 12788, Austin, TX 78711 Phone: (512)427-6101. Web: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us
Glossary
A Course Level is assigned to each course and each item, which serves as a visual reference to its organization. When you see a question mark
you can click it to see that course or item's organization.
In the Repository, course content is organized into learning objects at different levels of granularity that are useful for different instructional needs. The term ‘level’ generally describes the size of a chunk of content in relation to the entire course. The lower the level, the smaller the chunk.
The levels used for describing the course level are, from largest to smallest: and Unit (Level 4), Lesson (Level 3), Topic (Level 2), Asset (Level 1), and Other (Level 0). A course is composed of several units. A unit contains several lessons; a lesson includes several topics; and a topic could contain assets, which are single-file objects such as video and animation. Some courses contain material that does not fit into any of these levels, such as teaching guides and case studies. The Repository categorizes them into Level 0.
Below is an example of the U.S. History I Course Level 3. This example provides the information that this is a Level 3 Lesson, which contains Topics and Assets. Continue reading below to learn more.
Units are the highest level of component parts of a course. Several Units comprise a course, and a Unit contains several Lessons. They are at Level 4 in the TCRR.
Lessons are the second highest level of component parts of a course. Several Lessons comprise a unit, and a Lesson contains several Topics. They are at Level 3 in the TCRR.
Topics are the third highest level of component parts of a course. Several Topics comprise a Lesson. They are at Level 2 in the TCRR.
Assets are the smallest unit of learning in a course. They are comprised of minimal files for functionality and are often a single file, such as video or animation. They are at Level 1 in the TCRR.
For some courses, certain material does not fit into any of the four levels. These materials include: course structure (i.e., a syllabus and course map that outlines the components of this particular course), course-wide assessments (i.e., assessments in the form of mid-term and final examinations), case studies and teaching guides (i.e., interactive learning materials that may be associated with a particular Unit, Lesson, or Topic, but comprise a separate, course-contextualized learning object). This supplementary course content is at Level 0 in the TCRR.
An IMS content package is a zip file that contains learning content and metadata. The user can download the package to their desktop and/or export it to a learning management system. Currently, the THECB TCRR provides content packages for learning objects that consist of multiple files.
IMS is one of the formats the TCRR uses to package materials. For more information about IMS, go to the IMS Global Learning Consortium at http://www.imsglobal.org/content/packaging/
For inoformation on zip files, click the Help tab at the top of this page.
A learning object (LO) is a resource, usually digital and web-based, that can be used, reused, and repurposed to support learning. The THECB TCRR provides the complete course as one learning object as well as the component parts of the course as discrete learning objects.
A permalink is a permanent link that each learning object is assigned, that links to that learning object’s stable URI. You can use this link to bookmark the item, or pass the link along to someone else. The permalink is located at the bottom of the metadata list in every expanded item (items are expanded by clicking the title or plus sign).
Tutorials coming soon.
Creating a resource to find, share, and preserve digital learning materials. 
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