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The Materials feature in Campus enables educators and members to share educational resources, documents, and learning materials with their community.

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Understanding Materials

Materials can include:
  • Documents (PDF, DOCX, TXT)
  • Presentations (PPTX, Google Slides links)
  • Datasets (CSV, Excel, JSON)
  • Videos (uploaded or linked)
  • External links to resources

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Material Structure

{
  title: string,          // Material name (max 500 chars)
  description: string,    // Optional description (max 5000 chars)
  file: File,            // Uploaded file or null for links
  format: string,        // 'document' | 'slide' | 'dataset' | 'video' | 'link'
  uploader: string,      // User ID of uploader
  tags: string[],        // Searchable tags
  visibility: string,    // 'institution' | 'course' | 'group' | 'public'
  created: DateTime,     // Upload timestamp
  accessCount: number    // View/download count
}

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Uploading Materials

1

Navigate to Materials

Go to /materials to access the materials repository.
2

Click Upload Material

Click the “Upload Material” button in the top-right corner.This opens the upload dialog.
3

Enter Material Information

Fill in the required fields:Title (required)
  • Clear, descriptive name
  • Maximum 500 characters
  • Example: “Data Structures Lecture 5 - Binary Trees”
Description (optional)
  • Detailed information about the material
  • What it covers
  • Prerequisites or related materials
  • Maximum 5000 characters
  • Supports line breaks for readability
4

Select File

Click the file input to choose a file from your computer:
  • Click “Choose File”
  • Navigate to your file
  • Select and confirm
File size limits may apply depending on your Campus instance configuration. Check with your administrator for specific limits.
5

Upload

Click the “Upload” button to submit.The upload process:
  • Shows progress indicator
  • Validates file and metadata
  • Processes and stores the file
  • Returns you to the materials list with your new material visible

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Organizing Materials

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Using Tags

Tags help categorize and discover materials: 
// Example tags
tags: [
  'data-structures',
  'algorithms',
  'trees',
  'lecture',
  'fall-2026'
]
Use consistent tag naming conventions:
  • Lowercase
  • Hyphenated multi-word tags
  • Specific rather than generic
  • Include temporal tags (semester/year) for time-sensitive content

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Material Formats

Materials are automatically categorized by format:
Text-based resources:
  • PDF files
  • Word documents (.docx)
  • Text files (.txt)
  • Markdown files
Displayed with document icon and viewable in browser (PDF) or downloadable.

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Visibility Settings

Control who can access your materials:
VisibilityAccess
PublicAnyone can discover and download
InstitutionOnly users from your institution
CourseOnly students enrolled in specific course
GroupOnly members of a specific group

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Searching and Discovering Materials

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Search Functionality

The materials page includes a powerful search: 
// Search parameters
{
  q: string,              // Search query (title/description)
  tags: string[],         // Filter by tags
  format: string,         // Filter by format type
  contributorId: string,  // Filter by uploader
  courseCode: string,     // Filter by course
  sort: 'relevance' | 'recent',
  page: number,
  perPage: number         // Results per page (max 100)
}
1

Enter Search Query

Type keywords in the search box:
  • Searches in titles and descriptions
  • Supports partial matches
  • Case-insensitive
2

Apply Filters (Optional)

Refine results using filters:
  • Format type
  • Tags
  • Contributor
  • Course/group
3

Click Search

Submit your search to see results
4

Browse Results

Results display:
  • Material title
  • Uploader name
  • Upload date
  • Tags
  • Format icon
Pagination controls appear at the bottom for multiple pages.

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Sorting Options

  • Relevance: Best match to search query (default for searches)
  • Recent: Newest uploads first (default when browsing)

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Accessing Materials

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Viewing Materials

Click on any material card to:
  • View full details
  • See complete description
  • Check related materials
  • View access statistics

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Downloading Materials

Each material has a “Download” button:
  1. Click “Download”
  2. File downloads to your default location
  3. Download is logged for analytics
Downloads are tracked to help uploaders understand material usage and popularity.

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Access Logging

Campus tracks material access for:
  • Usage analytics
  • Popular content identification
  • Contributor insights
// Access log entry
{
  material: string,  // Material ID
  user: string,      // User ID
  action: 'view' | 'download',
  timestamp: DateTime
}

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Managing Your Materials

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Viewing Your Uploads

Access your uploaded materials:
  • Navigate to /profile/uploads or your profile page
  • Filter by “My Materials”
  • See all materials you’ve uploaded
  • View access statistics for each

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Updating Materials

To update an existing material:
1

Find Your Material

Go to your uploads or search for the material
2

Click Edit

Open the material and click “Edit” (visible only to uploader and moderators)
3

Modify Details

Update:
  • Title
  • Description
  • Tags
  • Visibility
  • Replace the file (optional)
4

Save Changes

Click “Update” to save
Replacing the file will update the download for all users. The old file is not retained.

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Deleting Materials

Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Download logs will be retained but the file will be removed.
To delete a material:
  1. Open the material details
  2. Click “Delete”
  3. Confirm the deletion
Only uploaders and space/group moderators can delete materials.

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Best Practices

Make titles clear and specific:Good:
  • “Linear Algebra Exam Review - Chapter 3-5”
  • “Python Tutorial: List Comprehensions”
Avoid:
  • “Lecture Notes”
  • “Document 1”
Include context like course name, topic, and type of material.
Descriptions should:
  • Summarize the content
  • Mention prerequisites
  • Link to related materials
  • Include any special notes (version, corrections, etc.)
Example:
Slides from Week 5 lecture on binary search trees.

Topics covered:
- BST properties
- Insert/delete operations
- Traversal algorithms

Prerequisites: Understanding of basic tree structures
Related: Week 4 notes on general trees
Develop a tagging strategy:
  • Use existing tags when possible
  • Create new tags only when necessary
  • Include multiple tag types:
    • Topic tags: data-structures, algorithms
    • Course tags: cs101, intro-programming
    • Type tags: lecture, assignment, solution
    • Temporal tags: fall-2026, week-5
Consider your audience:
  • Public: General educational resources, open courseware
  • Institution: Campus-specific materials
  • Course: Exam solutions, graded assignments
  • Group: Collaborative project files, restricted content
You can always change visibility later if needed.
Group related materials:
  • Use consistent naming schemes
  • Create a series (Lecture 1, Lecture 2, etc.)
  • Use tags to create virtual collections
  • Consider creating a course page that links to all materials
Maintain your content:
  • Update materials when content changes
  • Remove outdated or incorrect materials
  • Add version numbers for evolving documents
  • Archive old semester materials appropriately

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File Formats and Compatibility

For best compatibility:
Content TypeRecommended FormatAlternative
DocumentsPDFDOCX
PresentationsPDF (exported)PPTX, Link
DatasetsCSVXLSX, JSON
CodeGitHub/GitLab linkZIP
VideosYouTube/Vimeo linkMP4 (small files)

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File Size Considerations

For large files:
  1. Compress PDFs using tools like Adobe Acrobat
  2. Use video compression for recorded lectures
  3. Host large files externally and link to them
  4. Split large documents into smaller sections

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Common Issues

Upload FailsIf your upload doesn’t work:
  • Check file size (may exceed limit)
  • Ensure file isn’t corrupted
  • Verify internet connection is stable
  • Try a different browser
  • Contact support if issue persists
Material Not VisibleIf uploaded material doesn’t appear:
  • Check visibility settings (may be restricted)
  • Verify you’re viewing the correct space/course
  • Ensure upload completed successfully
  • Try refreshing the page

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Analytics and Insights

Track how your materials are being used:
  • View count: How many times material details were viewed
  • Download count: How many times material was downloaded
  • Unique users: Number of different users who accessed
  • Access timeline: When material is most accessed
Use these insights to:
  • Identify popular content
  • Understand learning patterns
  • Plan content updates
  • Justify resource creation efforts

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Next Steps

Organize Events

Create events to present materials and engage with your audience

Moderate Content

Learn how to moderate materials and ensure quality standards

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