Iris Content Map Settings

The Iris Content Map visually displays the entire course at a glance in a visually appealing way. This makes it easier for students to understand their progress, celebrate success, and make goals because it clearly shows them where they are, where they are going, and where they have been.

Iris Content Map can be used in courses where the sequence of assignments is not linear. Instead, Iris Content Map can display content in a hierarchy, like a tree, or branching outline structure. This allows students to choose their own path through content, which improves students' sense of autonomy and motivation. The Iris Content Map can also be used in linear courses or with other content components.

Add Parent-Child Relationships between Modules

Iris displays modules in as segments in a circle. Each segment (except the center most segment 'dot' ) has a "parent", and segments can have "children". The simplest way to visualize this relationships is as an indented outline (see the images to the left).

You can use the "Module Meta-data Manager" to create these parent-child relationships in an outline. Review the following tasks in the "Module Meta-data Manager tutorial" before you continue:

Note: If you unpublish a module, it AND ALL OF ITS CHILD MODULES will not be displayed in Delphinium.

After reviewing the links above, click and drag modules in "Module Meta-data Manager" to organize your modules in parent-child relationships that align with your course design. Click Update Page to refresh the page and view your changes in "Iris Content Map".

Set the Center of Iris to a Sub-branch

Sometimes it is useful to assign the center "dot" of an iris to a sub-branch in the Module Meta-data Manager. For example, if you wanted to display a single module in "Iris Content Map", like getting started, or the syllabus, you could make that module a child with no children in the Module Meta-data Manager and set that module as the center of the Iris Content Map. Or, for example, if you wanted to organize your course modules into three 'units', you could make three main branches of modules in Module Meta-data Manager and give the branches children and grandchildren. Then you could add three different Iris content boxes to your course and set the center of each to one of the three main branches.

On the Delphinium page, in Teacher or Periscope View, click the Settings icon in the top right corner of the page.

The "Settings" dialog will open.

Click the Delphinium Settings tab in the tab bar at the top of the Settings dialog.

The “Delphinium Settings” tab will be displayed.

The Delphinium Settings tab has two sub tabs, "Course Settings" and "Component Settings." If necessary, click Component Settings.

The "Component Settings" sub tab will be displayed.

If your course has more than one tab, you will see those tabs mirrored in the "secondary tab bar". You may need to click the correct tab in the secondary tab bar to display the icon for the component you wish to edit.


Click the Iris Content Map icon. If you have multiple Iris Content Maps in your Delphinium layout, you may need to mouse over the Find Me button to highlight the Iris Content Maps on the page and identify the correct one to edit.

The “Iris Content Map Settings” dialog will display.





Click the Filter drop-down menu to view the list of modules in a course. Parent-child relationships are represented by 'dashes' in the list. Each 'indent' configured in the Module Meta Data Manager is another dash.

Select the module from the list that you want to display as the center of a Iris Content Map and then click Save to reload the page and display your changes.

Edit Canvas Modules and Module Items

The "Iris Content Map" uses Canvas data to display your existing modules, assignments, module items, module lock status, module prerequisites, and module requirements. When Delphinium loads for the first time in a course, this information will be pulled from Canvas into Delphinium automatically, you do not need to make any adjustments. It will all be displayed properly in Delphinium.

However, it is likely that you will eventually want to change your course structure. Learn more about updating Canvas content here.

Note: Changes you make in Canvas will NOT appear in Delphinium until you "Refresh LMS Data (click for details)".

Note: Unpublished Canvas content will NOT appear in Delphinium. You can publish/unpublish all content in the Canvas interface and then see the changes when you "Refresh LMS Data (click for details)". You can also publish/unpublish modules and module items in the "Module Meta-Data Manager (click for details)" .

Advanced Methods for using Iris Content Maps

  1. Add multiple Iris Content Maps to the same layout and use filters to show different modules in each. For example, split modules into Units, or functions like exams or introductory content.




  1. For linear courses, make all modules the direct child to a single introductory module and use Canvas module requirements to unlock one module at a time, in order. This will make working through the course like traveling through a board game.






  1. Organize modules like a bulls eye by making all modules in a branch a child to the previous one







  1. Add a single dot to a layout to display a single module by creating a branch with only one module and no children modules