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Using metadata for classification and search

As the Content Bank’s library of items, tests, and assets grows, metadata offers a way of finding and organizing these libraries. Entities are categorized and labeled with metadata, so that relevant materials can be found easily.

How metadata inheritance works

  • The property fields appear for each resource in the class they were created for

  • Authors can enter individual values for those inherited properties per resource:

    • If all items in a class have a Topic property, you can assign different topic values for each item.

You cannot add new properties to individual resources that aren't part of the class schema. To introduce new metadata, you must edit the class schema.

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Types of metadata

Metadata can be structured as open-ended or closed-ended, depending on the type of information you're collecting.

Open-ended metadata

Open-ended metadata allows freeform input for individual resources, usually in the form of text.

Field type

Description

Short Field

Single-line text input (e.g., course code, tag)

Long Box

Multi-line plain text (e.g., instructions, notes)

Long HTML Editor

Rich-text input with formatting options

Open-ended fields offer flexibility but can lead to inconsistent values (e.g., typos, varied formatting), which may impact search accuracy.

Closed-ended metadata

Closed-ended metadata restricts users to select from predefined options. For more information on how to create these lists, see How to manage lists for metadata.

These field types pull from defined lists or trees that you create in the system (see section below on Lists).

Use closed-ended metadata when planning to search, sort, or filter by values later.

Field type

Description

Single Choice (Radio)

Select one option from a visible list

Single Choice (Dropdown)

Select one option from a dropdown menu

Multiple Choice (Checkbox)

Select one or more options

Tree

Select hierarchical values (e.g., Subject > Sub-topic)

Special Metadata Field Types

These field types don’t fit cleanly into open/closed categories but serve specific purposes:

Field type

Use Case

Calendar

For setting dates (e.g., item creation or expiration)

Password

Rarely used; hides input for sensitive data

File

Attach reference files to items (e.g., media or rubrics)