Adding as New vs. Adding and Sharing in Amplifire

When you add existing content to your course, whether it's a question, module, or information page, Amplifire gives you two options: Add as new and Add and share. Understanding the difference between these options will help you make the right choice for your course structure and maintenance needs.

The Key Difference

The fundamental distinction between these two options lies in how changes propagate:

Add as new creates an independent duplicate of the content. When you select this option, Amplifire copies all the content (question text, answer choices, distractors, etc.) into your course as a completely separate item. Any edits you make to this version will only affect this specific instance; the original content and any other instances remain unchanged.

Add and share creates a linked reference to the existing content. Instead of duplicating the content, this option adds the same shared instance to your course. Any edits made to this content will automatically update everywhere it appears across all courses and modules that use it.

Benefits of Add as New

Using "Add as new" offers several advantages when you need flexibility and independence:

• Customization freedom: You can modify the content specifically for your course without worrying about affecting other courses or modules
• Course-specific tailoring: Adjust difficulty levels, wording, or context to match your specific learner population
• Safe experimentation: Test different versions of questions or modules without impacting content used elsewhere
• Version control: Maintain different iterations of similar content for different purposes or audiences

Benefits of Add and Share

The "Add and share" option provides efficiency and consistency benefits:

• Centralized updates: Make one edit that automatically applies everywhere the content is used, saving time and ensuring consistency
• Content accuracy: When you correct an error or update information, all instances are corrected simultaneously
• Reduced maintenance: No need to track down and update multiple versions of the same content
• Content standardization: Ensure all learners encounter identical questions and information across different courses

When to Use Each Option

Choose "Add as new" when:

• You want to adapt the content for a specific audience or context
• You're creating variations of similar questions for different difficulty levels
• The content might need course-specific modifications in the future
• You want to maintain separate control over this instance
• You're building a demo or test course that shouldn't affect production content

Choose "Add and share" when:

• The content should remain standardized across multiple courses
• You want efficient centralized updating capabilities
• The content is factual information that should be consistent everywhere
• You're building related courses that should maintain identical core content
• You want to minimize ongoing maintenance work

Making Your Decision

Consider your long-term content strategy when choosing between these options. If you anticipate needing to make course-specific adjustments, "Add as new" gives you the independence you need. If you're building a content library that requires consistency and efficient updates, "Add and share" provides the centralized control that saves time and reduces errors.

Both options create fully functional content in your course immediately. The difference is simply whether that content remains connected to or independent from its source.