About custom tasks in Xello 6-12
userXello Admin Xello productXello 6-12 Time3 minutes

Use Custom tasks to build upon existing Xello activities or create entirely new activities that go beyond Xello's built-in curriculum. For example, create a custom lesson for students to update their resume with new experiences. Or assign a custom activity to track actions completed outside of Xello, such as creating a cover letter. Creating a portfolio project will help students organize and submit digital collections of their work.

Set clear expectations for your students and the work they need to complete. They'll see their assigned tasks directly on their dashboard, in their To-do list. As tasks are completed, they'll be marked as Done or moved into the In review section until an educator has reviewed their submission.

noteNote: Only those with administrator access can create or make these changes. To learn more about educator access and permissions, read the article on Educator permissions.
In this article

Add a custom lesson

Custom lessons guide students to build upon a task in Xello, like updating their resume with new information. Custom lessons can include prerequisites. This ensures that students complete specific tasks in Xello before starting it.

TipTip: For more in-depth details about creating, editing, and tracking custom lessons, check out the Custom lessons section of our Lessons Knowledge Base.

To create a custom lesson for students:

  1. From your educator account, click Features and select Completion Standards.
    Educator account in Xello with the Features menu open with cursor selecting Completion Standards
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello with the Features menu open with cursor selecting Completion Standards
  2. From the top of the page, ensure the correct grade range is selected: Grades 6-12 or Grades 3-5.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the tasks list and click Add custom task.
    Educator account in Xello on the Completion Standards configuration page. At the bottom of the tasks list, the cursor is selecting Add custom task
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello on the Completion Standards configuration page. At the bottom of the tasks list, the cursor is selecting Add custom task
  4. Click Custom lesson to open a modal where you can add the lesson details.
    Educator account in Xello. The modal to add custom tasks is open and the cursor is selecting Custom lesson.
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello. The modal to add custom tasks is open and the cursor is selecting Custom lesson.
  5. Fill in the necessary information. Options and things to know about custom lessons:
    • Lessons can be assigned to multiple grades, but will only need to be completed by the student once.
    • You can assign the lesson to students at specific schools and groups.
    • If you want to specify when this lesson needs to be completed, add a due date.
    • Custom lessons can be marked as optional. It will display as optional in the student to-do list. They won't be counted in the completion tracker.
    • If you want to include prerequisites that students must complete before beginning the lesson, click Add prerequisites and select up to 5 activities you'd like to include.
    Educator account in Xello. The modal to add custom tasks is open. A custom lesson about updating a resume is being created. To complete the task, students must attach a file.
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello. The modal to add custom tasks is open. A custom lesson about updating a resume is being created. To complete the task, students must attach a file.
  6. Click Save.
    • The custom lesson will immediately show in the To-do list on the student dashboard.

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Add a custom activity

Custom activities guide students to track actions that might be done outside of Xello, like creating a cover letter or a personal profile for an application. Custom activities cannot include prerequisites.

To create a custom activity:

  1. From your educator account, click Features and select Completion Standards.
    Educator account in Xello with the Features menu open with cursor selecting Completion Standards
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello with the Features menu open with cursor selecting Completion Standards
  2. From the top of the page, ensure the correct grade range is selected: Grades 6-12 or Grades 3-5.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the tasks list and click Add custom task.
    Educator account in Xello on the Completion Standards configuration page. At the bottom of the tasks list, the cursor is selecting Add custom task
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello on the Completion Standards configuration page. At the bottom of the tasks list, the cursor is selecting Add custom task
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the task list and click Custom activity.
    Educator account in Xello. The modal to add custom tasks is open and the cursor is selecting Custom activity
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello. The modal to add custom tasks is open and the cursor is selecting Custom activity
  5. Fill in your custom activity details. Options and things to know about custom activities:
    • They can be assigned to multiple grades and groups.
    • They can made optional. They'll show as optional in the student to-do list and won't be counted in reports.
    • If you want to specify when this activity needs to be completed, add a due date.
    • Title, description, instructions, and submission type are all required. Any content entered in these fields will be visible for the student and in the Completion Standards report.
    • They cannot include a prerequisite. This means students are not required to complete a prior task or feature before starting a custom activity.
  6. Click Save.
    • The custom activity will immediately show in the To-do list on the student dashboard.

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Add a portfolio project

Portfolios are organized digital collections of work. Students can highlight the self-exploration and planning they’ve done in Xello and add their own artifacts, like photos, videos, and journal entries. A Portfolio project custom task can include talent, interests, and career portfolios.

When you assign a portfolio task to your students, they're required to select one of their existing created portfolios to link and submit back to you. It will show as submitted in both their To-do list and your educator account as soon as they submit the portfolio. The submitted portfolio can then be opened and viewed directly from their To-do list or from the student's profile in your educator account.

To create a portfolio project: 

  1. From your educator account, click Features and select Completion Standards.
    Educator account in Xello with the Features menu open with cursor selecting Completion Standards
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello with the Features menu open with cursor selecting Completion Standards
  2. From the top of the page, ensure the correct grade range is selected: Grades 6-12 or Grades 3-5.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the tasks list and click Add custom task.
    Educator account in Xello on the Completion Standards configuration page. At the bottom of the tasks list, the cursor is selecting Add custom task
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello on the Completion Standards configuration page. At the bottom of the tasks list, the cursor is selecting Add custom task
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the task list and click Portfolio project.
    Educator account in Xello. The modal to add custom tasks is open and the cursor is selecting Portfolio project
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello. The modal to add custom tasks is open and the cursor is selecting Portfolio project
  5. Add the details for your custom portfolio project. Options and things to know about portfolio projects:
    • They can be assigned to multiple grades and groups.
    • They can made optional. They'll show as optional in the student to-do list and won't be counted in reports.
    • If you want to specify when this portfolio needs to be completed, add a due date.
    • Title, description, and instructions are all required. Any content entered in these fields will be visible for the student and in the Completion Standards report.
  6. Click Save.
    • The portfolio project task will immediately show in the To-do list on the student dashboard.
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