Canvas Blueprint Course Guide

Canvas Instructor Guide Including:
Blueprint Overview
Instructor Orientation
Instructor Responsibilities
Additional Resources

Overview

A Canvas Blueprint course is a course that houses content you want to share to any number of associated courses. Enabling Blueprint settings for a course provided course instructors with an efficient method for managing course content across multiple sections and instructors. When utilizing a Blueprint course, instructors can create, update, and distribute standardized course materials, such as syllabi, assignments, and assessments, ensuring consistency and quality across all offerings of a course. The key benefits include:

Instructor Orientation

 

What are the benefits of enabling Blueprint course settings?

• Consistency: You can ensures that all sections of a course adhere to the same academic standards and content, providing a uniform student experience.

• Efficiency: Save time by centralizing updates, which automatically propagate to associated courses, eliminating the need for repetitive work.

• Collaboration: You can facilitate a collaborative approach to course design and management among multiple instructors and teaching assistants.

• Flexibility: You can allow individual instructors the ability to tailor certain elements of their own sections while maintaining core content.

How to Enable Canvas Blueprint Course Settings

Canvas Blueprint Course settings can be enabled for any Canvas course. However, Blueprint Course settings can only be enabled by Canvas admins. UMSN-IT has Canvas admins who can enable Blueprint Course settings for your courses. Instructors can request enabling of Blueprint Course settings for their courses by submitting the Blueprint Course Configuration Request Form to UMSN-IT.

Blueprint Courses vs Master Course Site

Please note that Canvas Blueprint Courses are different from Canvas "Master" Courses. Master Courses are Canvas project sites that are designed and configured with the assistance of School of Nursing Instructional Designers. Master Canvas Courses service as templates that faculty can use to build out their Canvas sites, and cannot be used to distribute content.

Blueprint Course F.A.Q.

• How do I find out more about Canvas Blueprint Courses?

  • Answer: For more information on Canvas Blueprint Courses, see https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Video-Guide/Blueprint-Courses-Overview/ta-p/383201

• How do I submit a request to enable Canvas Blueprint Course settings for my Canvas course sites? 

  • Answer: Submit your request by submitting the Blueprint Course Configuration Request Form. 

• How long does it take to enable Blueprint Course settings for my Canvas course site?

  • Answer: Generally, it takes 3-5 business days to enable a Blueprint Course.

• What do I do if I don’t know what settings I should select for my Blueprint Course?

  • Answer: If you don’t know what settings you should use for your course, or if you have additional questions about how to use Blueprint courses, please schedule a Quick Consultation with a UMSN Instructional Designer. Schedule a Quick Consultation using the Quick Consultation Form.

• Will my Blueprint Course settings automatically transfer to new courses each term?

  • Answer: No, you must submit a Blueprint Course Configuration Request each term for each course you want to use as a Blueprint Course.

• Is content migrated from previous Canvas Blueprint course sites to new Canvas Blueprint Course sites when their settings are enabled?  

  • Answer: No, instructors are responsible for the management of all course content, including copying and transferring content between courses.  

 

Instructor Responsibilities

• Submitting requests each term to enable Blueprint Course setting via the Blueprint Course Configuration Request Form
• Course content management, including transferring content to Blueprint courses
• Understanding Blueprint Course settings