Canvas Blueprint courses are templates that can be applied over any number of other courses. Users can apply styles, course designs, or content to groups of courses or to an entire unit’s course offerings. Alternatively, Canvas Commons is used to share out instructional content.
Canvas Commons and Canvas Blueprint Comparison Matrix
| Canvas Tool | Owner Role | Content Type | Update Types | Other Content Overwritten | Content Locks | Actions | Recommended Purpose(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canvas Commons | Teacher, Assistant, or TA only (Sub Account and Account Admins cannot import) | All | Reimport | No | No | Conent is pulled by instructor's role only; created and hosted remotely | Shared instructional content in multiple sections or same course; modules for related courses |
| Canvas Blueprint | Sub Account or Account Admin only (sometimes teacher role) | All | Remote sync | No | Yes | Content is pushed to associated courses chosen by admin | Administrative messaging, compliance documents, department or discipline specific templates |
Canvas Blueprint - Content “Push”
Scenarios where Canvas Blueprint can be used effectively:
Scenario 1 - A department or discipline theme
A department wants to create a page or links of discipline-specific information that appear automatically in classes before the semester starts. Examples include internship opportunities, academic integrity standards, and graduation requirements for majors.
Scenario 2 - Course content for multiple sections of the same course
Quizzes and course content can be shared across courses in the same discipline. Another option is to share materials across independent sections of the same course, such as English 125, Spanish 232 and Math 114.
Canvas Commons - Content “Pull”
Scenarios where Canvas Commons can be used effectively:
Scenario 1 - A department or discipline theme
A department wants to create a page or links of discipline-specific information that can be imported by faculty. Examples including CAPS information and teaching evaluation instructions for students.
Scenario 2 - Course content for multiple sections of the same course
A single course across multiple sections contains the same content/quizzes.
Scenario 3 - Faculty share content with peer institutions or locally
Digital artifacts can be shared with other colleges or institutions with Creative Commons licensing.
Consultations and workshops available by request. Contact Elizabeth Fomin ([email protected])
