Canvas course types and templates

Credit-bearing courses

The University recommends that all credit-bearing courses are developed in Canvas. Course ‘shells’ are created for all timetabled courses each semester (or term) by the Learning and Teaching Team. Students are automatically enrolled into a course by information supplied by the Enrolment Office. Before the start of teaching you will need to either:

• Import a previous course you have taught in Canvas into the new course shell for the upcoming semester.
• Create content from scratch in this new course shell. If you are starting a course from scratch and don’t yet have access to the new course, you can create a new course draft, design the course and import that into the course shell.

Cross-listed courses

Cross-listed courses are courses with the same content but different course codes, or a full-year course that has two course codes in Student Services Online (SSO). Two or more courses can be managed through one primary course in Canvas.

• Students enrolled in cross-listed courses appear as sections in the primary course.
• Students will be able to access all files, modules, readings and other content in the primary course regardless of which course code they are officially enrolled in. So it is important to clearly label any content that is for a specific course/section.
• Cross-listed courses are not created when there is a possibility that a student will enrol in two or more of the cross-listed courses. This is because Canvas will only have one line in the Gradebook for that student (even though they are enrolled in two course sections), thus resulting in one overall mark/grade.
• Announcements made in a cross-listed course will be seen by everyone who is enrolled in the primary course. Contacting a specific course or section is achieved through Announcements or Canvas Inbox.
• The course summary will show the analytics for the whole course. You will not see a separate summary for each section.
• Once you select Submit, the marks for all of the cross-listed courses will be sent to Assessment Services. You cannot submit marks for just one section. All grades for cross-listed courses must be prepared and submitted at the same time.

To request a course to be cross-listed, visit: request Canvas support.

View the guide on: assigning assignments to course sections (PDF).

The University has a set of basic requirements for all standard Canvas courses:

• Syllabus – includes the course outline and compulsory course information.
• Assignments – showing students how and when they will be assessed.
• Talis reading list – provides information about the relevant books and readings students will need during the course. Talis reading lists are compulsory for the university to comply with copyright regulations.

Utilising existing templates is an efficient way to make your course attractive and consistent with others in the same programme. For guidelines on structuring your course, including faculty templates, the Canvas Baseline Practices offers a consistent and accessible student experience.