Create a Course from Scratch

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DesignPLUS Workflow Create a Course from Scratch

There is no single correct way to use the DesignPLUS tools to create a Canvas course from scratch, and, of course, a lot depends on the nature of the course itself. However, if you keep a few basic principles in mind, you can save yourself a lot of time and effort. Treat the steps in this module as a flexible roadmap.  Use the ones that make sense for your situation and discard the ones that don't.  

Core Assumptions

The workflow suggestions on this page are predicated on the following assumptions:

  • All of the pages and activities in the course will use the same theme elements to achieve a unified look and feel.
  • The course will use the Canvas Modules tool to organize instructional content and activities.
  • Content items that appear in all or most modules (e.g., introduction, discussion topic, homework, etc.) will use consistent section headings and formatting.
  • The Module Builder tool will be used to generate modules with a consistent content pattern.
  • You, as the instructor or designer, already understand the basic purpose and operation of the DesignPLUS sidebar and Multi-Tool. Step-by-step instructions will not be provided in this module, but links to detailed instructions will be provided.
  • This module won't teach you about instructional design. You, as the instructor or designer, are responsible for bringing instructional design knowledge to the process. 

If some of these assumptions don't apply to your situation, you may still find the content in this module useful.

Process Overview

Designing an online course is already a complex process, separate and apart from technology considerations. Incorporating the DesignPLUS sidebar and Multi-Tool into the process can feel overwhelming at first. Once you master the tools and a few basic principles, however, you'll wonder how you ever worked without them. Here's a quick rundown of what we'll cover in this module.

  1. Plan the Design and Structure. Before creating anything, you'll need to make some key decisions that will guide your use of the DesignPLUS Tools.
  2. Create a Primary Sidebar Template. The primary template will serve as a model for other templates and content in your course.
  3. Create Specialized Sidebar Templates. You may find it beneficial to create more specialized templates for pages that use a standard heading pattern or boilerplate text. You can also create templates for page layouts that you want to reuse.
  4. Create Module Builder Templates. You'll need to create templates for the non-page items (assignments, discussion topics, quizzes) in your module pattern. Templates for these types of activities must be created in the tool that matches the item type specified in the module pattern. For more information, see Types of Templates in DesignPLUS.
  5. Generate Modules in Module Builder. After you create all of the templates needed for your module pattern, you'll use the Multi-Tool Module Builder to create a complete set of modules. 
  6. Set Availability, Due, and Feedback Dates. Use the Muti-Tool Due Date Modifier to schedule the availability, due, until, and feedback dates for each item.
  7. Create the Syllabus and Home Page. Pull in the primary template and build the content for your course syllabus and home page.
  8. Flesh Out Module Content. Add instructional content to each page, assignment, discussion topic, and quiz generated by Module Builder.