GRCC Template Companion Guide

Tags Canvas

Information

The GRCC template in your course provides guidance on what to include on each page, with placeholders and brackets such as [Type Name Here] indicating where you should insert your own content and titles. These included resources and placeholders are fully optional and customizable; you are welcome to use or not use them as fits your course design approach. This checklist is designed to ensure that all placeholders are removed and the customizable template sections, if you choose to use them, are fully completed.

Please note that your department may provide a customized course template tailored to its specific needs. As a result, your course may include additional pages with varying levels of customization permitted.

 

Environment

  • Canvas 

 

Process

Getting Started 

This section of the checklist guides you through setting up the home page and “Start Here: Orientation” module in the GRCC Canvas template to ensure a clear and welcoming start for students.

Home Page

  • Replace [Place Course Title] with your course information.
  • Add Welcome message - This can be a brief welcome and encouragement to get started. 

Start Here: Orientation

Course Overview Page 

This page is published and accessible to students in your course. Please ensure the following tasks are completed:

  • Replace [Name of Class]
  • Add a Course Overview description. What you put here will be specific to what you want to highlight about your course. It could include discussion of major class topics, Canvas layout information (how students should navigate through materials), expectations or general tips/tricks.
  • Add Course Learning Outcomes from Curriculog. 
  • Add Navigating the Course. Your course modality may determine what you choose to include here. You may want to provide a "course tour" video and/or additional information to help students navigate the course.

Professor Contact & Bio Page 

This page is published and accessible to students in your course. Please ensure the following tasks are completed:

  • Replace [Type Name Here]
  • Add a short bio. Share a short bio to add personal and professional context to the course. Include a photo or video welcome to enhance presence.
  • Add or remove contact information. Include your preferred contact method and consider adding a link for office hour appointments.
  • Copy to other courses. Once your contact & bio page is ready, you can follow these instructions to copy the completed page to your other courses.

Course Resources 

This page is NOT published or accessible to students in your course. If you would like to use this page in your course complete the following tasks before publishing:

  • Add Required Materials. Provide any required course textbooks, link to library resources or OER, or any other required materials that will be used throughout the course. 
  • Add or remove Additional Resources. Add or link supplemental resources. If you do not have any additional resources, remove this section. 
  • Save & Publish.

Course Q & A

This page is NOT published or accessible to students in your course. If you would like to use this page in your course complete the following tasks before publishing:

  • Review Instructions. Review and update sample instructions.
  • Save & Publish. 

Final “Getting Started” Review:

  • Review ALL Items. Remove template instructions and any unnecessary headers.
  • Publish Necessary Pages - Review the pages you designed to ensure they are published and those you are not using in the course are “unpublished”. Tip - use “View as Student” to ensure that everything looks the way you intended for students.
  • Optional - Delete unused template items in the module. If you accidentally delete an item, you can import template items from the Canvas Commons. Click on the Canvas Commons button in your global navigation menu and select “GRCC Generic Template” to re-import the template elements.

Note: No action is needed on your part for the Campus Resources and Canvas Resources for Students pages, GRCC will update these pages as necessary.
 

Organizing Your Course

This checklist walks you through setting up a module in your course using the templates provided in the Module/Unit 1 Template. How you organize a module will depend on your course structure, whether by weeks or units. You may not choose to use all of the template items (pages, discussions, assignments, and quizzes) for each module. In some modules you may use multiple of the same item, example multiple assignments due in the same module. The template items for Weeks 1 and 2 are identical and serve as an example of how to structure a module spanning multiple weeks. If your module does not include multiple weeks, you may disregard the second week. Complete the items necessary for the module design in your course.  

For more resources on organizing your modules review the following resources: What are Modules? and How to Use Modules to Build Courses in Canvas.

To maintain a consistent visual design, be sure to duplicate the template pages, discussions, assignments, and quizzes. Consider keeping the original template module intact and duplicating individual template items as needed in a new module.

The unpublished sample module offers support for course design. You can publish the entire module at once or select individual items to publish. 
 

Module/Unit 1 | [Title or Theme Here]

  • Replace [Title or Theme] to the module header. Example: “Module 1 | American History” or “Unit 1 | American History”
  • Save & Publish

Module 1: Overview 

  • Optional - Rename “Page Title” to correspond with the format of your module. Example “Unit 1 Overview”
  • Add Overview. Introduce the major topics, concepts, or themes for this module. 
  • Add Course Learning Outcomes. Highlight learning goals for the module use CLOs that are of particular focus in the module, skills to be learned in this module, or module-level objectives.
  • Add To-Do-List. Provide a To-Do list here, follow the module’s top-to-bottom order for a clear and concise learning path. Consider adding reminders for upcoming projects or exams.
  • Save & Publish.

W1 Key Ideas: [Title Here]

  • Rename “Page Title” to correspond with the format of your module. Example “Module 1 Key Ideas” or “Module 1 Lecture”
  • Add Introduction. Add a short introduction to guide students through the page. 
  • Rename Headers. Rename headers appropriately for your course content. Example: [Video/Presentation Title] rename to “Chapter One: Management Styles Lecture” 
  • Add Course Content. Add the appropriate course content for the module. This may be a lecture video, links to assigned readings or something else.
  • Remove Unused Headers and Subheaders. 
  • Save & Publish.

W1 Discussion: [Title Here]

  • Rename “W1 Discussion [Title Here]” to correspond with the format of your module. Example “Module 1 Discussion: Management Styles” or “W1 Discussion: Management Styles”
  • Add Discussion Overview. Include resources that will be necessary to complete the prompt.
  • Add Guidelines. Provide specific guidelines to students for the discussion.
    • Alternative Option - Create a “Discussions Guidelines” Page and use this space to link it to the discussion. 
  • Add Prompt. 
  • Adjust Discussion Options. Review discussion options and adjust appropriately for this discussion including but not limited to Graded, Points Possible, Due Date and Availability Settings.
  • Save & Publish.

W1 Assignment: [Title Here]

  • Rename “W1 Assignment [Title Here]” to correspond with the format of your module. Example “Module 1: Management Styles Worksheet” or “W1 Assignment: Management Styles”
  • Add Assignment Overview. Include an assignment description/prompt and resources that will be necessary to complete the assignment.
  • Add Instructions. Provide clear instructions and guidelines for the assignment and how to submit the assignment.
  • Optional - Add Rubric. Select “Create Rubric” to create a new rubric or “Find Rubric” to use a rubric already created in the course.
  • Adjust Assignment Options. Review assignment options and adjust appropriately including but not limited to Points Possible, Submission Type, Due Date and Availability Settings.
  • Save & Publish.

W1 Quiz: [Title Here]

  • Rename “W1 Quiz: [Title Here]” to correspond with the format of your module. Example “Module 1: Management Styles Quiz” or “W1 Quiz: Management Styles”
  • Add Quiz Overview. Use the space to provide students with an overview of the quiz..
  • Add Quiz Questions. To build a new quiz select “New Question” & selection question type.
  • Adjust Quiz Options. Review assignment options and adjust appropriately including but not limited to Shuffle Answers, Allow Multiple Attempts, Due Date and Availability Settings.
  • Save & Publish.

Module 1: Wrap Up

  • Optional - Rename “Page Title” to correspond with the format of your module. Example “Unit 1 Overview”
  • Add Wrap Up. Review major concepts, topics or themes covered in the module. 
  • Add Looking Ahead. Use this space to help students understand the flow of the course or highlight major assignments coming up.
  • Save & Publish.

Final Module Review

This checklist guides you through a comprehensive final review of the module to ensure all content, settings, and student views are accurate and fully functional.

  • Review ALL Items. Remove template instructions and any unnecessary headers in the content rich manager.
  • Add or Remove “Text Headers” from module view. Example: if you do not have multiple weeks in a module remove “Week 1” and “Week 2” text headers.
  • Published all completed Items (pages, discussions, assignments, and quizzes). 
  • Organize Module Order. Reorder module items, as necessary, by dragging and dropping the item in the module.
  • Final Review. Use the "View As Student" feature to ensure that all content appears as intended for students.
  • Optional - Delete unused template items in the module (pages, discussions, assignments, and quizzes). Be sure to keep the original template items to duplicate for building new modules. If you accidentally delete an item, you can import template items from the Canvas Commons.

Repeat these steps for each new module created in the course. Duplicating your organized module can save valuable time, but note: modules with quizzes cannot be duplicated in Canvas. Remove quizzes from the module you’d like to duplicate, duplicate the module, and re-insert the quiz into the modules after duplicating.

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