Blueprint for Canvas is useful when a course has multiple sections which run in approximately the same part of a single semester, and which have the same, or mostly the same, content but it's not for every course. Read on to determine whether a Blueprint Site is right for your course.
Before You Start
You will need the following before you can complete this task:
- Canvas Access
Things to consider
Usability Learning Curve
Blueprint Canvas sites function differently in many aspects from a single Canvas site. It is important to be aware that there are differences, and that there is often a learning curve when first using or returning to a Blueprint Canvas site. The Courseware Team encourages faculty or TAs using Blueprint Canvas sites to ask questions.
Do you aggregate data across child sites?
Blueprint does not support aggregating data across child sites. If you need to aggregate data across sections, you would need to export the data or grades from each section and aggregate them outside of the Canvas environment. If any data needs to be entered back into Canvas, this will also need to be done separately for each section.
If you would like to export assignment or quiz submissions, this will need to be done separately in each assignment for each section.
Do courses run in the same part of the semester?
Blueprint is designed to facilitate running courses simultaneously. If your courses run in different parts of the semester, we do not typically recommend using a Blueprint Canvas site.
Do you anticipate sending announcements to all sections?
A Blueprint Canvas site configuration will allow you to send announcements to all sections from the template site, or to individual sections from the associated section sites.
Do you want to keep your students and/or recordings separate?
Blueprint is designed to facilitate this. If your objective is to keep students and recordings in the same Canvas site, we recommend considering having all sections in a single Canvas site.
Do you anticipate sharing most or all content between Canvas sites?
Blueprint Canvas sites are great for courses that have identical or mostly identical course content. After the content is synced to the associated Canvas sites from the template, adjustments to content can be made within individual Canvas sites if desired.
Do you work with Wharton Learning Lab to run simulations in your courses?
If you work with the Learning Lab to run simulations in your courses, please check in with the Learning Lab team or the Courseware team. The configuration of your Canvas site can impact how smoothly a simulation runs.
Blueprint Feature Summary
Below is a quick reference for the capabilities of Blueprint. It is not exhaustive, but should help you determine whether Blueprint is right for you. For information on how these features work,
| Feature | Shared via Blueprint? |
|---|---|
| Share course content (modules, assignments, pages, quizzes etc.) | |
| Course Settings (navigation menu, assignment group order, module order) |
|
| Announcements | |
| Curriculum Video Content | |
| Appointment Groups | |
| Student Enrollments | |
| Submissions, grades, discussions | |
| Class Recordings (Zoom, Panopto etc.) | |
Example Blueprint use cases at Wharton
This is not an exhaustive list. If you would like to discuss whether a Blueprint Canvas site configuration is right for your courses, we would be happy to schedule an Instructional Design consultation.
- Courses with 5 or more sections with identical or almost identical content, lead by a course head, but taught or led by various faculty or TAs.
- Courses with 2-4 sections taught in the same part of the semester that have identical or almost identical content and are taught by the same or multiple instructors.
- Courses that have a combination of 1-3 Lecture section(s) and multiple Recitation sections will often have a single Canvas site for the Lecture section(s) and a Blueprint set up for the recitation sections.
- Courses that have 12 sections taught by three instructors and the content is mostly identical
- This use case will often have the faculty starting from a single template site where they create/revise the shared content. Once they have finalized the shared content, they request that we copy the shared content into a separate blueprint template for each faculty member
How to request a Blueprint Canvas Site
Blueprint Canvas sites are requested using the Courseware Request Form. If you are requesting a Blueprint Canvas site configuration for the first time at Wharton, we highly recommend that you also request an Instructional Design consultation for training on Blueprint Canvas site best practices.
Please submit your request for a Blueprint Canvas site at least 6 weeks before the date you desire to publish your Canvas sites.
Blueprint sites that have four or more associated Canvas sites require a higher level of communication with the Instructional Designer(s) building your sites. If you are requesting a Blueprint Canvas site configuration for a course that has more than three sections, a consultation with the courseware team is required so we can discuss your support needs and expectations.
If any of the associated Canvas sites will be administered primarily by individuals who should not be making content decisions (such as a TA), please communicate that in your initial request.
What to expect when requesting a Blueprint Canvas site
Once you have submitted your request for a Blueprint Canvas site configuration, we will build the Blueprint template and notify you when it is ready for your review and edits. After you have finished your edits, you will then need to notify us that the site is ready for us to create and associate the section sites. You can do this by responding to the email notification about the Blueprint template, or by emailing courseware@wharton.upenn.edu.
Questions?
Contact the courseware team