The CTL, ASSETT, OIT, DAO, and CE have been partnering on a new BUS Canvas Templates Initiative that seeks to develop a new Canvas course shell template to support CU educators and students. For more information, please read this message from the Canvas Templates Initiative faculty working group, and stay tuned for further updates!
Dear Colleagues,
As members of the Canvas Templates Faculty Working Group, we are excited to share updates from our work throughout the Spring 2024 semester. Our working group was part of the Canvas Templates Initiative, a collaboration between the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL), Arts & Sciences Support of Education Through Technology (ASSETT), Office of Information Technology (OIT), Digital Accessibility Office (DAO), and Continuing Education (CE). This project is also part of the BUS (Buff Undergraduate Success) Initiative, which broadly aims to support the success of all CU undergraduate students.
Throughout Spring 2024, our working group met regularly to build a Canvas template that will be made available to all CU educators as of fall 2024. The Canvas template will reduce the amount of time and effort CU educators put into building out Canvas course shells, while providing a more unified experience for students who simultaneously navigate multiple courses (e.g., through reducing the challenges of locating course information, assignments, and syllabi). The template was designed primarily for main campus, in-person courses and models best practices in teaching and learning, digital accessibility, and usability. However, it is also customizable to suit course-specific needs. The use of this template is entirely optional. If you elect not to use the template, we hope it may still inspire innovation within your existing Canvas courses!
Importantly, the release of the Canvas template will be paired with resources and support for educators who wish to implement the template in their courses. Instructions built into the template include links to Canvas video tutorials and other resources. In addition, the CTL and OIT will provide workshops and are available to provide trainings to units on how to effectively implement the template in one's own courses.
In sum, we hope the new Canvas template will support and inspire the important work of CU’s community of educators, while likewise contributing to the success of all of our students.
If you have any questions or feedback to share, please contact the CTL@colorado.edu.
Best,
Sarah M. Barkin, Teaching Assistant Professor, Program for Writing & Rhetoric
Daniel Bolton, Associate Teaching Professor, Physics
Christopher Carbone, Teaching Assistant Professor, Leeds School of Business
Christy Fillman, Teaching Professor of Distinction, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology
Susan Marie Hendrickson, Teaching Professor, Chemistry
Caitlin Kelly, Assistant Teaching Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Joseph Labrecque, Assistant Teaching Professor, College of Media, Communication and Information
Supriya Naidu, Assistant Teaching Professor, Computer Science
Toma Serban Peiu, Lecturer, College of Media, Communication and Information