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Office of Learning Technologies Center for Teaching and Learning

Customize Your Course

Welcome! We are glad you are using the UAB Canvas Course Template. Please follow the below instructions to customize your course. You may also reach out for assistance from an Instructional Designer.

Attention: Now that the template has been imported into your course, take the following steps to prepare your course for delivery. Additional updates can be made as needed. It is important that you make these updates in the order they are listed.

Step 1 - Customize Modules

  1. Go to the Modules tab in the course menu. Tip: You can right click Modules and open in a new tab or window to avoid leaving this page completely.
  2. On the Modules page, you will see a Faculty Resources module (do not publish), a Start Here module, a UAB Policies and Resources module, and 1 content or weekly module.
  3. Review each page in the Start Here module. Click Edit and use the Rich Content Editor to update content on the pages as needed.
    Note: You will not be able to edit the Tips for Online Success or the Netiquette activity. If these do not apply to your course, you can unpublish or remove them.
  4. There is 1 content module named Module 1.
    • Each page, assignment, discussion, and quiz within Module 1 contains sample criteria highlighted in yellow relevant to the Canvas assignment or content type. These serve as examples and can be edited or deleted as needed.
    • Duplicate Module 1 to create the number of modules needed for the course.
    • Update the pages in each module.
  5. Change the names of the modules if desired.
  6. Add assignments, discussions, and/or quizzes to the associated module and include the due date for each assignment, discussion, and/or quiz. You can also edit dates in bulk.
  7. Publish modules and items within modules when they should be visible to students and lock them until the desired.

Step 2 - Customize the Syllabus

Option 1: Simple Syllabus tool (preferred)

  1. In the course menu, click on Settings. Select Navigate.
  2. Move Simple Syllabus to the top list. Move Syllabus to the bottom list. Save.
  3. Click on Simple Syllabus in the course menu.
  4. Edit your syllabus. View the UAB Simple Syllabus webpage for guides.

Option 2: Canvas Syllabus tool with Word document

  1. Download the UAB Syllabus Template.
    • Go to your Downloads folder on your computer to find the document.
    • After opening the document, you may have to click on Enable Editing at the top of the document.
    • Update the syllabus document and save it to your computer.
  2. On the Syllabus tab in your course in Canvas, select Edit.
  3. Highlight the text "View full version of the syllabus" and hyperlink your syllabus document.
  4. Update the content in the textbox. Click Save at the bottom of the screen.

Step 3 - Customize Template Homepage

  1. Go to the Pages tab in the course menu.
  2. Click View All Pages on the top left.
  3. Locate and click Template Homepage or eLearning Homepage from the list.
  4. If using Simple Syllabus, edit the Syllabus button on the homepage.
      • Click on the Syllabus button and select Link Options.
      • In the pop-out on the right, you will see the link. Click in that box with the link and use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the cursor to be before the word Assignments.
      • Delete “assignments/syllabus” and add “external_tools/139159” in that field. Save. The text of external_tools/139159 is what you will use for any course. That number is specific to Simple Syllabus and not specific to a course.

    Below you can see what the link looks like before and after the update.  

    Before (linked to the regular Canvas Syllabus):

    https://uab.test.instructure.com/courses/1652406/assignments/syllabus. 

    After (linked to Simple Syllabus):

    https://uab.instructure.com/courses/1652406/external_tools/139159. 

Step 4 - Publish the Course

  1. Publish your course.
    Note: Once a course is published, content becomes available to students according to the term and/or course dates.
Note: If you would like assistance with designing or updating your course, please submit an Instructional Design request. 

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