A Canvas course template is a basic Canvas course shell that provides the framework for the Home page, Start here page, Modules and Syllabus section of your course and is preloaded with helpful information for students such as where to find support resources and technical help.

How will using the template help you?

Using the CAT’s Canvas course template reduces the decisions you have to make in designing the general layout of your Canvas course and the time spent looking up Temple resources. The template has been designed to be accessible and easy to use for students and includes the CAT’s recommended syllabus guidelines.

How will using the template help your students?

For students who have four or five courses in a given semester, navigating four or five different Canvas course layouts can be frustrating and requires cognitive labor that could be more productively used on learning course content. The template includes academic, health-related and technical resources students can access.

How to access the template

Import the template into courses by following these steps:

• Log into Canvas
• Navigate to the CAT Canvas Template in Canvas Commons
• Find the “Import/Download” button on the right-hand side of the window in Commons and click the button. You must be logged in to Canvas to see the "Import/Download" button.
• Select the course or courses you wish to import the template into. You may wish to create a Canvas course sandbox and test out importing the template before using it on a course you're currently working on.
• Scroll to the bottom of your course list and click “Import into Course." Note that this will overwrite content in the Syllabus area of the selected Canvas course; all other content in the course will remain and new content will be added.

Where to get help

For support importing the Canvas course template, schedule a consultation with a CAT staff member or drop into one of our in-person or virtual Ed Tech labs .