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Each Canvas subject site comes preloaded with content to help you get your subject up and running. This is called a Canvas subject shell.
Overview of Canvas subject shells
A Canvas site for a new subject is preloaded with a Canvas subject shell. A Canvas subject shell includes:
- A subject homepage
- A Get started module, to help you orient students to your subject
- A sample module
- A checklist of things to do before your Canvas course gets published to students.
Subject homepage
The subject homepage is the first page you see when you enter a Canvas course. For students, the homepage provides a starting point from which to move through the subject content, and also lets them know that they’re in the right place.
The template for subject homepages contains:
- A UTS branded banner image, which should be changed to an image that suits your subject
- A grey content box with an acknowledgement of country
- Space to add a brief subject description, or other key message for students taking the subject
- Links for student help and support based on what students have told us they would like to have quick access to in their subjects. This help ranges from academic to wellbeing support
- Basic navigation tips for those new to Canvas and a button to connect them to the Modules in the site
Get started module
The Get Started module has been developed in collaboration with students, using their feedback on what they would like to see in an orientation area for each of their subjects. The module is continually updated to incorporate the latest changes that impact learning and teaching, including the introduction of Generative AI in education.
The module contains the following pages:
Welcome
A space for either a text or video personal welcome message from you. This is a good start in establishing your teacher presence on your site.
Your teaching staff
Your teaching staff provides information on each of the teaching staff in your subject and ways for students to contact you throughout the session. This page also helps to establish teacher presence on your Canvas course.
How to be successful in this subject
How to be successful in this subject can help set student expectations for your teaching approach, delivery, and method of giving feedback. It can also detail what is expected of students in terms of their own participation and preparation.
Use of Generative AI in this subject
Use of Generative AI in this subject provides valuable insights on how students should interact with GenAI applications in their studies. This page will provide you with suggested guidelines regarding the use of GenAI applications, emphasising transparency and highlighting the associated risks. Additionally, the page assists you in specifying the tools that students can utilise, such as grammar and spelling checking software.
Assessment overview
Assessment overview should give a very brief overview of the assessments: the title, weighting and roughly when they are due. You can also roughly describe how each assessment relates to skills and knowledge students might use in their careers and chosen industry.
There are key links here to information on academic integrity and how students can submit their work.
To save time, avoid using specific dates in this section so that the page won’t need to be updated as frequently, as the dates change each session.
Subject resources
Subject resources is a place to list and link specific essential resources such as textbooks or software that students require. You could also link to the Library’s reading list for your subject.
Get started with UTS Library
Get started with UTS Library is the last item in the Get started module and includes a comprehensive list of services, links and resources offered by UTS library. You do not need to edit this page.
Study help and support
Study help and support offers information on additional support resources for students in their studies. A variety of academic services and other support facilities are at their disposal to ensure continuous assistance throughout their academic journey. Teaching staff are encouraged to make students aware of these services and facilitate their access.
Sample module
The sample module called ‘module name’ contains two pages that work as bookends for a module, the Module overview at the start and Module summary at the end.
Module overview
In Module overview you should fill the dots points with the key moments in that module. Formulating these as questions, as in the example text, is designed to get your students involved in a discourse on the topic.
Module summary
The Module Summary is an opportunity for reflection and to recap what you hope to have achieved by the end of that section.
Resource documentation and links module
This module provides important information for subject coordinators and should not be published for students to view.
The Resource documentation and links module contains the following pages:
Ready to publish?
This page should always be consulted before your site is published for students.
The essential items here include removing all placeholder yellow highlighted text from your site using the Rich Content Editor, running an accessibility check on every page, and using Student View to confirm what your students can and cannot see in your Canvas course.
Find out how by reading the following Canvas guides:
- How do I add and modify text in the Rich Content Editor?
- How do I use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor?
- Student View in Canvas
Handover guide
The Handover guide is a page to add notes for future subject coordinators about how to use the site.