[ARCHIVED] Course flexbility - but for instructors?

[smithpdc]

I am in a professional development center delivering certificate and certification programs. We've expanded our use of Canvas this term, so I have a lot of instructors using it who were only teaching face-to-face previously. I'm hoping someone can help me figure out a way to address a situation that has arisen:

1. Many of my instructors are used to having a lot of flexibility in their course schedule - if they don't get through everything in a session, they continue it next session; swapping assignment deadlines or topics and readings around to meet student interests; etc.
   • The students were given a syllabus in the face-to-face classes but don't appear to have relied on it much for weekly readings, etc.
     
     
2. I've been promoting (and building for them) use of standardized templates that are completed/filled in with course content before the class starts, to reduce the amount of maintainance instructors have to do during the course, promote consistency & accessibility, and give students all the information they need up front.
   
   
3. Some of these instructors have reported student confusion if they "change course" like in #1 because of #2.

I suppose I could have instructors only publish a couple of weeks of content at a time so they can make adjustments as needed, but that means assignment due dates and class sessions in the unpublished modules wouldn't show up in the Syllabus tab. I'd love to hear other ideas folks might have.