[Blueprint Courses] Make Modules lockable
Currently, the behavior of Modules within Blueprint courses is unclear and is inconsistent with other aspects of Blueprint courses. Unlike other content elements in Blueprint (pages, assignments, files, discussions, and quizzes), you cannot specify any locked attributes of Modules. Documentation (How do I sync course content in a blueprint course in an account?) indicates that:
"If the blueprint course includes Modules, associated courses match the modules structure initially created in the blueprint courses. However, any additional modules and their content added to the blueprint course will always be added to the bottom of the Modules page in the associated courses."
However, this does not explain whether changes are possible to Modules made within a Blueprint. Because Modules are not lockable, the content of Modules can be changed (deleted or moved) within an associated course. However, our testing and observations indicate that upon course sync Modules (usually, if there are locked items within those modules) reset to the content and order that appears in the Module in the Blueprint. We have some anomalous behavior that makes using Modules in Blueprint courses potentially problematic:
This is problematic for several reasons:
- In associated courses where assignments have different due dates, instructors may want assignments with locked content (but unlocked due dates) to appear in a specific order within the modules in the associated sites. Currently this does not work.
- If an instructor adds a learning object (file, page, assignment, etc.) to a Module that was created in a Blueprint course, the added element usually is placed at the top of the Module after a course sync. This location may not make sense to learners participating in a course.
- The current workaround -- creating modules within associated courses (rather than within a Blueprint) -- reduces the time savings and consistency of course experience offered by Blueprint.
To address these issues, we would like to see Modules made lockable with the following options:
- Content
- Order of content within modules
- Order of modules
- Requirements
- Mastery Paths
Adding these options would clarify the expected behavior of Modules with Blueprint and align the lockable attributes with other content elements. And as Modules are not the default home page in Canvas, better and clearer support for Modules in Blueprint courses is critical.