A way to have a repository of global pages that each class can refer to?

[KirstenThomson]

I teach multiple classes every semester and my Canvas shells each have a number of pages that inform students about how something works. Many of these pages are the exact same (and I want them to be the exact same) for each class. If I make a change to one of these pages, I have to change each page in each course. Is there a way to have a repository for these kind of "global" pages that each class could access so that if I change something, I only have to change it once and the page in each class will automatically then have the updated information?

Thanks!

[NoahBoswell]

Hi there @KirstenThomson ,

I'd recommend checking out the course cross-list feature! This will allow you to have one course for all of your students, and they will all be able to see the same content. https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-cross-list-a-section-in-a-course-as-an-...

I hope this helps!
Noah

[KirstenThomson]

Definitely not. I want to keep each student in their own respective courses. I would be looking for a "behind-the scenes" solution that is invisible to students as I don't want to confuse them by putting different classes together. There are only a few things that would be considered "global" and most of it is not. I would like to have something like the Sandbox course that each course could "grab" from for certain pages.

[Gabriel33]

It's not automatic, but you can share the resource to Commons, and when it's updated, there should be a notification in other courses to update it too:  How do I view updates to resources I previously im... - Instructure Community - 1797.

Alternatively, if they are pages, the most automatic solution may be to have the content outside of Canvas (for example, in a Google Doc) and then use an iframe to embed it on pages on each course. 

[JeffCampbell]

@Gabriel33 That was my thought too. A simple webpage or Google doc would likely be less time consuming than trying to cross-list a module, or even copying the module to other courses.

There are plenty of sites like Wix, Weebly, and Google Sites that have simple drag-n-drop interfaces to help users quickly put a page together regardless of web design expertise.

[KirstenThomson]

Thanks for letting me know about this. The Commons option may work out for this. Would be better if it was automatic, but better than nothing. For the Google doc idea, doesn't it have to be made publicly accessible to anyone with the link to work? Not crazy about that idea.

[chriscas · Accepted solution]

Hi @KirstenThomson 

You could potentially use the blueprint or templates features to get content into new course shells by default. A template would be more of a one-time initial load (no updating), which the blueprint would allow for updates but may get less useful for hundreds/thousands of potential courses.  Just something else to consider here.

-Chris

[KirstenThomson]

I just learned about Canvas Blueprint Courses! I am going to ask my admin if it can be enabled as that seems to be the best way to do what I am looking for. Thanks!

[KirstenThomson]

Not sure about this one, as it seems like I would have to make it publicly accessible to anyone with the link to do that?

[dbrace]

Hi @KirstenThomson,

Others have been some feedback and options, each with pros and cons.

If I were in your situation, I would embed Google Docs into Canvas pages.

Take a look at the YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z852RcgdZw4 for an example.

-Doug

[KirstenThomson]

Thanks for this! This really would work very well I have discovered if I were starting from scratch with a page. Unfortunately all of my Canvas pages that I would wish to copy to Google docs I am learning that Google docs doesn't support the images I have in there so I would have to do a lot of work to get them looking like I want them. At this point I think it will be easier to use the Canvas Commons method (until my university allows the Canvas Blueprint courses) which isn't as automatic as the Google doc method unfortunately, but will be easier for all my already created pages. I guess let this be a lesson if someone hasn't started creating docs yet to start in Google!
See comment below, neither method is good enough.

[KirstenThomson]

I have tried both methods, of Commons and Google docs and found them both really wanting. The Commons method is just too much of a pain (uploading multiple pages to Commons, editing it, pushing an update, then going in each course to accept the update). I was hopeful about the Google doc method but I don't think it is helpful if you want your page in Canvas to look a very specific way. (If anyone cares about the details, it's because embedding the page in a Canvas page can only embed a frame that students have to then scroll through. Even adjusting the height and width and margins of the frame, I couldn't get it to look very good (and it cut off the end). I could embed a link that students would have to open in another window but then they see the whole doc in Google docs and it doesn't look good that way either.)
So I really hope my university will allow the Canvas Blueprint courses as that seems like the only perfect solution. Thanks to everyone who took time to suggest solutions!