Blueprint course implementation

[ElviaSegura]

We are thinking of adding a blueprint course next fall. Can anyone share if you have used one and how receptive it was from faculty?

[Hildi_Pardo · Accepted solution]

Hi @ElviaSegura  -- what a great conversation topic.

I think Blueprints are VERY powerful, but we've only used Blueprints for special projects (like to have multiple copies of a course that housed assessments for our distict -- one for each school, for example; or one year we used it for a MS Career Exploration course that was required, and the course was a self-paced, online course that teachers could just monitor progress).

We haven't used it for any general school year courses because of a few reasons:

• not enough time and resources to build these courses
• we've had Canvas long enough that teachers have done a lot of work in their own courses, and probably really like how they have things set up -- pushing content to their courses might upset them if they have to work around what's been provided, or they just have to delete or reset the course
• pushing out a Blueprint would require a lot of very clear communication and a lot of training -- and no matter how hard you try to communicate something like this, and provide training, sometimes it creates more work.
• I don't think there is a way to push blueprint courses to only new teachers -- (if there is, it's far more complicated and out of my scope -- but there are always ways to do things!)

I think using Blueprints would be really awesome for an online school so there is a packaged course that every teacher receives the course with the content.    

We've liked Blueprints a lot of special projects (as mentioned above) -- we've also used Blueprints for Prof Learning courses so there is one per school.

Blueprints could be great for a district that is new to Canvas -- but that means you need a LOT of time and resources to build those courses.   And a very clear plan for communication and training.

Hope this is helpful in some way!!   I applaud school districts that are able to really benefit from this feature!

[Hildi_Pardo · Accepted solution]

Hi @ElviaSegura  -- what a great conversation topic.

I think Blueprints are VERY powerful, but we've only used Blueprints for special projects (like to have multiple copies of a course that housed assessments for our distict -- one for each school, for example; or one year we used it for a MS Career Exploration course that was required, and the course was a self-paced, online course that teachers could just monitor progress).

We haven't used it for any general school year courses because of a few reasons:

• not enough time and resources to build these courses
• we've had Canvas long enough that teachers have done a lot of work in their own courses, and probably really like how they have things set up -- pushing content to their courses might upset them if they have to work around what's been provided, or they just have to delete or reset the course
• pushing out a Blueprint would require a lot of very clear communication and a lot of training -- and no matter how hard you try to communicate something like this, and provide training, sometimes it creates more work.
• I don't think there is a way to push blueprint courses to only new teachers -- (if there is, it's far more complicated and out of my scope -- but there are always ways to do things!)

I think using Blueprints would be really awesome for an online school so there is a packaged course that every teacher receives the course with the content.    

We've liked Blueprints a lot of special projects (as mentioned above) -- we've also used Blueprints for Prof Learning courses so there is one per school.

Blueprints could be great for a district that is new to Canvas -- but that means you need a LOT of time and resources to build those courses.   And a very clear plan for communication and training.

Hope this is helpful in some way!!   I applaud school districts that are able to really benefit from this feature!

[ElviaSegura]

Hildi,

Thanks for your quick response, and I very much appreciate your insight. We haven't considered using it for Prof. Dev. but I can see how that could be a good route to share resources too. Further, we figured it would not be easy and would add a lot of invested time.  I wanted to hear this so we can make a decision on our college's benefit to consider. 

Thanks again!

[Hildi_Pardo · Accepted solution]

I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from using Blueprints -- I just think it requires a lot of planning.  As mentioned, we have really benefitted from using them in special situations 😉

[vcraig618]

Hildi had some great answers and more detailed responses than I will give since there's a lot there - In case you are still thinking of it, I'll add a little more insight about how we are doing it.

We are an online school that is beginning to expand and we need to be able to grow efficiently. Our current teachers have taught their courses for many years. When we start farming out sections to other teachers, the existing teachers will be the course "designers" as well as teaching a section of their course. So, this year, we have created blueprints and they are simply importing their existing content into these and maintaining from there. You can make some changes in an associated section - but the main content comes from the blueprint (at least, that's the intention). They will be a useful tool in the near future. If you want your teachers to have full autonomy of their own courses and don't have the need for all of them to follow the same pattern, then blueprints wouldn't necessarily be right for you for all situations. in that case, you can just do them as you need them. 

[leavoj]

I started using blueprints over the past year - it has been a lot more work for me - but I think it has helped and hope it will get easier/better as time goes on.  Especially since I just finished making the last blueprint course (18 total over the past year since last Summer)....while still teaching my classes M-F 7:30-3.  

I teach nursing and we teach everything from the beginning to the end of their program over 3 semesters.  We have many seperate canvas courses - 12 main subjects (Basics, Skills, Anatomy, Fundaments 1, Fundamentals 2, Mental Health, Pharm, Med Surg 1, Med Surg 2, OB, Peds, Leadership) and 5 clinical courses.  I wish I did not need to have this many, but we have over 150 main chapters to cover and several hundred online modules and assessments in a 3rd party site (not linked with canvas).   

A few years back we had only 2 teachers.  Sometimes the other teacher would forget what modules needed to be done and then we would get to the end of the program and find out tracking assessments were skipped.  So then we started to just copy the last class as a template - to hopefully not miss things.  Since we both were teaching the same thing - it also helped the students have the same 3rd party assessments at similar times and we were able to analyze success rates better.  Then admin created a new campus and we added a 3rd teacher.  So again - rather than reinvent the wheel - I shared my resources with them.    

So now have 3 different teachers with seperate cohorts running at the same time.  One began in the Fall, one in the Spring, and one in the Summer.  Before blueprints - every semester I would have to create 18 canvas courses for the teacher using my last course as the template.  But hopefully the other teachers would see a module was in this class - so they should use that resource here.  But by having 18 courses times 3 teachers - links would become outdated and resources would update.  So it was hard to keep things upto date. 

I am just 1 person and teaching my own full class of students - so this was lots of extra work.   I saw blueprints mentioned online and watched 1 or 2 videos.  I did not do a ton of reading on how blueprints work - but am good with technology.  We lost 1 teacher and hired a new teacher this past year.  So with her cohort - rather than just copy courses - I decided to rip the bandaide off and make the blueprints using my last templates.  

I would go through the course - clean out some fat and try to make things consistent between each course.  Now the teachers would have everything they needed in the blueprint.  IE in the Fundamentals Class (37 chapters / study guides;  50 3rd party online modules; and 11 3rd party assessments).  Plus it links right the the powerpoints, videos, and other resources on the cloud server.  (It is a balance deciding what to put on the share drive verses in the class.  I tend to put PPT on the share drive - because with Office365 - if I update a document - it updates instantly verses having to reupload into canvas).  

Some pros on blueprints why I went with them so quickly: 

1) With blueprints, our admin can track data between the different classes and it also makes things consistent for all students - no matter what teacher you have.  I am hoping as we go forward - the other teachers can add material in the blueprints.  IE if they find a great tool, website, case study, resource updates;  book updates, etc) - We can do it in the blueprint 1 time.  Rather than having to update things in all 3 teachers classes (If they let me know about the updates).  

2) With blueprints - it can be done quicker - updates can be pushed out to all 3 classes instantly - as we discover the changes need to be made. 

Some issues: 

The blue print that we have now, is like a skeleton.  There are a lot of bones.  Now, as we go forward - we need to add more muscle to the skeleton.   I tell both the teachers and students all the time - let us know what we can improve.  If the instructions are confusing - or theres a better idea - lets try it.  One teacher is at another location.  But she follows the class blueprint almost to the letter.  If she sees an error - she has updated a few things or she calls me and ask me to do a bigger update. But it makes her job easier because we can focus on the students and material more.     

1) But with those not used to canvas/technology - it can be difficult getting teachers to understand the purpose and how to update things.  In canvas - rather than having 18 classes - they now have 36 classes.  (Their cohort and the blueprints).  At the end of the day - the teacher can update the material in the blueprint and push it out to the all 3 cohorts.  It does add an extra step for them - but next year when they get their new class - it will have their latest updates in there or maybe another teacher updated the resources already.   

2) Getting everyone to collaborate.  We all are on the same team doing the same job.  So lets work together so things get easier.  If the blueprint is built - we can focus on the students more.  But one teacher likes to tweak things a bit more.  They sometimes try to add things that were already in the class.  Or they will duplicate assignments sometimes in their own course and make them their own - but they are starting to share ideas with us a bit more.  Last week - the teacher asked for some updates in the instructions for Skills Modules.  I agreed with her one the directions were confusing and we included the 3rd teacher in the discussion.  The 3 of us discussed what would make the directions better and in 2 days - I was able to update the 80 modules with directions all 3 of us had feedback on.  That update was pushed to all 3 classes instantly.  

2 things to keep in mind:  

1) who will link the courses to the blueprint in the future.  I may still do it,  but also may have the teachers do this to take some workload off my place.  But it is much easier making a empty course and linking it to the blueprint - than it is to rebuild a template each semester.  All 3 of us have the same workload / student enrollment.  So adding in designing classes and training - while teaching and balancing my own life - has made this year very very stressful.  

2) I need to read more about when to link and unlink classes soon.  IE when a teacher is done with Fundamentals - I think they should delink the class as soon as they are complete and their grades are done.  This part I am confused on.  

I noticed there were exams in the assignment tab and not in the exam tab.  I moved them into the right category and updated the blueprint.  However - even though the other 2 teachers were done with Fundamentals - it updated their cohorts last week.  Since it updated and moved assignments in the gradebook - it updated the student grades.  (on one hand - the assignments are now in the right location / however I am not sure if those grades were submitted or finalized).  I think if we would have delinked their course when they were done with Fundamentals and moved on the the next class.  My class would have updated but theirs would have remained the same.  But as they are finishing up their cohorts and will get ne students soon - I need to figure out the correct way to LOCK the classes from being updated.  (if anyone can advise - please let me know).  

Sorry this is long.  I just wanted to share.