Default Course Configuration

(9)

The idea is fairly straightforward: add the ability to define a "default configuration" for all new courses. This would mean that, instead of the Canvas default settings, when a new course is create those setting chosen by the institution would be loaded. This would include, but is not limited to:

  • Term
  • Starts
  • Ends
  • File Storage
  • Grading Scheme
  • License
  • Copyright
  • Visibility
  • Format
  • Offline Course
  • Everything under "more options"
  • Navigation

I can think of 2 ways of implementing this idea:

  1. Make it a one-off that can only be configured at root
  2. Make it like the account-level rubrics and/or themes
    • When creating a new course, the user would select the configuration to use, if nothing is selected it just uses the Canvas defaults

This idea could also be combined to work with  @Kelvin_Dean 's idea for https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/16398. This integration of ideas I could see coming in one of the following 2 methods:

  1. When creating the course, the configuration used is stored in the course settings (read-only) and resetting restores to that configuration
  2. When resetting the configuration the user is offered the same choice to select a configuration to reset to, even if it differs from what was originally used

Both of those integration possibilities would allow for selection of what settings to restore (i.e., navigation-only).

4 Comments
berninghausen
Community Explorer

Providing a bit more global setting control would be great. We are currently wrestling with hiding overall grade in Canvas as we have sync back to our SIS. Having those 2 conflict if a teacher is pre weighting stuff would be troublesome for parents and students.

RobDitto
Community Champion

@cesbrandt, @berninghausen and others interested in this idea. consider rating and/or commenting on this closely-related, long-running Idea Exchange conversation:

ptart
Community Participant

Happen to run across this post while looking for something similar. I'm 99% sure this can now be done with a template course. Even if you do not have content in a template course, settings "should" pass to every new course created. It won't lock down the teacher from changing the settings but at least it will be setup correctly from the start.
https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Admin-Guide/How-do-I-select-a-course-template-in-an-account/ta-p/... 

KristinL
Community Team
Community Team
Status changed to: Archived

Thank you for sharing this idea with the Instructure Community!

The Product Team reviewed all feature proposals recently, and unfortunately, this thread was identified as one that they would not be able to include in their current or future plans. While we appreciate your proposal, we also want to be transparent about the likelihood of something like this making it to production.

Thank you for collaborating, and we hope that you submit another idea in the future!