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This is a resource that covers all that our LDM team and instructors need to know about Blueprint courses. It covers:
How and when to leverage Blueprint Course:
When: A Blueprint Course can be used to distribute material that is created and updated by the Blueprint Course Instructors to one or more courses.
For example: if the College of Pharmacy wanted to implement a universal module about the ethical use of AI in all entry level GE classes, we could use a Blueprint Course to create the module, then upload the module into all the courses we wanted. This gives us the ability to lock the modules so that the only changes made to it can come from the instructors of the parent Blueprint Course. If changed needed to be made to the module that occur over a period of time (making updates one day at a time for a week), the changes will only go live in all the associated courses once synced.
How:
- First you will create a Blueprint Course (following the steps below).
- Add/create the material you wish to push out to associated courses. Lock/unlock how you see fit.
- Associate other courses to the Blueprint course by importing the material to the courses.
- Update the material as needed.
- Sync the updates
Important terms to know
Blueprint course ("parent course"): A Blueprint course can be used to distribute material that is created and updated by the Blueprint Course Instructors to one or more courses. This can also be referred to as the "parent course". The blueprint course instructor(s) is the only person who can make changes to the blueprint content. If changes are made to the content, they will sync it so that all associated courses are updated as well.
Blueprint course instructors: A Blueprint course instructor is the person who manages the Blueprint course.
Associated course ("child course"): An associated course is the course the blueprint course/materials is imported into. This can also be referred to as the "child course".
Associated course instructor: an associated course instructor is the instructor who is using the blueprint course/materials in their own personal course (that's you!).
Blueprint content: Blueprint content is the content crated in the Blueprint course and associated to "child courses". This content can only be managed by the Blueprint course instructors.
Creating a Blueprint Course
Create Forum Course in Aegis
1. Log in to Aegis
2. Select "Create Forums"
3. Fill out the following details: desired course title, desired short title, course instructors (this is who will manage the Blueprint course), and department: Pharmacy
IMPORTANT: Make sure to make the course under the Pharmacy department or we will not be able to see it.
4. Click "Create"
Update course settings (with Affiliate account)
1. Log in to PAM
2. Select the secret log in titled: "Carmen Support"
3. Open the URL listed in a new tab and copy/paste the user name and password to log in to your Affiliate account.
NOTE: You only need to use PAM to get your Affiliate log in information for Canvas. Once you are logged in as an Affiliate (you will have "(CA)" after your name), you can close out of the PAM tab.
4. Select the "Admin" tab in the left hand side of your screen, then select "Pharmacy"
5. Search for the course you just created.
6. Once the course is open, click "settings" in the left hand menu.
7. In settings, under "course details", check the box that says "enable course as a Blueprint Course:
8. Then, choose which content to lock.
NOTE: It is best to lock it all, then at the Blueprint manager/instructor level, they can chose what to lock/unlock for the associated courses.
9. Click "update course details" to save your changes
IMPORTANT NOTE: Only Affiliate accounts can update the setting changes outlined in steps 7 & 8.
8. You will know the changes have been saved because the Blueprint course will have blue squares in the upper right hand corner.
Associate course(s) to the Blueprint course (with or without Affiliate account)
With Affiliate Account
NOTE: This will associate the entire Blueprint course. To import just a module, import like normal (see steps below)
1. If you are not yet logged in as an Affiliate do so by following the below steps:
a.. Log in to PAM
b. Select the secret log in titled: "Carmen Support"
c. Open the URL listed in a new tab and copy/paste the user name and password to log in to your Affiliate account.
NOTE: You only need to use PAM to get your Affiliate log in information for Canvas. Once you are logged in as an Affiliate (you will have "(CA)" after your name), you can close out of the PAM tab.
2. Find and open the Blueprint course you'd like to review
3. Click the blue squares in the upper right hand corner of the course
4. Select "Associations"
5. Use the search bar to find the course(s) you'd like to associate.
6. Check the box to the left of the course title (check all the courses you'd like to associate)
a. If you would like to publish the course material upon the association, be sure to check the box that says "Publish upon association".
7. Click "save"
8. Under "Associated", you are able to see all courses that are already associated to this Blueprint course.
a. If you need to reverse an association, select eh "x" to the right of the course name, then click "save"
Without Affiliate Account
Note: This would be done by an instructor who wants to include associated content from a Blueprint course. This would be done the same way you would import existing content from any other course.
1. Log into Canvas
2. Open the course you'd like to associate
3. On the Home page, click "import existing content"on the right hand side
4. Fill out the following details: Content type: copy a canvas course, search for a course: find the Blueprint course you want to associate to, select if you want to import all content or specific content
5. Select "import"
6. This will start a que. Once the material is finished importing, you will be able to see it in the course material. You will know it is the Blueprint material because it will have squares next to it. If there is a lock icon on top of the boxes, that means it is locked by the Blueprint course and only the Blueprint course instructor can make changes to it. If there is not a lock icon on the boxes, it is open for you to make changes and edits.
Managing Blueprint and Associated courses
Associate and un-associate courses (with Affiliate account)
1. If you are not yet logged in as an Affiliate do so by following the below steps:
a.. Log in to PAM
b. Select the secret log in titled: "Carmen Support"
c. Open the URL listed in a new tab and copy/paste the user name and password to log in to your Affiliate account.
NOTE: You only need to use PAM to get your Affiliate log in information for Canvas. Once you are logged in as an Affiliate (you will have "(CA)" after your name), you can close out of the PAM tab.
2. Find and open the Blueprint course you'd like to review
3. Click the blue squares in the upper right hand corner of the course
4. Select "Associations"
5. Use the search bar to find the course(s) you'd like to associate.
6. Check the box to the left of the course title (check all the courses you'd like to associate)
a. If you would like to publish the course material upon the association, be sure to check the box that says "Publish upon association".
7. Click "save"
8. Under "Associated", you are able to see all courses that are already associated to this Blueprint course.
a. If you need to reverse an association, select eh "x" to the right of the course name, then click "save"
How to manage the Blueprint (parent) course as a Blueprint course owner/instructor
Updating material
You can update the material as you would in any other course. The important thing to know is that it will not be updated in the associated course(s) until it is synced.
Syncing material
1. Make changes and updates to the material as you normally would.
2. When you are ready to push those updates out to associated courses, click the blue boxes in the upper right hand corner of the course.
3. You will see "Unsynced changes" with a number next to it to indicate how many changes you have to sync.
a. Select if you want to include course settings in the sync (only do this if you want to copy over the course settings from the blueprint course to all the associated courses)
b. Select if you want to send a notification to the instructors of the associated courses
i. If you select this option, an option will open if you would like to send a message with the notification or not. If so, you can select that box and type in a message up to 140 characters.
c. Select if you want to Enable New Item Notifications to the instructors of the associated courses
NOTE: View your Sync History in the blue Blueprint menu
Locking/unlocking material
If there is a lock icon on top of the boxes, that means it is locked by the Blueprint course and only the Blueprint course instructor can make changes to it. If there is not a lock icon on the boxes, it is open for you to make changes and edits.
If material is locked, only instructors in the parent Blueprint course can make changes and updates to that material. If you unlock the material, that means instructors can make changes to the material once it is in their associated course. These changes will ONLY show up in their course.
To lock/unlock
1. Navigate to the material you wish to lock or lock.
2. Click on the boxes with the lock over it to unlock it
OR
2. Click on the grayed out boxes to lock it
3. Sync these changes by following the instructions above
How to manage an Associated (child) course as an instructor
Notifications
Blueprint course instructors can send notifications when material is updated and synced. Manage notifications in the Home screen, under "view notifications" on the right hand side of the course. Under "Course activities" decide how you'd like to receive notifications: immediately, daily, weekly, or notifications off.
Locked Material
If there is a lock icon on top of the boxes, that means it is locked by the Blueprint course and only the Blueprint course instructor can make changes to it. If there is not a lock icon on the boxes, it is open for you to make changes and edits.
If material is locked, only instructors in the parent Blueprint course can make changes and updates to that material. If material is unlocked, you can make changes to the material. These changes will ONLY show up in your course.
NOTE: If material is locked but you need to make changes, reach out to the Blueprint course instructor. They will be able to unlock it for you, or make the changes themselves and sync the changes.
Adding content
As an instructor of an associated Blueprint course, you can add material (pages, assignments, discussions, etc.) to the Blueprint content to fit your needs. You do this as your typically would in any other course (in the module view, click the "plus" sign in the upper right-hand corner of the module title, select the content you would like to add).
NOTE: This does not change anything for the Blueprint course or any other courses it may be associated to. It only changes the content in your course. Only the Blueprint course instructor can update material for all associated courses.