The university provides each instructor with an academic course template for their academic course in Canvas. This template is updated prior to courses being created in Canvas each semester to ensure that the policies contained in the Course Syllabus and University Policy Statements Validation quiz are current and that all of the links to policies and resources are working properly. It is important to ensure that the Home page provided by the academic template remains the front page for each Canvas course.

What is on the Home page?

Course Homepage from the Academic Template

Course Resources Explained

Get Started

This link provides instant access to your course modules where all activities and resources should be located.

Course Syllabus

This link takes students directly to the syllabus section of your Canvas course. It is highly encouraged that your syllabus be placed here in the syllabus section of the course.

Policy Validation

This link opens the Course Syllabus and University Policy Statements Validation quiz. This is required by each student at the beginning of each semester.

Continuity Plan

The link provides students with an explanation of the university's continuity plan and what can be expected based on the announced plan in the event of a disruption to normal class schedules.

SOT

This link opens the Student Opinion of Teaching tool. Students will not have access to the actual SOT for the course until these are released for the semester.

Important Information about the Academic Course Template

Tagged Elements

This template is updated each semester before courses are created in Canvas. The embedded activities and resources (pages & quizzes) provided in the template are tagged with the the current semester in the title.

Example: Academic Course Template [Fall 2025]

The [Fall 2025] tag on the course Home page lets you know that this is the Home page for that particular semester.

Why is this important?

When you perform an import of a sandbox or prior semester course, you may find that you now have multiple Home pages and validation quizzes in the new academic course. Since the current semester's template has the most current policies and links, it is important to ensure that the Home page and policy validation quiz you are using for the semester is tagged with that semester.

If you perform an import, it can also change the Home page to an old Home page depending on the settings of the course from which you made the import. Please take a moment after performing an import to delete any pages and/or quizzes that are tagged with a prior semester or not tagged at all--some older academic template items did not include a tag.

Depiction of tagged elements in the pages.

Repeat this process for any imported quizzes. The academic template has two tagged quizzes:

Course Syllabus and University Policy Statements Validation [tagged]
Respondus Lockdown Browser Check [tagged]

Please delete any quizzes from a previous academic template to avoid confusion. Only the policy validation quiz tagged for the current semester will open when the link on the Home page is selected.

Canvas quizzes list with two quizzes under "Assignment Quizzes" and a "+ Quiz" button.

Front Page Designation

When checking your pages, make sure that the "Home" page tagged for the current semester is also designated as the "Front Page" as seen in the image above. The front page designation means this page can be used as the starting page for the course.

If the correct page is not designated as the front page after an import to the course is made, click the three dots to the right of the page that is designated as the front page and remove that designation. Next, click the three dots to the right of the correct Home page and designate it the front page.

Home Page Designation

Importing from another course can also change the Home page designation for the course. Possible landing pages for the course include:

Course Activity Stream
Pages Front Page
Course Modules
Assignments List
Syllabus

If you land on anything other than the current semester's homepage after importing a course, please take the time to designate the correct front page as explained above and then choose the correct course home page.

Select "Home" from the course navigation
Select "Choose Home Page" from the sub-menu navigation to the right
Select "Pages Front Page"
Select "Save"

**Adding to the Home page**

Some instructors like to add their own information to the course homepage. This is perfectly acceptable. You may edit the Home page like any other page in your course. In order to ensure that students can locate the required elements from the template, it is highly encouraged that you make any additions to the homepage below the official academic template elements.

Adding Template Elements to Your Modules

Some instructors like to add their syllabus, the Course Syllabus and University Policy Statements Validation quiz, or Respondus Lockdown Browser Check quiz to their course modules to ensure that students interact with these elements. This is perfectly acceptable and encouraged.

Adding Your Syllabus to a Module

Since you should have placed your syllabus in the Syllabus section of the course already, you do not need to import your syllabus file again.

Navigate to the module page
Click the "+" at the top of the module in which you want to add the syllabus
Choose "File"
Select the Syllabus file from the list of already existing files

Adding a Template Quiz to a Module

To add one of the tagged template quizzes to your module, follow these steps:

Navigate to the module page
Click the "+" at the top of the module in which you want to add the quiz
Choose "Quiz"
Select the quiz from the list of already created quizzes

Can I Edit the Policy Validation Quiz?

We do NOT recommend that you edit this quiz as it contains the most current policies. However, you can update the SETTINGS for the quiz to add a due date. Adding a due date to the policy validation quiz will ensure that it shows up on the To-Do list for your course.

Add a Due Date to the Policy Validation Quiz

Select "Quizzes" in your course navigation
Select the Course Syllabus and University Policy Statements Validation quiz
In the "Assign To" box, enter or select a due date for the quiz
Select "Save"