Ball State Canvas Course Template

Looking to streamline your course development process? The Ball State Canvas course template is a complete Canvas course that you can use to jumpstart your next Canvas site. Use it on any course format or length, online or in-person.

Key features of this template include:

Welcome: Start Here module to build community and foster belonging.
Module Template that you can adapt for your first module, then duplicate for future modules.
Templates for common items, such as discussion boards, assignments, quizzes, announcements, and more.
Instructor guidance and resources to help you adapt the template quickly and easily.
Applied principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to ensure equity of access for all learners.
Aligns with the nationally recognized Quality Matters (QM) Standards to ensure well-designed online courses.

This template is flexible, and we encourage you to adapt it however you want to make it your own!

Template Change Log

Access the July 2025 Template Change Log.
The most significant change is a new Syllabus from the Office of the VPAA.

The Canvas course templates were significantly updated July 2024. Major changes include:

Names of templates were changed to make the difference between the versions much clearer.
The editing experience has been significantly improved and should present much less friction when editing the template.
The syllabus template has been streamlined and updated to be more modern and clear.
The Welcome Module has been updated with new technologies, new services and resources, and optional additions.
The Instructor Resources Module has been streamlined to provide easier access to key resources.

Read a full list of all changes from July 2024

Choosing a Template Version

There are currently 2 versions of the Ball State Canvas course template available for you to use. Both versions contain the same content.

Canvas Course Template: This is the base version of the Canvas course template and uses default Canvas designs. We recommend this version if you are new to Canvas or do not wish to use visual design elements.
Canvas Course Template Plus Visual Design: This version includes designs with elements from Beautiful Canvas Pages Made Easy. The content is intentionally designed to be user-friendly, similar in appearance to the content on this page. (Note: This version does take slightly more work to edit, since you will be working to incorporate your content into the designs.)

Adding the Template to Your Course

Once you have chosen a version, you can access it in Canvas Commons. While logged into your Ball State Canvas account, do the following:

Click the Commons link in the global Canvas sidebar
In the search box, type "canvas course template enhanced", "canvas course template refreshed," or "canvas course template" (for legacy).
Click the name of the template you want.
Click Import/Download.
Check the box for the Canvas course where you want to import the template.
Click Import into Course.

Using a Development Course Shell

We recommend that you import the template into a Canvas development course shell. Development courses are empty Canvas courses without students. A development course allows you to prepare materials before your Canvas Course Shell has been created in Banner. The contents of development course shells can be copied to the live Canvas course shell (created by the Registrar which contains the student roster) when you are ready. You can request a Development Course shell from the BSU HelpDesk.