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Canvas Support - Reference: About Course Creation, Name, and Code Standards

This article is a reference for staff responsible for creating courses in Canvas. Use this reference information in making decisions on where to host courses, and how to label them with appropriate information to aid in enterprise support activities administered by CETL.

Who Can Create Courses?

  • Instructors - Instructors can not create courses managed by PAWS. Instructors can perform some operations (cross listing, creation of sandbox courses) as self service but due to the potential risk of catastrophic data loss and training issues, instructors are strongly encouraged to submit a Special Course and Participant request.
  • School and College Teaching and Learning/IT Offices - Offices may opt-in to support all or some course/participant requests in their area of responsibility. All requests should be routed through the Special Course and Participant request maintained by CETL where practical.
  • UWM Help Desk - The UWM Help Desk is not tasked with creating courses of any kind. Any requests to create courses should be directed to the Special Course and Participant request.
  • Canvas Tier I Support - Instructure has been directed to not create courses or accounts under any circumstances.

Types of Canvas Courses

List of Course Types and Location
Type Description Canvas Location How to Create
SIS SIS courses are courses created by PAWS via the PAWS-Canvas integration. Instructional instance, SIS Courses sub account
Sandbox Courses Sandbox courses are empty courses used by instructors to host the ongoing, evolving primary source of course development. An instructor may have one sandbox course that populates SIS courses for multiple semesters. Should an instructor leave their course to their department upon departure, the instructor would provide access to the sandbox course, rather than generations of SIS courses. Students can not be enrolled into SIS courses manually. Instructional instance, Sandbox Courses sub account
Blueprint Course Blueprint courses are sandbox courses that are associated with multiple SIS courses. Once information is placed in a blank course, the information may be "pushed" or "sideloaded" from the Blueprint course to the SIS courses. Students cannot be enrolled into Blueprint courses. Blueprint courses are converted from existing Sandbox Courses typically. Instructional instance, Sandbox Courses sub account
Blank Courses Blank courses are non-authoritative sandboxes where instructors may experiment, stage, process old course information, or test new technologies. Blank courses are ideal for staging experimental course imports and learning objects to repair or resolve issues.Students cannot be enrolled into Blueprint courses. Instructional instance, Sandbox Courses sub account
Supplemental Supplemental courses contribute to the academic success of a student, but are non-credit in-nature. Instructors can add participants as Students in a supplemental course. Supplemental course sites have the same Navigation as an SIS course and are also used to create CETL Workshop courses. Instructional instance, Supplemental Courses sub account
Supplemental - SIS-Associated Supplemental SIS-Associated courses are intended exclusively to facilitate adding non-credit participants to SIS courses through a special enrollment process. Participants can be added as Students in a supplemental - SIS - Associated course. Instructional instance, Supplemental Courses sub account
Continuing Education - Non-Credit Continuing Education courses are courses offered by the School of Continuing Education, and other schools/colleges where the audiences are pre-college, post-degree or grants a certificate. Continuing Education instance
Continuing Education - For-Credit Continuing Education - For-Credit courses are intended to compliment SIS courses to facilitate offering content to non-UWM course participants. Instructors can either re-offer an SIS course in a CE-For-Credit course, or invite all SIS students to the CE-For-Credit course for a unified cohort. Continuing Education instance, For-Credit sub account
Training and Development Training and Development courses are used to distribute non-credit, non-academic training and development opportunities to UWM staff, students and affiliates who have UWM Digital Identities. Training and Development instance

Units that Administer Their Own Courses

Divisions, schools/colleges, departments, programs and other administrative units listed here administer their own courses.

List of Administrative Units
Unit SIS Sandbox and Blank Courses Blueprint Courses Supplemental Supplemental - SIS Continuing Education - Non-Credit Continuing Education - For-Credit Training and Development
College of General Studies2 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
School of Continuing Education NA NA Yes NA NA Yes Yes Yes
School of Information Studies NA NA Yes Yes NA Yes Yes Yes
Division of Academic Affairs - Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning1 NA Yes Yes NA NA Yes NA Yes
Division of Enrollment Management - Panther Academic Support Services NA NA Yes Yes NA NA NA Yes
Division of Finance and Administrative Affairs – University Safety and Assurances NA NA Yes NA NA NA NA Yes

1 - Information describes internal course management for business activities, and does not describe enterprise support activities.

2 - Courses are managed by UW Administration.

Course Name and Code Standards

Course names are human readable and consist of letters, numbers and punctuation. Course codes consist of bits of information separated by periods.

Example:

  • Name: Sandbox - Introduction to the Earth
  • Code: UWM.M.EPANTHER.GEOG.100.F.2920

Courses Associated with SIS Courses

  • Supplemental courses used to enroll course participants into SIS courses
  • Continuing Education courses hosting non-UWM cohorts
Names, Codes and Examples: Courses Associated with SIS Courses
Field Supplemental Courses Continuing Education Courses
Name Name of the SIS course, followed by "(Supp)". Name of the SIS course, followed by "(ContEd For-Credit)"
Code Associated courses SIS ID, followed by ".SUPP". Associated courses SIS ID, followed by ".CONTED-FC".
Example Introduction to Physics (Supp)
001003-01-2189-1-201-21232.SUPP
Introduction to Physics (ContEd For-Credit)
001003-01-2189-1-201-21232.CONTED-FC

Non-Credit Courses Administered by CETL for UWM

  • Sandbox courses for development during an academic term
  • Blank courses for testing and experimentation
  • Supplemental courses hosting academically focused activities such as PASS student training
  • Continuing Education, Pre and Post-Education courses administered by CETL
  • Training and Development courses administered by CETL
Names, Codes and Examples: Non-Credit Courses Administered by CETL
Field Sandbox Courses Blank Courses Supplemental Courses Continuing Education Non-Credit Courses Training and Development Courses
Name "Sandbox - " + defined by requester "BLANK - " + defined by requester OR first and last name followed by a digit to differentiate from other courses Defined by requester Defined by requester Defined by requester
Code "UWM.M." + sequester's UWM username + course identifier + optional DLEREQ issue number (if available). "UWM.B." + sequester's UWM username + course identifier + optional DLEREQ issue number (if available). "UWM.S." + requester's UWM username + course identifier + optional DLEREQ issue number (if available). "UWM.C." + requester's UWM username + course identifier + optional DLEREQ issue number (if available). "UWM.T." + requester's UWM username + course identifier + optional DLEREQ issue number (if available).
Course Identifier Subject in PAWS + course number (including X for FLEX courses) + type (F: face-to-face, B: blended, O: online, X: Flexible Option) + 3 alphanumeric digits picked at random 3 alphanumeric digits picked at random 3 alphanumeric digits picked at random 3 alphanumeric digits picked at random 3 alphanumeric digits picked at random
Example

Sandbox - Into to Geometry
UWM.M.SMITHB.MATH.99.F.000.1450

BLANK - Jamie Lynn - 3
UWM.B.SMITHB.R3F.1450
PASS Student Training Workshop
UWM.S.JOHNSONE.94F

Intro to Business Planning
UWM.C.GTLANE.2FA.2030

Title IX Training for UWM
UWM.T.EPD.9CD.2103

Name and Code Standards for Courses Administered by Other Offices

NOTE: while offices are welcome to amend or define standards appropriate to their needs, offices are encouraged to use service standards where practical.

Code Standards for Other Offices
Field SIS Supplemental courses associated with SIS Supplemental Non-Credit courses Continuing Education For-Credit courses Continuing Education Non-Credit courses Training and Development courses
Name Defined by PAWS Follow standards Determined by office Follow standards Determined by office Determined by office
Code Defined by PAWS Follow standards "UWM.S." + admin code + determined by office Follow standards "UWM.C." + admin code + determined by office "UWM.T." + admin code + determined by office
Example Not applicable Not applicable UWM.S.EM-PASS.2192.SCI Not applicable UWM.C.SCE.2192.BUSADM.100 UWM.T.FAA-SAFETY

Admin Codes

Business Units and Admin Codes
Unit Code
 Lubar College of Business - Executive Education LUBAR-EXED
Lubar College of Business - Executive MBA LUBAR-EMBA
School of Continuing Education SCE
School of Education SOE
School of Information Studies SOIS
 College of Nursing NURS
Division of Academic Affairs - Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning AA-CETL
Division of Enrollment Management - Panther Academic Support Services EM-PASS
Division of Finance and Administrative Affairs – University Safety and Assurances FAA-SAFETY


Keywords:
canvas user course creation reference name code new 
Doc ID:
88812
Owned by:
David D. in CETL
Created:
2019-01-02
Updated:
2024-04-09
Sites:
UW-Milwaukee Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning