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Blueprint: Course Information Module Overview

Last updated on June 2, 2026

The Course Information Module is a template module included in every Canvas Course Shell as part of the MSU Denver Canvas Blueprint. This module is designed to be used in conjunction with the Syllabus to present important information about your course.

The Course Information Blueprint Module contains a collection of template pages designed with instructional design principles in mind, such as priming, chunking, and alignment. You can use these pages by replacing the bracketed description text with your specific course information.

In addition to the page templates, the Course Information Module comes with a few discussion boards meant to help increase student-to-student interaction in the course. These can be especially helpful with online asynchronous courses where students don’t interact with their peers often.

For more information about what else is included in the Canvas Blueprint and the instructional design principles behind it, see our spotlight, MSU Denver Canvas Blueprint.

Directions

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What is Included in the Course Information Module

  • Overview (Read Me First): Use this page to enter information about your course organization and format, expected learning interactions, technology requirements, attendance policy, and to outline your course topics and learning objectives.
Overview Template including headers and bracketed information describing what should be entered in each section.
  • Instructor Introduction: Use this page to introduce yourself and provide your communication and interaction policy.
    • Include a video on this page to add a more personal touch to the course.
Instructor Introduction template with bracketed information describing what to enter under each Header.
  • Discussion: Student Introductions: This discussion is a place for students to introduce themselves to you and their peers. You can keep the questions the same, or edit them to align more specifically to your course.
Discussion: Student Introduction asking students to answer at least 2 of 4 general questions about themselves.
  • Course FAQ Forum: This is a discussion board designed to be a central location for students to ask course-related questions throughout the semester. It’s a good place to continuously check in case students post any questions here.
Course FAQ Forum inviting students to ask and answer course-related questions.
  • Casual Conversations Forum: This discussion board serves as a central location for students to ask non-content related questions and interact with their peers. This can help foster a sense of community, especially for online courses.
Casual Conversation Forum inviting students to ask non-content related questions and interact with their peers.
  • Course Grading Policy: Use this page to outline how students’ grades will be calculated, any specific grading policies (such as late work), how you will grade and provide feedback, and the types of assessments/assignments students should expect.
Course Grading Policy template with headings, tables to fill out, and bracketed information detailing what to enter in each section.
  • Navigating the Course: This page describes how to navigate Canvas to work through your course. If you follow the Canvas Blueprint, you shouldn’t have to edit or change this page.
    • If your course has any additional Canvas integration tools, such as ProctorU, or if Modules aren’t your main/only way students access course materials, add that information here.
Navigation this Course Page with headings and text explaining how to navigate to and use different parts of a Canvas course.
  • Course Alignment Map: Use this table to outline the alignment between your modules, learning objectives, assessments, learning activities, and instructional materials. 
    • An alignment map not only helps students understand the purpose behind each learning material but also can help you organize your course in a cohesive way and ensure each learning objective is met.
Course Alignment Map template with a section to enter Course-Level Objectives and an example Alignment Map table.

Edit the Course Information Module

  1. Go to MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub.
  2. Click Quick Links on the top right of the page.
  3. Click Canvas from the menu options that appear.
  4. Log in to your Canvas Account.
  5. Select the Course you’d like to work in.
  6. Click Modules in the left-hand course navigation menu.
  7. Scroll down to the Course Information Module.
  8. Click the More Options (3 dots) icon to the right of the Module title.
  9. Click Edit on the top right.
  10. Enter your Course Name after “Course Information” in the Module Name text field.
    1. Ex. Course Information – Psychology 1001
    2. This helps identify this as the Course Information Module with your course content in it for when you copy your course for a new semester.
  11. Click Save.
  12. Click the name of the page you wish to edit.
  13. Click Edit in the top right corner.
  14. Replacebracketed text with your Course Information.
    1. Take note of what the text says before deleting, as it will provide a description of what to include.
  15. Click Save at the bottom right of the page when ready.
  16. Repeat steps 7-10 for all pages.
  17. Click on a discussion (indicated by comment boxes) to edit it.
  18. Click the three dot (more options) icon to the far right of the discussion.
  19. Select Edit from the dropdown menu.
  20. Edit the discussion as desired.
    1. See our tutorial, Edit a Discussion in Canvas, for more guidance.
  21. Click Save at the bottom right of the screen.
  22. Repeat steps 17-21 for each discussion.

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