Ever more we are seeing quality in design being an issue for accreditation. Let's face it, the ability for an institution to have a common look and feel from course to course is a problem. Content is not a problem, the way that it looks is. As a solution, imagine a button either in the RCE or on the page somewhere that would allow you to choose a pre-templated content theme per your institution. See the attached file to visualize what this could be. Instructors, Instructional Designers, Institutions, and Students have gone too long without the ability to have professional page layouts available to them (think ppt themes maybe). I would like to propose that Canvas integrate a feature that will allow users to do one, some, or all of the following:
- Designate their own pages as template pages
- Select from their institution's templated pages (created by the institution's design team)
- Select from Canvas' Universal Designed Template pages (would need developed of course)
Instructors would have the ability to apply template pages in one, some, or all of the following ways:
- To any page with the Rich Content Editor at the page level
- To all content within a Module at the module level
- To the whole course at the course level
Another idea for rapid design deployment would be to have a page that lists all pages for the course (pages, quizzes, discussions, etc.) where the instructor would be given a drop down for each page listed, allowing them to select a template design that they would like for each page. Then, upon selecting an Apply button, the designs would then be implemented for all pages.
If you are a designer for Canvas saying, "this isn't possible within the TinyMCE", it is possible. Please, let's make this idea a reality. There are way too many instructors out there that can scarcely copy and paste much less code. This would increase the value of Canvas so much. Please find a way to bring this to pass.
