4 Telfer Brightspace course Templates
The Telfer School of Management has developed a Brightspace course template for Telfer instructors. The designs were kept simple and offer limited customization to keep consistency between courses.
By adopting this template, you will help create consistency across Telfer’s online courses, making it easier for students to find important information in predictable places. The template can be imported in part or in full. Instructions on importing the template are below.
Getting Started
The template is organized in a Module structure, but you can rename the modules should you prefer to adopt a Weekly structure or organize the course material by Themes/Topics.
Setting up a Home Page
The template starts with a Home Page that is the first page students see when they enter a course on Brightspace. It is important to carefully design the homepage to enhance the course experience. The goal is to place useful information in intuitive places to help students access relevant links and information (e.g. announcements, links to course content, course syllabus, course updates), and information on Telfer programs (Bcom, MBA, etc.).
Course Modules
The template is organized in a Module structure, but you can rename the modules should you prefer to adopt a Weekly structure or organize the course material by Themes/Topics.
About the template structure
The template is composed of an Overview page and of the following modules:
- Course Introduction
- Welcome page
- Course Schedule
- Course Assessments
- How to do well in the course?
- Code of Conduct
- Module 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Peer Evaluation
- Learner Support
- Submodule on Learning Tools and Tutorials (Brightspace, Zoom, MS Teams)
- Submodule on Online Exam Proctoring (Respondus Monitor, LockDown Browser and Zoom)
Importing the course templates
You can import the whole template or parts of the template. Once you’ve imported the template into your course, please refer to the following section to find out how to update the content.
Editing the Template
Overview Page (click to expand)
The Overview Page is the first thing students see when they click into your course. The purpose of this page is to communicate the key elements of the course and also help students navigate through the course.
Click inside the page to access the text editor. You will see editing options on top of the page (e.g. bold, italic, hyperlinks, etc.)
- Update the course introduction message. You may want to list the course objectives and how they relate to the program objectives.
- The 4 quadrants are internal links to submodules located under the Course Introduction module. They are important elements of the syllabus.
- Update the Instructor & TA Contact information
- Update the About the Virtual Classes box to include information about your
synchronous lectures. - Click Add attachment at the bottom of the page and attach your syllabus (in
pdf). - Optional: Include any additional links under Student Resources that are relevant to
the course.
Course Introduction Module
The purpose of this module is to set expectations for how the course operates. The Course Introduction module is composed of five submodules:
- Welcome
- Course Schedule
- Course Assessments
- How to do well in the course?
- Code of Conduct
The description area of the Course Introduction module (on top of the page) provides details on the following:
- Your pedagogical approach in the course. Describe the mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching in your course and how both modalities support each other.
- Communication in the course. Clarify what can be expected from you (e.g. Announcements, Emails, contribution to Discussions on Brightspace, or Channels on MS Teams, etc.) and the students.
- Course organization. There are different ways of structuring the course content, using a Module structure, Weekly structure or per Theme/Topic.
How to update the Course Introduction module (click to expand)
On the left hand-side menu, click on Course Introduction. Click inside the description area to access the text editor. You will see editing options on top of the page (e.g. bold, italic, hyperlinks, etc.).
- Remove the text in [square brackets] and the examples provided.
- Click the html editor icon on the bottom right-hand side corner of the page to edit the content in html (e.g. to add the embed code for an MS Stream video).
- You can also add a short course introduction with the general course or program objectives (e.g. B.Com, MBA, etc.).
- Click Update to save the changes.
How to update the Welcome submodule (click to expand)
On the left hand-side menu, click on Course Introduction. The Welcome submodule will appear underneath. Click on Welcome.
- Click inside the description area to access the text editor. You will see editing options on top of the page (e.g. bold, italic, hyperlinks, etc.).
- Include a message or short video clip to welcome your students to the course. Remove the text in [square brackets] after.
- Add a profile picture. Use https://crop-circle.imageonline.co/ to create circle profile pictures.
- Click the html editor icon on the bottom right-hand side corner of the page to edit the content in html (e.g. to add the embed code for an MS Stream video)
How to update the Course Schedule submodule (click to expand)
On the left hand-side menu, click on Course Introduction. The How to do well in the course submodule will appear underneath. Click on How to do well in the course.
- Click inside the description area to access the text editor. You will see editing options on top of the page (e.g. bold, italic, hyperlinks, etc.).
- Online Lectures: update the information in [square brackets] to include the day and time of your lectures, if they will be on Zoom, MS Teams or Adobe Connect, and whether the lectures will/will not be recorded.
- Weekly Activities & Assessments: populate the table to include the activities and assessments students are required to complete each week. Include due dates where relevant.
- Update the last updated date at the bottom of the page so students know when changes are made during the term.
How to update the Course Assessments submodule (click to expand)
On the left hand-side menu, click on Course Introduction. The Course Assessments submodule will appear underneath. Click on Course Assessments.
- Click inside the description area to access the text editor. You will see editing options on top of the page (e.g. bold, italic, hyperlinks, etc.).
- Populate the table with the assessments that make up the final grade. Include how much each assessment item is worth.
- Include additional information for each assessment below the table (e.g. requirements, how to submit, due dates, online proctoring, etc.)
How to update the How to do well in the course submodule (click to expand)
On the left hand-side menu, click on Course Introduction. The How to do well in the course submodule will appear underneath. Click on How to do well in the course.
- Click inside the description area to access the text editor. You will see editing options on top of the page (e.g. bold, italic, hyperlinks, etc.).
- Add any important information for students to do well in this course, an estimate of the time commitment (5 to 6 hours per week online) and prep time for virtual classes
- Add details on class participation (in synchronous sessions and outside of class hours using discussions fora, MS Teams, etc.).
- Add links or resources to support student wellbeing in your course.
Course Modules
Modules are aimed at helping students access the course materials easily and keep the course organized. Each module (e.g. Module 1, Module 2, Module 3, etc.) starts with a Module Overview in the description area at the top of the page, where you can:
- Add a short description about the module (or a short video clip).
- Add the learning objectives for the module.
- Add a to-do list for the module (e.g. activities and assessments).
You can then upload files, add links, create pages to share the course materials with the students (e.g. PPT slides, case studies, video recordings, handouts) from each week. You can also add links to course activities & assessments (e.g. Quizzes, Assignments, Discussions, etc.).
