5. Content: 5.1| Introduction to Blueprint's Usage

If you are teaching programmes from SIM Global Education In House Programmes, and you are the Module Leader or EQP writer preparing for the next semester, you will be using the Blueprint course that will help you to quickly prepare your content for each upcoming term.

Important Tasks:

Locate your Blueprint Course. A blueprint course is the Canvas equivalent of an eGlobal Development Template. This can be found under Global Navigation> Dashboard> Unpublished Courses or under Courses > All courses
- Your f2f programme
  - blueprint course name is Subject Description_Blueprint (eg Microeconomics_Blueprint)
  - course code is Subject Area Catelog Number_Blueprint (eg ECO2101_Blueprint)
- Your blended programme
  - blueprint course name is Subject Description_Blended_Blueprint (eg Microeconomics_Blended_Blueprint)
  - course code is Subject Area Catelog Number_B_Blueprint (eg ECO2101_B_Blueprint)
The Blueprint Course will contain your course materials for the current term.
Make any needed modifications in the Blueprint course.
By default, we have locked changes to points, due date and availability dates for Assignments, Quizzes and Discussions. This means that lecturers will not be able to change the score and date settings for their assignment/quiz/discussions in the current term courses. Lecturers of the respective courses will be able to make changed to unlocked items.
Once you have completed the necessary, please inform your programme administrative departments for checking purposes. Your programme administrative departments, Platform Build (PB) team and yourself will be able to sync the changes to the upcoming term's courses
Your blueprint course will be disassociated (aka unlinked) from your current term courses:
- Certificate programmes: ITFS, MFS & PCFS 2 months after term starts
- Preparatory programmes: CELFT 2 months after term starts; PSECL 3 months after term starts; all other Prep courses 5 months after term starts
- Diploma programmes: 2 months after term starts
- Graduate Diploma eLearning programmes: 2 months after term starts
- Graduate Diploma programmes (all others except eLearning GD): 3 months after term starts

Please click on the links below to view the Canvas Guides:

How do I manage content for a course associated with a blueprint course?
How do I lock course objects in a blueprint course as an instructor?
How do I sync course content in a blueprint course as an instructor?
How do I view the sync history for a blueprint course as an instructor?
How do I view the blueprint sync information for a course associated with a blueprint course?

Announcements can only be locked if General Locked Objects is selected in the Blueprint course settings. This is not the default blueprint setting.
If a locked object (discussion, assignment, page, etc) has a file attachment or a link to a file stored in the Files tool, be sure to lock the file as well; otherwise the file can be deleted from the associated course(s), breaking the attachment or link. This is not the default blueprint setting.
If items are published in a blueprint course, they will show as published in the associated course. Lecturers in the associated course have the ability to unpublish published content. Once changes are made to the item's state (publish/ unpublish) in the associated course, the state in the blueprint course will not be applicable anymore.
If there are unlocked items in your blueprint course, do not lock them after they have been synced unless you are certain they have not been modified in the associated course(s). Locking an item after a sync will overwrite changes made to the item by the respective course's lecturer in the associated course(s).
Syncing does not affect content that has been added by a lecturer directly into his own course.
You will only see the sync button if changes have been made to content. If you need to sync course settings etc over, just edit a page/assignment instructions etc by adding a space to get the sync button to show up.
After the initial first sync, any new sync will add any newly created modules to the bottom of the modules list of the associated courses. (click to read more about modules)
If modules or their items are rearranged in an associated course, the associated course's module order will be updated to match the blueprint course structure in the next sync. If an item in an associated course is moved from module A to another module B, the item will exist in both modules (A & B).
If you delete a module or a module item in an associated (linked) course, it will not be possible to restore on new sync from blueprint course. You can however re-add the item to the module. The new sync will update the item under Files/Pages etc.
New items added to a module in an associated course will remain in the module but will display above all blueprint synced items.
If a module lock date is added or updated in an associated course, the module setting will be updated to match the module setting in the blueprint course in the next sync.
If a module prerequisite is added or updated in an associated course, the module setting will be updated to match the module setting in the blueprint course in the next sync.
If you see any exceptions in the sync history, the errors could have been caused by a lecturer making changes to the content in their courses. To force the change, click on the item in the module and click on the . Once the item has been locked, try syncing again.
If changes are made to Syllabus page, course settings and rubrics, please select Include Course settings when doing a sync.
Once your course is disassociated from a blueprint course, you can make changes to the locked items (points, due date and availability dates for Assignments, Quizzes and Discussions).
"Hide Until" settings in Course/ Assignment / Quiz settings do not sync from Blueprint to live classes. Please put in the "Hide Until" date in the live classes if it is required.