Course Shells at PCC

What are course shells at PCC?

The Distance Education team has created Canvas shells to help instructors create quality courses with a consistent look and feel that are aligned to the CVC-OEI Online Course Design Rubric.

The shells help create a cohesive experience for students. It does not prescribe course content and you may modify the shell to suit your needs after importing it into your Canvas site. 

Types of Shells

  • 16wk Asynchronous Shell
  • 8wk Asynchronous Shell
  • 16wk Synchronous or Hybrid Shell
  • 8wk Synchronous or Hybrid Shell 

Included in the Shells

  • Homepage
  • Instructor Build Notes and Support module
  • Planning Documents
  • Orientation module
  • Modules that contain:
    • Module Overview
    • Live Session Information (synchronous/hybrid only)
    • Module Content page (can be duplicated as needed)
    • Module Assigned Videos page (can be duplicated or removed as needed)
    • Discussion (can be removed if not needed in the module)
    • Quiz (can be removed if not needed in the module)
    • Assignment (can be removed if not needed in the module)
    • Wrap-up, Additional Resources, and Looking Ahead page 

Why are there course shells? 

  • Applying accessible design principles during course design is a crucial step toward creating an inclusive learning environment. An accessible course anticipates the needs of diverse learners and aims to provide students flexibility for accessing course material and demonstrating their knowledge.
  • An effectively designed Canvas course should provide a smooth user experience with little extraneous cognitive load. There should be a consistent logic to how the course is put together allowing students to comfortably find what they are looking for. This allows students to use their brain power on your terrific content! 
  • We have thoughtfully incorporated Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, Canvas Best Practices, and web accessibility standards into the design of each template to help foster an inclusive learning experience.
  • Using a Canvas template saves time! You don’t have to build each individual item or module within your course – you can just focus on the course content.
  • Promotes a human centered learning experience
  • Section 55200 compliance + instruction provided as distance education is subject to the requirements that may be imposed by the American with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. Section 12100 et seq.) and section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 Section 794d). 

How can you access and use the course shells?

  • Course shells can be accessed through Canvas Commons by searching for the name of the shell you would like to use: 
    • PCC - 8wk Asynchronous Shell
    • PCC - 16wk Asynchronous Shell
    • PCC - 8wk Synchronous or Hybrid Shell
    • PCC - 16wk Synchronous or Hybrid Shell
  • The module “Instructor Build Notes & Support” explains how to use the shells and how to customize the various components.
  • You have the ability to customize the shell as you see fit based on your level of comfort and expertise as a Canvas user. We are able to support some requests for assistance with using the shell, however, we highly recommend users be familiar with editing and adding content to pages and modules in Canvas, if you intend to modify or use the shell.