Canvas Course Types

Dev? Practice? Course? What are Shells?

LIVE Class

Phoenix College CTL aligns with Maricopa Canvas standards for creating and naming courses (we call these 'shells'), and each type has a specific use and the way they are created. Take a little time to explore the different types of course shells to learn how they are created and what each type does.

Development

Practice

Class/Course Shell

Generated by SIS and IOR

This is your teaching course. Class or a course shell is the live course that will populate with registered students. These shells are generated from SIS for any IOR (instructor of record) and follow Maricopa's section number designation. The best practice for adding your course content is to import from your Developement Shell. You may also import from a previous semester course, or from another instructor's course (with permission).

Development Shell

Requested and created through CTL

A development shell is a Canvas space or sandbox area where faculty can build and test their course content before rolling it out to live semester courses. This allows you to experiment with different features and tools without affecting your live course(s). Once the course is ready, it can be copied into a live course shell for students to access.

Practice Shell

Requested and created through CTL for Canvas Training

A practice course is used for training purposes, allowing you to gain hands-on experience with Canvas and become familiar with its interface and various tools without affecting any live courses or student data. In essence, a practice course is a safe and isolated environment where faculty can explore, learn, and build without impacting any live courses or students.