Select the “Commons” icon from the Canvas global navigation bar.

Canvas Learning Management System left-side navigation menu showing options: Account, Dashboard, Courses, Calendar, Inbox, History, Commons (highlighted with a purple box), YuJa, and Help.

If this is your first time using Commons, it will request access to your account. Select the Authorize button.
Navigating the Commons homepage:

The home page has a search bar at the top (A) where you can type in your course code (ex. JRN) to see if there is a template for your course to use.

If your course code is only two letters (ex. PS, EN), you may need to include the word “Template” in your search. For example, the complete search would be: EN Template.

This is a bug with Canvas Commons that Canvas is investigating.

Otherwise, you can browse what’s available, and select the name of a template to open it (B).
If you want to use our default template, select the first tile “Quinnipiac Canvas Course Template (Full Template)” (C). It’s the featured result.

Canvas Commons search page showing results filtered by “Graduate,” “Undergraduate,” and “Quinnipiac University.” A search bar labeled “A” is at the top, and section “B” highlights search results. The results include course and module templates such as “Quinnipiac Canvas Course Template.”

Once you have selected a template, the preview screen will open:

On the left is a preview of the template (A).
On the right is a blue “Import/Download” button (B).

When you’re ready to import the template into your sandbox or course, select the blue “Import/Download” button (B).

Canvas Commons page for the “Quinnipiac Canvas Course Template (Full Template).” Section “A” labels the course title. The preview area shows module links such as “Instructor Module (Do Not Publish)” with resources like “Template: Introduction,” “Template: How to Customize,” and “Getting Started.” Section “B” highlights a blue “Import/Download” button on the right, under the “Quinnipiac University Approved” label.

In the pane that opens, select the sandbox(es) or course(s) that you would like to import the template into using the checkboxes (1), then select the blue “Import into Course” button (2).

Canvas “Import/Download” dialog showing the option to import content into a selected course. Label “1” marks the selected course titled “Example_Course_Sandbox,” and label “2” highlights the blue “Import into Course” button below the list of courses.

A green banner will appear at the top of the page, confirming that you started the import of the template.

Green confirmation banner in Canvas reading, “You have successfully started the import! It may take a little while to see changes in your course.”

Wait a few minutes, then go to the sandbox(es) or course(s) that you imported the template into. All template items should be present, and you can start building your course.

Canvas course “Example_Course_Sandbox” open to the Syllabus page. The main area displays a “Recent Announcements” section with one sample post, a banner image of the Quinnipiac University campus, and a “Welcome!” section with an instructor note placeholder. Below, a “Syllabus” section includes a note instructing faculty to add course schedule information, followed by an “Add your syllabus file here” prompt. The bottom section, “Course Navigation,” shows three icons labeled “Meet Your Instructor,” “Learning Modules,” and “Technology Help.” The left sidebar lists course navigation links, and the right panel shows course management options and a small October 2025 calendar.

If you imported a template into a sandbox, you do not need to later import the template into the course of record shell, too. When you copy your sandbox into the course of record shell, the template will go with it. Follow the steps here to copy a course in Canvas →

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Commons: Importing a Course Template from Canvas Commons

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