Course templates

Course templates

Overview

A course template is a course without learners or enrollments that serves as a template from which you can easily create new courses.

Course templates can be configured the same way as courses, with all settings copied to the new courses. For example, if you enabled specific features for the template, those features will be available in the newly created course as well. You can set up your new courses as 'child courses' of the template, so that you can easily update the child course with any changes made to the course template.
Idea
Best practice: Create course templates for all of your Instructor and Blended courses.
Info
Please note that CYPHER for business defaults to the term "course template". CYPHER for academia defaults to the term "class template". The terms course template and class template are interchangeable in this article.

Creating course templates

To create a new course template:

  1. Click Resources from the main navigation menu.
  2. Click Add from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click Course template.   

Resources, Add resource pop-up with Course template highlighted

The add course template pop-up displays.
  1. Enter a Name for the course template.
  2. Select a Style for the course template.
    1. Instructor
    2. Blended
    3. Self paced
    4. Micro course
  3. Enter a Duration for the course template. 
    1. The duration options will vary based on the course style. 
    2. For Instructor and Blended courses, enter dates that reflect the standard length of the course. When you copy the course template to create a new course, and you change the start date of the new course, it will automatically adjust the start and due date of modules and assessments within the new course, based on the difference between the start date of the original course and the start date of the new course.
      1. For example, if the original course template started on the October 10th, 2025 and it had an assessment with the start date on the October 15th, 2025, when you copy the course, and you set the start date of November 10th, 2025 the assessment's start date in the new course will be automatically updated November 15th, 2025.
  4. Select a Library to save the course template. 
Add course template pop-up


You can also create a course template from an existing course. To create a course template from an existing course:
  1. Access an existing course.
  2. Click Admin from the course navigation menu.
  3. Click Copy from the fly-out menu.

Course, Admin menu with Copy highlighted

  1. Click Course template.
Course, Copy page with Course template highlighted

The Copy page displays, which allows you to adjust the settings for the course template.

  1. Name the course template.
  2. Select a Style for the course template.
  3. Enter a Duration for the course template. 
    1. The duration options will vary based on the course style. 
    2. For Instructor and Blended courses, enter dates that reflect the standard length of the course. When you copy the course template to create a new course, and you change the start date of the new course, it will automatically adjust the start and due date of modules and assessments within the new course, based on the difference between the start date of the original course and the start date of the new course.
  4. Select a Language and Time zone.
  5. Select a Library to save the course template. 
  6. Add an optional Course and/or Section code. 
  7. Specify an optional number of Credits for the course.
  8. Select a Grading scale.
  9. If available, add Custom fields.
  10. Select the Standalone assessments you want copied to the new course.
  11. Synchronization: Determine if you want the course template to be a parent course. 
    1. If you enable synchronization, you will be able to update the course template and sync the changes to all of the child courses created from the template.
  12. Click Save.

Copy course pop-up


Creating courses from templates

To create a course from a template:

  1. Click Courses on the main navigation menu.
  2. Click Add from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click Existing.

Course, Add course menu with Existing highlighted

  1. Select a course template from the list.
  2. Click Submit. 

Add a copy of an existing course or course template pop-up with Course template 1 selected and highlighted

The Copy pop-up displays, allowing you to adjust the settings of the new course.
  1. Name the course.
  2. Select a Style for the course.
  3. Enter a Duration for the course, which will vary based on the course style.
  4. Select a Language and Time zone.
  5. Enter a Location (this field is optional).
  6. Add an optional Course and/or Section code. 
  7. Specify an optional number of Credits for the course.
  8. Select a Grading scale.
  9. Synchronization: Determine whether the course should be a child course of the template to allow for synchronization.
    1. If you enable synchronization, you can sync any changes made to the course template to the new course. 
  10. Click Save.

Copy course pop-up with the Synchronization section highlighted

To view course templates:
  1. Click Courses from the main navigation menu.
  2. Click List from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Templates tab.
  4. Note that any courses created from the template are shown in the Sections column. 
    1. Click the number in the Sections column to view the courses.
Courses, List, Templates tab with Course template 1 Sections highlighted

The courses created from the course template display. 

  1. In this example, the course Team Leadership and Collaboration was created from the template.

Course Template, Sections page

You can also view all of the courses created from the course template by using the Sections tab:

  1. Click Courses from the main navigation menu.
  2. Click List from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Templates tab.
  4. Click a template.
  5. Click the Sections tab on the course navigation menu.
    1. Note that courses created from the parent course template display in the fly-out menu below the course template.
  6. Click Details from the fly-out menu.

Course Template, Sections fly-out menu with Details highlighted


If you select a child course, you can view the parent course template:
  1. Access the child course.
  2. Click Admin from the course navigation menu.
  3. Click Parent course. 
    1. You will be taken to the parent course template.

Course, Admin menu with Parent course highlighted


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