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badm350-canvas-builder skill

/badm350-canvas-builder

This skill generates Canvas-ready HTML content for BADM 350, including Start Here pages and assignments, streamlining weekly module delivery.

npx playbooks add skill vishalsachdev/claude-skills --skill badm350-canvas-builder

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (4)
SKILL.md
3.6 KB
---
name: badm350-canvas-builder
description: Generate Canvas-ready HTML pages and assignments for BADM 350 Technology & AI Strategy course. Use when building weekly module content from markdown lesson plans, creating "Start Here" pages with Tuesday/Thursday session structure, or generating assignment HTML with rubrics. Triggers on requests to "build Canvas content", "create week X page", or "generate assignment for BADM 350".
---

# BADM 350 Canvas Content Builder

Converts BADM 350 week markdown files into Canvas-ready HTML following the Gies College course style guide.

## Workflow

### 1. Identify Source Files

Week content lives in:
```
/Users/vishal/teaching/badm350/modules/unit-X-*/week-NN-topic.md
```

Style guide at:
```
/Users/vishal/teaching/badm350/canvas-style-guide.md
```

### 2. Generate Start Here Page

Read the week markdown and extract:
- Learning objectives (with L-C-E tier)
- Session agendas (Tuesday/Thursday, 75 min each)
- Before/During/After Class tasks
- Readings and resources
- Lab deliverable info

Apply the Start Here template from `references/start-here-template.md`.

Output to: `/Users/vishal/teaching/badm350/canvas-html/week-NN-start-here.html`

### 3. Generate Assignment HTML

Identify assignment type from lab deliverable section:
- **Lab**: Hands-on practice, 10 pts, completion-based rubric
- **Discussion**: Article analysis + peer replies, 10-15 pts
- **Position Paper**: Debate prep + evidence, 15-20 pts
- **Essay**: Framework application + research, 15 pts

Apply appropriate template from `references/assignment-templates.md`.

Output to: `/Users/vishal/teaching/badm350/canvas-html/week-NN-[assignment-name].html`

### 4. Upload to Canvas

Use Canvas MCP tools:

**Create page:**
```
mcp__canvas-api__create_page(course_identifier="67619", title="Week N Start Here", body=<html>, published=true)
```

**Create module:**
```
mcp__canvas-api__create_module(course_identifier="67619", name="Week N: Topic", position=N, published=true)
```

**Add item to module:**
```
mcp__canvas-api__add_module_item(course_identifier="67619", module_id=<id>, item_type="Page", page_url="week-n-start-here")
```

**Create assignment:**
```
mcp__canvas-api__create_assignment(
  course_identifier="67619",
  name="Assignment Name",
  description=<generated_html>,
  points_possible=10,
  submission_types="online_text_entry",
  due_at="2026-01-26T05:59:00Z"
)
```

### 5. Generate Setup Instructions

Create `/Users/vishal/teaching/badm350/canvas-html/week-NN-canvas-setup.md` with:
- Canvas assignment settings (name, points, due date, submission type)
- Rubric configuration table
- Module item order

## Key Style Elements

| Element | Value |
|---------|-------|
| Icons | Orange `#ff5f05` |
| Footer | Navy `#12284c` |
| CSS | `https://instructure-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/account_145590000000000001/attachments/9675811/dp_app.css` |
| JS | `https://instructure-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/account_145590000000000001/attachments/9675810/dp_app.js` |
| Banner | `https://files.ciditools.com/illinoisedu/UIUC_banner_Creative_1.png` |

## Session Structure (Tuesday/Thursday)

Each session has three phases:
- **Before Class**: Checklist of prep tasks with time estimates
- **During Class**: Table with Time | Activity | Purpose columns
- **After Class**: Tasks and upcoming deliverables

## Reference Files

- `references/start-here-template.md` - Full HTML template for Start Here pages
- `references/assignment-templates.md` - Templates for Lab, Discussion, Position Paper, Essay
- `references/rubric-patterns.md` - Standard rubric configurations

## Canvas Course Info

- **Course ID**: 67619 (Spring 2026)
- **Format**: On-campus, Tuesday/Thursday, 75 min each
- **Class Size**: ~19 students

Overview

This skill generates Canvas-ready HTML pages and assignment artifacts specifically for the BADM 350 Technology & AI Strategy course. It converts weekly markdown lesson plans into polished "Start Here" pages, session agendas, and assignment pages (with rubrics) that follow the course style guide and are ready for upload to Canvas.

How this skill works

The tool scans a week’s markdown file to extract learning objectives, Tuesday/Thursday session agendas, Before/During/After class tasks, readings/resources, and lab deliverable details. It applies the Start Here and assignment templates, injects course-specific CSS/JS, icons, and banner assets, and writes HTML outputs to the canvas-html folder. It also emits Canvas MCP commands and a concise setup markdown that documents assignment settings and rubric configuration for manual or automated upload.

When to use it

  • When building a new weekly module from a markdown lesson plan.
  • When creating a Week N "Start Here" page with Tuesday/Thursday session structure.
  • When generating an assignment page (Lab, Discussion, Position Paper, Essay) with rubric and settings.
  • When preparing Canvas upload commands and a Canvas setup checklist for a week.
  • When standardizing course pages to match the BADM 350 style guide.

Best practices

  • Keep source week markdown in the expected modules/unit-X folder naming convention.
  • Clearly label the lab deliverable section to ensure correct assignment type detection.
  • Review generated HTML in a browser and confirm CSS/JS asset links before publishing.
  • Set due dates in ISO 8601 UTC to match Canvas API expectations.
  • Use the generated canvas-setup.md to configure rubrics and module ordering consistently.

Example use cases

  • Convert week-05-topic.md into week-05-start-here.html and week-05-assignment.html for immediate Canvas upload.
  • Create a Start Here page that shows learning objectives, two 75-minute session agendas, and pre-class checklists.
  • Generate a Lab assignment with a completion-based rubric and MCP command snippet to create the assignment in Canvas.
  • Produce a Position Paper assignment HTML with grading rubric patterns and a canvas-setup.md describing rubric rows and points.
  • Batch-generate multiple weeks’ HTML and MCP commands before a semester begins to streamline publishing.

FAQ

How does the skill decide assignment type?

It reads the lab deliverable section in the week markdown and matches keywords to Lab, Discussion, Position Paper, or Essay to select the proper template and rubric pattern.

Where are generated files saved?

HTML pages and the canvas-setup.md are written to the canvas-html folder under the course teaching directory (e.g., /Users/vishal/teaching/badm350/canvas-html).