Procedures for Setting Up Your Courses in Canvas
Please refer to the important information below, which will assist you in preparing your courses in Canvas.
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Canvas Course Template
This modifiable research-based template is designed to help you set up your course by following best practices. This template is designed with the student experience in mind and is guided by Quality Matters (QM) standards and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. It offers examples of elements that are essential for providing students with high-quality learning experiences. Whether you design a new course or refresh an existing course, this template gives you a good starting point.
Canvas Course Design Checklist
This Canvas course design checklist is designed to help instructors design and review their courses in Canvas by following best practices. The main components of this research-based checklist include Course Overview and Introduction, Learning Objectives, Instructional Materials and Activities, Assessment, Student Support, Accessibility and Usability, and Course Technology.
Copy Specific Content
You can choose to select specific content as part of the course import. This option allows you to select specific content areas such as assignments, settings, and files without importing the entire course. This makes it easier for you to manage course content, and helps you avoid copying content that you no longer need from your previous course, such as old Zoom meetings.
Copy All Course Content
Copy course content from your development shell into your official course shell, or copy course content from your current Canvas shell into your upcoming Canvas shell. Note: We recommend copying all course content only if there are no scheduled Zoom sessions in your previous Canvas shell.
Update Your Course Home Page and Clean Up Your Course Navigation Menu
You can update your course homepage and control which links appear in course navigation.
Cross-list Multiple Course Shells Prior to Course Start
Here is a quick walk through of how to combine multiple course sections with identical content into one Canvas shell.
Note: When courses are cross-listed (combined) in Canvas, the original course name on the Canvas home page often no longer reflects all of the cross-listed sections, which may lead to confusion for students. To request that the course name in Canvas be updated, please contact support@stevens.edu.
Add TAs and other Instructors to Your Course
You no longer need to request TA access! You can now add your own TA’s to your Canvas course.
Publish Modules and Content
Modules, assignments, and pages can be published or left as drafts. If you are ready for students to view items, make sure these items are published and have the green "published" icon. If you are still working on content, you can leave it unpublished until ready.
Clean Up Course List
After you are ready for the semester, here is a helpful guide on how to clean up your course list so you can access your courses faster.
Guidance and information on the use of copyrighted materials in Canvas.
Final Preparations
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Take a look at your course in student view to make sure all content is working as designed.
Make sure all the different external links in your course are functioning by running the "Validate Links" tool.
All content in your courses must be accessible.
Publish Your Course
Before students can access, or even see your upcoming course in Canvas, it will need to be published. Please publish your course before the semester begins.
Help your students to get started with Canvas.
Experiencing an issue or need additional support? Contact our OneIT Team by