We recommend that faculty do the following at the start of each semester to get their Canvas courses ready.
Confirm Your Course Is in Canvas
If you do not see the course, contact your department scheduling coordinator.
Courses cross-listed in Banner/Patriot Web will automatically be combined into one Canvas course with the enrollments from both sections.
Instructors also may choose to combine two or more sections of the same course by following the instructions.
Enroll Others in the Course
Enroll all other instructors, TAs, etc. to the course. A list of course roles and their permissions is available.
Copy a Previous Semester’s Course
If you are teaching the same course this semester that you have taught previously (or from a Canvas Sandbox or Development course), consider copying that course into the current semester course and then editing. If you used Honorlock in the previous course, go to Honorlock in the new course and follow the Copy Settings step.
Plan Your Course Structure
How will you organize all of the course contents and tools? What makes most sense for your students? Many instructors choose to create a weekly folder structure and put everything for that week into a single folder. Look at the Stearns Center’s Online Course Quality checklist. You should have a Canvas Sandbox course that provides suggested layouts.
Online Meetings or Office Hours
If your class meets online or if you want to set up online office hours choose if you plan to use Zoom. Consider scheduling out the meeting times in advance.
Set up your Gradebook
The Canvas gradebook allows students to keep track of their grades throughout the semester so they know exactly where they stand.
- The Canvas Assignments page allows you to categorize and weight all graded items (not just assignments). A total column for each category will be added to the gradebook.
- You can set up a grading scheme, such as for a final letter grade.
Upload the Syllabus and Add Content
Be sure to verify your contact information, textbook information, etc. Visit the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning website for information on designing your syllabus. Read information about connecting your Canvas course with publisher integrations and other third-party tools.
Make Your Course Available to Students
Post a welcome announcement to your course, including contact information, office hours, etc., and then send it to your students by email to let them know your Canvas course is now available.
Consider making the course available several weeks before the semester begins to provide students access to your syllabus, including required textbooks and technology requirements.
How to Make Your Course Available to Students
How to Commnicate with Students in Canvas (including information on when students receive announcements via email)
Optional Items
Create a Practice Quiz
Especially if you are using Honorlock for test security, create a practice quiz where students can test their computer before they need to use the tool in your course.
Select the Course Entry Page
The course entry point is the first area users see when they enter your course. The default course entry point is the course homepage. You may want to make Announcements or another page the default. In the course, see the Choose Home Page button on the right. Also, on the course’s Settings page, you can choose to have one or more announcements appear at the top of whatever course entry page you choose.
Set up Attendance Tool
If you intend to use the Attendance tool, set up Attendance on the Attendance Settings page.
Create a Welcome Video with Kaltura
Kaltura is a video management tool that allows faculty and students to easily create, host, and share video and audio inside the Blackboard course environment. See How to Record a Video in Kaltura Using a Webcam.
Publisher Tools
If you are using an online portal from a textbook publisher, you may need to turn on the tool in your course. We have links to publisher integration information. If you don’t see your publisher, view a list of all integrated tools. Contact your publisher rep for exact details about how their tool connects to Canvas.
Create Course Groups
Encourage student collaboration by creating course groups. Confirm that all students are assigned to groups after the drop/add period ends.
Place Items on Reserve at Mason Libraries
Set up Leganto for course reserves and e-readings.
Add Class Schedule and Office Hours to the Calendar
All graded items with due dates are automatically added to the course calendar. Set your office hours and class meeting schedule for your students.