Canvas Checklist

This checklist has links to tutorials on how to A) set up your course and B) facilitate your course.

Setting Up Your Course

Here is a video that walks through how to set up your Canvas course starting from a Canvas Starter Kit. See these 4 Canvas Essentials videos for a refresher on Canvas.

Configuring your Canvas Courses

• Import this Canvas Starter Kit if you wish – Click Commons on the left sidebar then search for: HCC Canvas Starter Kit
• Import any previous course materials or assignments you wish to reuse
• Add or remove course navigation menu items
• Show recent announcements on the home page
• Upload a course image
• Add your profile picture to Canvas and select your preferred personal pronouns
• Pair your course with publisher tools if you are using McGraw-Hill, Pearson, etc.
• Publish your course when it is ready

Creating and Editing Content

• Edit the pages in your course including the home page and orientation module pages using the rich content editor
  • Insert any images or embed videos or add hyperlinks in your pages
• Edit the Syllabus page and attach your syllabus file, setting it to auto-open
• Edit the modules and lock future modules to hide them until a specific date
• Add content items to your modules, including pages, files, assignments, links
• Create videos such as a welcome video using Canvas Studio, Screenpal, etc.

Creating Assignments and Activities

• Add assessments to your modules: assignments, quizzes, and/or discussions
• Set due dates and availability dates for your assignments, quizzes, discussions
• Set gradebook options for missing or late assignments
• Set up your assignment groups and optionally set up percentage grade weighting
• Create grading rubrics for assignments and discussions
• Set up Canvas groups for group projects, assignments, or discussions

Checking Your Courses for Accessibility Issues

• View your course in Student View to check for issues
• Check your course for broken links
• Check for accessibility issues with Ally and the Canvas accessibility checker
• Check your video captions for accuracy in Youtube or Canvas Studio
• Check your documents for accessibility issues, including your syllabus
• Check your course for mobile compatibility in the Canvas Student app
• Backup your course and gradebook

Setting Up Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams can be used for live remote sessions, virtual office hours, or collaborative student projects. Please see this video on how to set up and use Microsoft Teams with your classes.

• Download and install Microsoft Teams on your computer and phone
• Turn on Teams integration with Canvas to automatically generate a Team with your students enrolled
• Schedule recurring meetings – such as class sessions, virtual office hours
  • Set meeting options so that students are attendees and not presenters
• Create channels for student groups or discussion topics

Delivering and Facilitating Your Courses

See this Assessing Online Facilitation (AOF) instrument for other facilitation tips.

Communicating with Students

• Send regular announcements informing students of what to do each week
• Create pre-recorded videos using Canvas Studio, Screenpal, etc.
• Use the Inbox tool to email or respond to individual students
• Add class sessions, virtual office hours and other live events to the course Canvas calendar
• Reply to student discussion posts

Grading and Feedback

• Grade and give timely feedback using the Gradebook and SpeedGrader, optionally using the Canvas Teacher app
• From the gradebook, you can Message Students Who didn’t submit an assignment or did poorly in order to reach out to them and encourage them to meet with you or submit their work
• Refer students who are not participating or need support to academic support services, using Dropout Detective if online
• Create an anonymous Canvas survey to collect midterm student feedback for suggestions for improvements to your courses

Using Microsoft Teams

• How to record meetings in Teams
• How to share your screen during a Teams meeting
• Set meeting options so that students are attendees and not presenters
• Conduct a live poll in Teams using Forms. See also Poll Everywhere.
• Using the Microsoft Whiteboard in Teams – for collaborative drawing. OneNote (and sharing your screen) might be preferable sharing your hand-drawn notes.
• Using breakout rooms in Teams
• How to share files and collaboratively edit files in Teams
• How to start an instant meeting (“meet now”), such as when students want to meet in a group channel
• How to chat with individuals in Teams

See also this Start of Term Checklist and this Canvas Beginning and End-of-Term Checklist.