Learn how Canvas works

• Canvas Guides

Set up your Canvas course

1. Courses are created in Canvas 4-6 months before every semester, for all graded sections. No request needed.
2. You can see your courses in Canvas after your department scheduler enters your teaching assignments into ARIES.
3. Cross-List/Combine your sections into one course. (Optional)

Enroll people in your course

1. Students are added systematically from ARIES.
2. All those assigned in ARIES to teach the section will be added systematically as Teacher.
3. Manually enroll others.

Plan course content for Canvas

1. Plan/design course content.
   • Include these Best Practices for online course design and development.
   • If you’d like to work with TILT to develop your course content, contact Inger Johnson at (970) 491-2008.
2. Review Copyright essentials.
3. Use CSU Library services.

Add course content

• Copy/Import content from a previous Canvas course.
  Then update your content for the new semester, including:
  • Refresh dates on all materials and assignments.
  • Re-link any special tools/external apps such as Echo360 and McGraw-Hill.
  • Re-create groups.
  • Re-create conferences.
• Or develop fresh content in a blank Canvas course.
  • Canvas Instructor Getting Started Guide
  • Canvas Instructor Guide – all topics

Set Up Home Page and Navigation

1. Set up the home page
2. How to Make a Page a Home Page
3. Set the Course Navigation menu

Set up assignments and grading

1. Create Assignments. (This creates columns in the gradebook.)
2. Learn to use the Gradebook tool.
3. Set your course’s Grading Scheme.
4. Arrange Proctored Exams.

Set up student access in your course

1. Dates for Student participation in your class
2. How to customize start and end dates for students

Publish your Canvas course

• How to publish a course

Teach in Canvas

After the course is complete

See the Course Life Cycle if you need to:

1. Re-use content in other courses
2. Help students finish incompletes
3. Verify grades and student activity