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Strategies: Creating your course on Canvas fast

Do you have three hours or less to get your Canvas course transferred and built in time for the start of term? This is a great place to start! Here are some strategies for making that course easy to navigate, accessible, and ready on time for the start of the session. If you prefer a full video walkthrough, you can find the Emergency Kit screencast video on our videos and how-tos page.

Canvas has many features, but you don’t need to use them all at once. Focus on the following key areas to get your course ready for launch. You can always explore Canvas’ other innovative tools later. The hyperlinks in every step lead to a related Canvas guide for more information, screenshots, and guidance.

Step 1: Know your way around

• Your course has a by default. Your students will benefit from seeing a customized Home Page (e.g. with a new banner image, a custom welcome message, and functional buttons).

  You will personalize your Home Page in Step 2, below.

• In Canvas, your content goes into . These modules are similar to eClass sections.

  You will put your content in the Modules in Step 3.

• Make sure you publish content to which you want students to have access. 'Unpublish' can be used to hide content.

  You will check the of your content in Step 5.

• To personalize an element in Canvas, find the Edit button: 

• If you don’t immediately see the option you need (e.g., Delete, Move, Duplicate…), find a three-dot menu: 

Step 2: Build an accessible foundation

• Personalize your home page so students know where to start:

  • Include a welcome message with basic course info and next steps, and remove the very last paragraph (the administrator disclaimer).

  • Either the Meet Your Instructor page from your sandbox to your course, then personalize it with your name and photo, a bit of information about yourself (e.g., your research domain, your connection to the course, your hobbies…), preferred contact method, and availability, OR add this information directly to your Home Page and remove the “Meet Your Instructor” button.

    • Don’t forget to on the “Meet Your Instructor” button if you create a page (in Edit mode, click on the “Meet Your Instructor” button, click on “Remove link,” then Insert → Link → Course Link and find the “Meet Your Instructor” page).

  • Create a new course syllabus page to link to the “Syllabus” button OR add your syllabus as a file to the “Syllabus” button on the Home Page (in Edit mode, click on the “Syllabus” button, click on “Remove Link,” then Insert → Document → Upload Document, and you will be prompted to upload your syllabus).

• Customize the (in Settings → Navigation) to include only the necessary options. The top section contains the Enabled options, while the bottom section contains the Disabled options. Rearrange the menu items to what makes the most sense, for example from the most used to least used.

Step 3: Organize content in Modules

• Use modules to structure your course by week, by theme, or by category of content. Use the + in the grey bar (the title bar) to .

• Create at least one complete module before the start of the semester with course content such as lecture slides or videos, a student activity or , and a way for students to ask questions or get support, as needed.

• Keep module names and content titles consistent and descriptive (e.g., “Week 2 – Global Perspectives”). You can use (in the + option) to further divide content or add more visual hierarchy.

Step 4: Set up communications and assessments

• You have the ability to schedule in advance for common reminders (e.g., assessment deadlines). Create a welcome announcement so students know what to do on their first day of class.

• Personalize the Q&A and “Need help?” module so students know where to go for help.

• Add key and to your modules to make them available to students, making sure , and are accurate. Your Assignments index (accessible to you in your course menu) should reflect the course assessment categories and weightings in your syllabus. Creating your assignments here is how you build your Gradebook.

• Check your settings (you might want to activate manual publication of grades as an extra safeguard), and use the to familiarize yourself with .

Step 5: Test and troubleshoot!

• Use to experience your course as a learner.

• Ensure all necessary modules, pages, and assessments are published; students can’t see unpublished items!

• Run the (available in the Rich Content Editor) to correct common accessibility issues and the (in the course Settings) to check for broken links in your course content.

Learning journey: Reflective prompts

Here are some reflection questions to support your Canvas build:

• Does my course structure make it easy for students to find what they need each week?

• Have I tested my course from the student perspective, or asked a colleague or TA to take a quick look?

• Have I clearly communicated to students how to get started in the course?

Remember that you can always request a consultation with a CTL Canvas team member for assistance with your course design. Reach out to eclass@ualberta.ca for technical support and troubleshooting.

Explore CTL’s on-demand and live learning opportunities linked in the resources below.

Learn more: Additional resources

U of A resources

, CTL.

Canvas Workshops and Webinars, CTL.

On-demand videos and how-tos, CTL.

Canvas Support, Office of the Provost and Vice-Provost (Academic).

Canvas: Moving to a new Learning Management System, Office of the Provost and Vice-Provost (Academic).

, Knowledgebase, IST eClass Support.

External resources

, Instructure Community.

, Instructure Community.

, Dr Sean Nurfer, Senior Director of Teaching and Learning, TCS Education System.