First Steps

Start by cleaning your LMS closet. Before you set up your new Canvas course, take a critical look at the content in your current course materials and also how you'd like students to navigate them. Is the content still relevant to your learning goals, or do you need to think about new additions to your course? Is it easy for students to find what they need in your course? Have you provided opportunities for communication and collaboration? Is your content accessible? If not, this is a great opportunity to think about making PDFs and PPTs accessible. Once you’ve reviewed these materials, start with a blank Canvas shell and start building your new learning experience.

What’s Next?

• Create a Canvas course shell
• Adding multiple sections to one Canvas course

• Access Ready, Set, Canvas course, a self-paced course designed to help you get familiar with the basic need-to-know features to design and deliver a Canvas course.  There are also other helpful Orientation courses available from other universities who have made the transition to Canvas.
• Welcome to Canvas for Temple University, A recorded Canvas how-to session and associated slides, presented by Erin Keefe, Instructure, Canvas.
• Follow the checklist for creating a new Canvas course to help you cover all bases before your Canvas course goes live.

Canvas How-to's

A complete Table of Contents of How-To Guides provided by Canvas.

Organize

• Organize your course content using Modules to control the flow of your course, organize your content, and to create self paced instruction.
• Learn the differences between Canvas Pages and Modules and find out which feature to use for your specific course needs.
  • Create Modules to organize your course content assignments, and activities in one single convenient location.

Create and Add Content

• Find out how Pages store content and educational resources that include text, video, and links to files and other course or group content.
  • Create a new Page in a course.
  • Create a Syllabus Page
• Use Canvas Files to house course assignments, syllabi, readings, or other documents.
  • Use Files as an Instructor to store files and assignments.
    • Upload Files to a course.
    • Create a File Link in a page in a course.
    • Create a Folder in Files.
    • Move and Organize Files.
• Use the Rich Content Editor to add and format your course content.

• Create Discussions to encourage online asynchronous discussions among your students.
• Enable multiple students to work together on the same document using Collaborations.
• Set up Groups to enable your students to collaboratively work on assignments and projects.
• Share important news will all of your students using Announcements.
  • Tip:  Use Delay posting Announcements if you’d like work on a draft version.
• Interact with your students in real time using Chat.
• Use Conversations as an instructor to send messages to students or groups from within Canvas.
• Host online office hours or facilitate an online course using Conferences.