Canvas Transition: Canvas Tips Roundup

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The beginning of the semester is quickly approaching, so we’re all in the thick of learning Canvas and setting up courses. You may be excited to use this new tool and marveling at how some processes are easier to complete. You may be a little nervous to dive in, especially if you weren’t working in Moodle previously. Either way, let’s pause for a second and take a deep breath. Okay? Good.

Now that we’re ready, let’s take a quick look at some of the Canvas tips and tricks that we’ve talked about over the summer, all gathered together here for a one-stop primer to get you jump started.

The Basics – Syllabus, Assignments and Gradebook

We’re going to start at the very beginning (a very good place to start). If you’re just beginning to work on your course, here’s the info you’ll need about how to add your syllabus and assignments, as well as setting up your gradebook.

Do all your links work?

You’ve now got your basics set up in your course. If you added in any external links or even links between assignments and other pieces within your Canvas course, you’ll want to make sure they all work. Now, you could do this manually, but Canvas provides an amazing tool called “Link Validation.” When you use this tool, Canvas will check all of your links for you and let you know if there’s anything you need to fix.

What’s the best way to contact all my students?

That would be by using Canvas Announcements! You can use this tool to manage your students’ expectations, provide a course interaction schedule, and set the week’s spiritual tone. You create the announcements from inside Canvas, and your students will also receive notifications for every announcement you send.

How do I overcome the learning curve?

You may now be saying, “This information is great! But I have a question about this one piece…” And that is a very legitimate question! There’s a lot of information to take in, and change is always an adventure. Check out this post for resources to help you succeed as you use Canvas.

This is all great! What’s next?

If you’re feeling confident with each of these items, check out our Canvas category for some more tips and tricks about other features, such as adding teaching assistants, using a template, and using icons in your course design.