Beginning of Semester Canvas Course Checklist for Instructors

1. Log into UCDAccess 
2. Click on ‘Faculty Center’ and then ‘Class Roster’ 
3. You can choose to ‘Notify selected students’ or ‘Notify all students’  
4. Next, it will display a text box for you to compose a message to be emailed to your students 
5. Finally, click ‘Send notification’ 

Send important information like the first meeting date, time, and location, and any textbooks that should be purchased prior to the start of class. Note: Students cannot receive communication from Canvas or see the course until the course is published and the start date has passed. See checklist items below.

Make your syllabus in Canvas public and share the link in your welcome email to students.

Use the content from a previous semester to get a jumpstart on your course by importing content. 

These homepage recommendations help your students familiarize themselves with your course and/or find the most recent announcements each time they enter your course. 

Update your syllabus with the course syllabus tool. The course summary will generate automatically based on course assignments and course calendar events.

Remove unused or unnecessary course menu items in the course navigation. Use modules to lay out your course content in weeks and hide files and assignments, which doesn't provide structure for students.

Some students may be new to Canvas, and the Canvas Student Video will help them get started. Encourage students to set up their profile, notifications, and Namecoach profile. 

Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the Teaching Continuity Plan. The Teaching Continuity Plan provides quick steps and resources to help you stay connected with your students and keep teaching on track in the event of disruptions due to technology or system outages. 

If you are hosting remote classes or remote office hours, set up a Zoom link for your class (ucdenver.zoom.us). Post it as an announcement and in the syllabus for students to easily find. You don’t have to set up a different Zoom link for every class. Create one Zoom link and use it for every class and your office hours as well. That way your students always know where to find you.

Use Student View to test out your course navigation and access. See your course as the student sees it.

Review your course settings, including the course start and end dates. 

Click on the 'People' tab in Canvas and compare the roster against the UCDAccess roster. Report any issues to the OIT Service Desk at 303-724-4357 or [email protected]

Kick off the semester smoothly by validating your course links to ensure students can access everything they need without interruption.

Make sure to publish your course before the first day of the semester.

Was this checklist useful? Check out our End of Semester Checklist and Video to end the semester as strong as you started!