The migration to the Canvas learning management system is almost complete. Sakai users, remember you have until December 21, 2018, to migrate existing Sakai sites to Canvas staging sites or to back up any site content you wish to retain. If you need more information, check out the T2C website to get details about the migration process and comparisons of the tools available in each LMS. You should attempt to use Canvas for at least of portion of your courses this fall so that you know what you need before you no longer have access to Sakai.
Ready to make a course?
Use the self-service tool to create your Canvas course. Click the Canvas@UD course request button on the Canvas gateway page, www.udel.edu/canvas. Please make sure to read the notes carefully and think about which class sections you may wish to combine in your Canvas sites.
Once you have your site, here’s a to-do checklist to get a basic Canvas course ready to go:
- If you have documents you would like to share with students, upload them into the Files tool. If you have a lot of content, you might opt to organize it using folders. Although the Files tool is intended to be a behind-the-scene repository, it is a simple way to share materials with students. If you need more structure, consider creating a “Page” that contains links to the files as well as descriptive text to provide some context to the files.
- Create or upload your syllabus into the Syllabus tool. You can choose to either type your syllabus into the text editor or upload your syllabus using the Files menu available on the right-hand side of the text editor and create a link to your syllabus. Using a link is a great choice because students can then either download or preview your syllabus, and you only have to maintain one file.
- If you intend to use the gradebook, create your entries using the Assignments tool. All entries in your gradebook must be created with the Assignments tool even if you collect paper submissions. You cannot add a column to the gradebook directly, instead the gradebook is built for you by the Assignments tool. You have several choices of assignment submission types: online, on paper, and none, so select the one that is appropriate for your assignment.
- Get ready to publish your course. Your roster is automatically loaded for you about two weeks prior to the start of the semester, but you still need to publish the course for student access. But before you do, you need to select an appropriate landing page for your course. The default is the Modules tool and if you do not use Modules, Canvas will prompt you to select another option before it will publish the course. Your options are the Course Activity Stream, the Syllabus, the Assignment list, or a custom home page that you must create first. Once you have decided, click the Publish button in the upper-right corner of your course Home to select a landing page and publish your course.
- Post a course welcome Announcement to explain to students how you are using Canvas, your course organization and structure, which tools you are using, where to find files, how to submit assignments, etc. Also, indicate how you will communicate with students and how they should communicate with you.
Now you are ready to go! If you would like to learn more about how to use Canvas effectively, register for a Keep Calm Teach On 2018 Up and Running Canvas session or visit the T2C website to schedule a consultation.
