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Helpful Guides & Resources

Links to Canvas videos, resources, and instructional pages.

 

    Canvas / VCCS Webinar Recordings

Transfer Canvas Content

How do I copy content from another Canvas course?

Use the Course Import tool

You can copy course content such as assignments, modules, pages, and discussions from previous or current Canvas courses into existing courses. 

Please only copy specific content and not the whole course.  

Click the Select Content button. 

Then choose what you wish to import.

Go to the following link for instructions:    Select specific content to import

Hide or Show TOTAL grade for Students

How do I hide totals in my students' grade summaries?

Instructors can hide totals in students' grade summaries. By default, totals are visible to students. For courses using weighted assignment groups, assignment group totals are also hidden from students.

OR instructors can decide to show these to students by turning this off.

Open Settings

Open Settings

In Course Navigation, click the Settings link.

Hide Totals in Student Grades Summary

Hide Totals in Student Grades Summary

Details about this option are located on the Canvas Community page.

Students may be able to see their grades on the dashboard in the Canvas Student App.

What do all the icons mean on the Grades page?  

Simple and Basic Instructions

Below are some basic instructions to get your course up and running quickly.
Simple steps, with clear screen shots to help you.

 

Do you want to create a "column" in your gradebook for Mid-Term Grades, a manual grade of any kind, or for a final letter grade?   Follow these directions:   Creating a Grade Column for Total Points (Non-Weighted) Gradebook

An excellent resource for interactive tutorials:  How To Canvas

Set Up Your Course in 7 Easy Steps

  1. Access a Canvas Course (if assigned, look in the Dashboard)
  2. Upload a Syllabus
  3. Create Modules and Organize the Content
  4. Create and Copy Your Course Materials (not everything - just modules)
  5. Add Assignments
  6. View Course as a Student
  7. Publish the Course

Course Combine Request Form

Please fill out this Google form to request to have multiple sections of the same course combined into a single section. This must be done prior to the term start date. Since requests are processed in batch in the order in which they were received, please indicate on the form if these needs to be done immediately.

List of items to start the semester off right:

  1. Adjust Due Dates for assignments and quizzes
  2. Upload Your Syllabus to the Syllabus Module
  3. ***  Publish Your Course
  4. Post Welcome Announcement
  5. Run through the course in Student View - is everything working as expected?
  6. Check your Notification Settings - be sure you will be notified when students complete work (tell students to check their settings as well)
  7. Remind students that they will need to complete the Orientation to Distance Learning

Review your Gradebook for any items that carry forward:


Here are some checklists to use when finishing up the semester in Canvas.

https://www.celt.iastate.edu/canvas-isu/instructor-guide-for-canvas/end-of-semester-checklist-canvas/ 

https://infocanvas.upenn.edu/2020/05/18/end-of-semester-checklist/

https://canvas-support.emory.edu/use/end-semester.html

https://esail.tamu.edu/faculty-services/canvas-support/canvas-end-of-semester-checklist/ 

https://www.instructure.com/resources/blog/canvas-tips-and-tricks-end-semester-wrap

https://blogs.chapman.edu/academics/2023/12/18/end-of-semester-canvas-checklist-2/

Double check all grades:  https://learn.canvas.cornell.edu/process-checklist-grading/ 

Course Conclusion:

Courses in Canvas are set to automatically conclude based on the end dates of the term in the system.  When a course concludes, it goes through some changes.  The course enters a Read Only mode for users.   The End Date used is dependent on the term settings for that semester.  You can view your course settings under Settings within a course.  By default, courses are set to conclude for Students on the same end date set in SIS.

Student View:

When a course concludes for students, the course will move from their Active Course Menu to their Prior Course Menu.  To enter the course, they will need to click on “View All Courses” under the course menu or use the Grades link. 

They will no longer be able to submit assignments, post discussions or utilize Canvas tools within that course.  They can still see their assignments, course resources, feedback, quiz results and grades.  It is important to take steps to protect course information you do not want students to continue to have access to after the end date. 

Current Term Settings in Canvas:

The terms are set in SIS.  These dates determine when a course can be accessed by the different user roles. Courses enter a concluded (read only) state for students once the course end date has been reached. These dates are set for the term as DCC / VCCS determines the best access time frames for courses.  Instructors can request the Course start and end dates be altered for a particular course by sending an email to canvas@danville.edu.

As the end of the semester approaches, it's time to start thinking about wrapping things up. Here are some important tasks to complete before the semester ends:

  1. Send out a final announcement to students. This is a good opportunity to thank your students for their hard work and to provide any final instructions or information. You may also want to remind them of the upcoming course evaluations.
  2. Finalize and submit grades. This is one of the most important tasks on your end-of-semester checklist. Be sure to double-check your grades carefully before submitting them.  Be sure every assignment for every student has either a zero or some type of grade.
  3. Reflect on the semester. Take some time to think about what went well and what you could improve on next semester. This will help you to continue to grow as an instructor and to provide the best possible experience for your students.  Save any work to your sandbox.
  4. Get ready for next semester. The DCC Distance Learning Services offers Canvas and related technology trainings. To attend a training or schedule a time to meet with an expert, contact us.

Finalize Grades within Canvas:

Assign a score of 0 to all ungraded assignments.

Backup of the grade book.

Exporting your course content (if you wish)

We recommend exporting your course structure at the end of the semester if you’ve made changes since it started.  This process will create a file that contains information about your course shell, such as assignments, content pages, quizzes, modules and files.  THIS WILL NOT EXPORT STUDENT WORK OR INTERACTIONS.

 

Embed a Document on a Page - Syllabus

Do you know that your Syllabus can be front and center?   Students will not miss it!   Just embed it on a page!  Already loaded in your courses, this option is set and ready for you to complete.  It is available in all new courses.  Follow the instructions below, and you will have an embedded document.

What makes a good Module in Canvas?

Learn about structure and organization.

 

With online courses, it is important that students always have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and how they should properly progress through the course. This is also important for any materials that are distributed via Canvas for traditional face-to-face courses, but for online students, a course lacking sufficient guidance and information can be particularly stressful and problematic for both the student and the instructor. 

Chunk your content:   https://www.uab.edu/elearning/news/faculty-best-practices-news/chunking-module-content

Start off with a Zero Module:  https://kb.wisc.edu/instructional-resources/120266

Example of a Module 0:   https://topr.online.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Mod0_Rupert.html