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Simple Syllabus Canvas Course

Canvas has a lot of tools and resources available to help your students understand the flow of your course and your expectations for coursework etc. that enhances the learning environment. However, using these tools can require some pre-planning and it is often the case that planning the online environment for a course is the last item on the faculty list.
In this case, there is no need to forego using Canvas all together, but the tools made available in the course should be scaled back until the teacher is ready to make a plan. That is why we created this guide to setting up a "Simple Syllabus Canvas Course."
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When you first enter the course shell, you will see an indication at the top of the page that the course is still unpublished.  You will publish the course (Step #7 below) when you are ready for students to see course content.
 
Step 1:

 Change the Course Home Page? Links to an external site.

  1. Click the Choose Home Page button on the right side menu of the home page.
  2. Select the option, Syllabus, to enable the Syllabus view.
  3. Click Save.

Step 2:

Edit the syllabus description and upload your final version of the course syllabus? Links to an external site.

Links to an external site.
  1. You will be taken to the syllabus page once you choose it as your home page. Click the Edit button on the top right of the window.
  2. Put your cursor in the editing window and click on insert menu at the top of the editing window then choose Document-Upload Document.
  3. Choose the syllabus file to upload from your computer, it will be inserted in the page.
  4. You may also Copy text from your syllabus and paste it in the window.
  5. Click the Update Syllabus button to save your changes.

Step 3:

Upload course files.

How do I bulk upload files to a course? Links to an external site.
  1. Click the Files link in the Course Navigation.
  2. Click the Upload button in the far right side of the Files browser window.
  3. Browse to course files in .zip format.
  4. Click Upload File.
  5. Optional: Browse through uploaded files. Organize files into folders Links to an external site. and practice locking files Links to an external site..

     

Step 4:

Set up Assignments.

Set up your assignment groups and assignment dates according to your syllabus. 

This page has info on everything about setting up assignments.

Submission Types: There are several ways to setup an assignment. This will determine how you grade the assignment.

  • Offline - If you just want to be able to enter grades directly in the gradebook column, be sure the submission type is set to no submission or on paper.
  • Online Submission - If you wish for students to submit assignments online for you to download Links to an external site. or grade on Canvas, be sure to setup the assignment for online submission. See the following guides for more information.
    How do I create an online assignment? Links to an external site.
    Grading Assignments
  • External Tool Options - Some assignments can be created using the external tool option. (Publisher Tools, etc.) 
    Note: You may need to refer to the textbook publisher support for help in setting up assignments with integrated textbook content.
  • SCORM Assignments - SCORM is option in the course menu and can be integrated with assignments. See the following guide for details.
    How do I import SCORM files as an assignment?  Links to an external site.
  • Links to an external site.Differentiated Assignments: Canvas has the ability to set multiple due dates based on sections or individual students or to assign different assignments to individual students as well as setting Mastery Paths. Please review following guide for details on the differences between the due date and availability dates in Canvas Assignments.

What is the difference between assignment due dates and availability dates?  Links to an external site.

Step 5:

Remove currently unused items from the course navigation.

How do I reorder and hide Course Navigation links? Links to an external site.


 

Click the Settings link in the Course Navigation.  Click the Navigation tab to customize the Course Navigation.  Remove the following links from the Course Navigation by dragging them to the bottom half of the screen [1]:

You can also click the cog wheel to the right of any menu item and select Disable.  This will move the menu item down to the bottom half of the screen [1].

  • Collaborations
  • Conferences
  • Files
  • Outcomes
  • Pages
  • People
  • Quizzes
  • Syllabus
  • etc.
Reorder the links that remain as follows [2]:

You can also click the cog wheel to the right of any menu item and select Move.  This will allow you to move the selected menu item Before or After another menu item of your choice.

  • Home
  • Announcements
  • Assignments
  • People
  • Grades
Click the Save button [3].

Step 6:

Preview the course with Student View.

Click the Settings link in the Course Navigation [1]. Click the Student View button in the Sidebar [2]. Now browse your Simple Canvas Course through the eyes of a student.  You should browse through:

Step 7:

Publish the course so students can view it. Links to an external site.

Congratulations on successfully building a Simple Canvas Course!