How to Set Up and Use your Converted Canvas Course

Table of Contents

Update the Course Syllabus Section

The course syllabus, schedules, and other introductory documents should be placed in the Canvas Syllabus area of the course. If your course content includes activities centered around these documents (e.g. a syllabus quiz or self-introduction discussion boards), these should be organized in the modules area.

Note that in the Syllabus area, a course summary appears. The Course Summary is automatically generated based on assignments and events within a course. The course summary can be disabled by:

1. Clicking the Edit button at the top-right in the Syllabus page

2. Unchecking the box next to Show Course Summary

3. Saving the change by clicking the Update Syllabus button

The Canvas syllabus area includes a rich text editor that allows for syllabus information to be presented directly on the page. While syllabus documents can be attached in the syllabus area, presenting the information directly on the page offers several advantages including:

• The ability to quickly make changes without needing to create new versions of syllabus documents.

• The ability to quickly update the syllabus when copying courses in the future.

• Present your syllabus content to students in a more accessible format.

Personalize the Course Home Page

A homepage has been applied to your course, which contains generic placeholder content that should be modified. To update this content, click the Home link in the course navigation menu, then click the Edit button in the top right. Include the relevant course information, as well as a relevant banner image. See the instructions on changing course banners for additional information.

Update the Course Modules Area

Click the Modules link in the course navigation menu. The course content imported for you reflects the structure of the content that was available in Blackboard (with some differences). Inspect the modules section and ensure that it is organized in a way that is appropriate for your Canvas course. Canvas modules allow instructors to organize course content and control the flow of the course. The most common way modules are used is to organize course content by weeks or units. Each module can contain files, discussions, assignments, quizzes, and other learning materials. Content can be drag/dropped between modules. Clicking the options menu button (⋮) available on the right-hand side of modules and module items offers additional options for controlling content and content availability.

Update the “Welcome” module

The module titled “Welcome: Begin Here!” is part of the default template that has been pre-applied to your course and it contains placeholder content that should be updated or unpublished if not used. You can also use this module to share supplemental information about the course that students may need (e.g. directions for setting up their access with a content publisher such as Pearson or McGraw Hill).

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Update the overall module structure as needed

Unlike Blackboard, Canvas does not use folders. Content can be organized inside modules, under text headers. Ensure that your content is in the correct modules and under the appropriate headers. Depending on the Blackboard structure of your content, you may find that your Canvas course is composed of only a handful of very large modules. Consider reorganizing your modules area into weekly modules or units.

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Keep modules concise

For assignments, quizzes, and other activities, consider using the content description field, rather than a separate instructions page, to make your content structure more clear and easy to follow. This is especially helpful if you have large modules. Consolidating content in this way helps reduce module size.

Add any needed external integrations

You may find that some links in your course are not working properly. These may include PearsonVue, McGraw Hill Connect, and other integrations that will need to be set up by the instructor. Contact the publisher if needed. If the Panopto and Zoom integrations were used in Blackboard, you will need to set them up again in Canvas. See the list of how-to articles below.

• Using the Zoom/Canvas Integration

• Using the Panopto/Canvas Integration

• Mapping Recorded Zoom Meetings to Panopto Course Folders

Update Your Announcements

Your Blackboard course announcements may have been imported into the Announcements section of the Canvas navigation menu. You can either reuse these announcements or delete them. Imported announcements will be visible to students unless deleted or reconfigured to be sent out at a later time. To reuse an announcement:

1. Click the announcement title.

2. Click the Edit button in the top right corner.

3. Ensure that all links in the message body are functional and that any Blackboard-specific information is updated to refer to Canvas instead.

4. Under Options, click the checkbox next to Delay posting.

5. Click the Calendar button to select a date and time for the announcement to be sent.

6. Click the Save button at the bottom of the page to save any changes you made.

After rescheduling your past announcement, look for the “Delayed until” indicator on the right-hand side to confirm its new status.

Any remaining announcements that you did not reschedule should be deleted to avoid confusion. To delete announcements, click the checkbox immediately to the left of any one or more unwanted announcements, then click the Delete button at the top of the page to bulk-delete them.

Update Your Quizzes

Click the Quizzes link in the course navigation menu. By default, all your quizzes and exams should be unpublished. Update quiz settings and due dates as needed, and remember to assign an access code if you intend to password-protect your tests.

Ensure that any quiz instructions are provided in the quiz description field for students. Update the description field by first clicking the quiz, then clicking the Edit button in the top-right corner.

Update Your Assignments

Click the Assignments link in the Canvas course navigation menu. From this area, assignments can also be grouped together in order to assign grading policies at an assignment-group level (e.g. assigning more weight to certain assignment groups).

Delete any empty assignment groups, and update individual assignment due dates to reflect the current term. Ensure that any needed assignment instructions are provided in the assignment description fields. Update the description field by first clicking the assignment, then clicking the Edit button in the top-right corner.

Remove Unneeded Links From The Course Navigation

To remove unwanted or unused items from the course navigation menu:

1. Click the Settings link at the bottom of the navigation menu.

2. Select the Navigation tab on the following page.

3. Click the options button next to any unwanted navigation items (⋮), then select disable to hide them from the course navigation menu.

4. Conversely, scroll down to the list of disabled links, click the options menu (⋮), and select enable to display one of the hidden links.

5. After you have enabled/disabled the desired links, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save in order to confirm the changes.

Traning And Resources

LTS offers Canvas training and Q&A sessions, which are a great resource for faculty who have questions about their recently converted courses. Visit the Training & Events page to register for an upcoming session. For helpful video walkthroughs on a variety of Canvas topics, visit the Learning About Canvas page in this knowledge base.