Canvas Best Practices and Tips
Canvas makes it easy to integrate popular tools like Flipgrid, Google apps, and more. Design your Canvas course to be a “one-stop shop” for students by including not only course content, information, and assessments, but also links to other relevant technologies and resources they’ll encounter in the course.
Open your course site a few days before classes start, so students can spend some time getting familiar with the course organization.
Post a welcome message in your course with “Getting Started” information and instructions. This message can be posted on a Page or on the Syllabus Page in Canvas. You can also include a self-introduction to develop instructor presence - Canvas’ built-in audio/video recording features make it easy to do in a variety of formats!
If you don’t already have one, consider adding an introductory assignment that will allow students to engage with you and each other early in the course. This will help build a sense of community while also allowing you to quickly identify which students may need extra support. Be sure to make it low stakes so that students do not feel behind if they have difficulty figuring things out.