Start of Term Tips
Below is a quick checklist to help you get your courses Canvas-ready for the start of classes.
1. Confirm Rosters and TAs
- Verify your courses and official student enrollments in your Gibson Links to an external site. portal.
- Confirm that your courses appear on your Canvas Dashboard.
- Optional: Add your TA to the course from the People tab. The TA role will automatically be given access to student grades and submissions. (Guide: Adding TA's Links to an external site.).
- Optional: Add instructional/course support team members using the Facilitator role from the People tab. The "Teacher" role is reserved for the designated instructor of record.
- Optional: Teaching multiple sections or have undergrad/graduate sections you need to merge? Do this BEFORE you publish your course. (Guide: Merging course sections
Links to an external site.).
2. Add Syllabus and Refresh Course Content / Modules
- Locate the Syllabus tab in your course menu.
- Click the Edit button to upload your course syllabus Links to an external site..
- You can upload the rest of your course documents into Files Links to an external site. by dragging and dropping them into the files area or linking to files using your Box and/or Office365 accounts.
- Be sure to update assignment due dates and Module headers, too.
- Consider using the built-in Canvas Accessibility Checker Links to an external site. or UDOIT Links to an external site. to improve the course experience for students.
- Optional: Access Tulane's general course template to build your course.
3. Give Students Access
- Publish your course Links to an external site. when you’re ready to give students access!
- Remember that student access in Canvas is determined by the course site being published and the course/term dates listed under the Settings tab in the course.
- By default, students have access through the two weeks following the last day of the term unless you update the course end date Links to an external site..
4. Welcome Students with a Message
- Send an announcement Links to an external site. welcoming your students to your course.
- Inform students how they can best access the online course materials and navigate your course site.
- Consider sending a brief welcome video in your message.
- Note: Your course must be PUBLISHED for students to receive the announcement via email.
5. Set up Zoom
- If you’re meeting with students online, recording lectures to share with students, or planning to have guest speakers join via Zoom, set up Zoom for your course.
- If you set your Zoom meeting to be Links to an external site.recurring Links to an external site.through the end of the semester or with “No Fixed Time,” you can reuse the same Zoom meeting (setup at https://tulane.zoom.us Links to an external site.).
- You can schedule and join Zoom meetings directly through the Zoom Pro tool in Canvas, too.
- Note: If you use multiple Zoom accounts, BE SURE the Zoom application on your computer is logged into your Tulane Zoom account for Host functionality. Otherwise, you'll just be another Zoom participant in your course meeting.
Connect & Learn More
Connect with the Innovative Learning Center (ILC) team during virtual office hours on Mondays and Thursdays from 12 PM - 1 PM weekly, register and attend an upcoming workshop, or visit us in person on the 3rd floor of the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Suite 300.
- Open a Canvas Support Request through email to help@tulane.edu with #ILC in the subject line.
- View upcoming workshops at https://ilc.tulane.edu Links to an external site..