Teaching Wrap-Up Checklist

As the term comes to a close, here are a few things to do before you relax and celebrate the success of your course. This checklist outlines the process for sharing grades with both your students and the registrar. Read our full list for things to consider now as you prepare for winter term.

Confirm that the grading information in your syllabus matches your Canvas gradebook. A helpful way to check is by entering the maximum point value for each column in the bottom gradebook row for your Test Student. (Note: If you intended to weight grades, but instead have a point-based total, you can still switch to weight grades by assignment group.)
Enter all grades and post them for your students to review. By default, the Canvas gradebook totals only entered scores. Unsubmitted assignments are represented by dashes and are not included in the final grade, which may result in inflated student totals. Enter zeros manually or apply a “missing submission policy” to assign zeros automatically
Check your extra credit setup. You can add extra credit by creating an assignment worth zero points. This video shows how to set up an extra credit column for both a points-based and a weighted gradebook.
Download a copy of your Canvas gradebook. It's good practice to keep a local copy for your records.
Submit final grades. Grades entered in Canvas are not official. You must enter final grades through Banweb.

End-of-term checklist →

Say hello to Grant — our new Associate Director of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

Grant brings a calm, thoughtful energy to conversations about teaching—and a genuine interest in helping instructors find approaches that feel clear, doable, and aligned with their values. He’s excited to make more faculty peer connections possible across PSU and support Community-Engaged Learning efforts.

We asked him a bit about what motivates his work, what he’s excited to learn from the PSU community, and what he’s been up to lately.

Hop over to our Instagram post to get to know Grant and help welcome him to his new role.

Get to know Grant →

Tech tips for this week

Do you want students to still have access to your course? Extend access for your class in Canvas.

Canvas tutorial

By default, students lose access to a Canvas course on the first day of the following term (i.e., Winter term courses will be available to students until the first day of Spring term). If you want all students to have access to your course for longer, you can change your Course End date.

Extend access for a specific student

Canvas tutorial

If you need to keep the course open for a specific student to complete the course, you’ll need to follow the instructions to grant an incomplete student access to a Canvas course.

Students are learning on their phones. Here's how to make your winter course mobile-friendly.

Canvas mobile app checklist

More than 50% of PSU students access Canvas via mobile devices. Designing for mobile devices helps ensure accessibility, especially for students with limited access to computers or the internet.

For guidance on effective mobile design, refer to the Canvas Mobile App Design Checklist .

Join the winter Faculty Book Club

Reserve your spot quickly–book clubs are limited to 15 participants!

Choose the book most relevant to your teaching goals, connect with colleagues across departments, and spark new ideas for your classroom. You'll receive a complimentary copy of the book you can pick up before your first meeting.

No Study without Struggle: Confronting Settler Colonialism in Higher Education

by Leigh Patel; Meets 12:00-1:00PM, January 16-February 27, 2026

Leigh Patel examines how campus social justice movements illuminate the tension between higher education’s promise of opportunity and the structural realities of settler colonialism. The book invites readers to consider how struggle and study are intertwined in the pursuit of social transformation.

Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI

By Ethan Mollick; Meets 12:00-1:00PM, January 23-March 3, 2026

From Wharton professor and author of the popular One Useful Thing Substack newsletter, Ethan Mollick, comes the definitive playbook for working, learning, and living in the new age of AI. He assesses its profound impact on business and education, using dozens of real-time examples of AI in action.

Celebrating community partnerships in teaching and learning

Partners from across Portland gathered to celebrate the PSU collaborations that make learning real and relevant at the Community Partner Breakfast on October 30. The morning featured introductions, discussions of shared purpose, and exciting new ideas for our community.

Thank you to everyone who joined us—your commitment to Portland State students and educators helps make these partnerships possible, and we’re excited to keep building what’s next together.

Learn more about Community-Engaged Learning at PSU →

Embodied pedagogies faculty workshop

Feb 6 from 12:10pm to 1:30pm | Online event

Are you seeking a few practical ways to welcome students to your course and recognize their diverse lived experiences? Or perhaps you are seeking opportunities to incorporate mindfulness into your workday?

If so, please join this workshop, where University Studies' Neera Malhotra will facilitate a few mindfulness activities and then help us explore how we might implement these strategies in our specific departments and offices.

You receive this email because you are an instructor at Portland State University and supported by our office, The Office of Academic Innovation. Writing to you from the Smith Memorial Student Union is your team of teaching support staff. Do you have a teaching question? Get in touch.

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