Start-of-Term Readiness Checklist

Follow this checklist before the first day of classes to ensure your course is student-ready!

Course Setup & Structure

Set up your course:
- If you have existing content in Canvas, copy it into your new course shell, adjust the assignment due dates in bulk, then review all content to ensure everything is accurate.
- If you DO NOT have existing content in Canvas, consider using our pre-built Canvas Sample Site Template so that you aren’t starting from scratch.
Set up a course home page using a template from our Sample Site or Canvas Commons, or design your own. Your home page is a good place to include a banner, contact information, your syllabus, office hours, an image, appointment slots you create in Canvas Calendar, and/or Zoom links.
Set your course home page as the front page of your course.
Create a learner-centered syllabus and include it on the homepage or in an introductory module. If you have other course orientation documents, such as a schedule or course policies, please include them as well.
Set up modules to organize pages, assignments, discussions, quizzes, and files by week, unit, or topic, creating a clear and consistent learning path for students.
Ensure all assignments and quizzes have current due dates.
Familiarize yourself with any external tools that you may want to use. If there is one that you would like to use that is not currently available, you may submit a request for it to be considered (but note that this process takes a few months).

Decide how you will apply grades in your course:
- Points-based (unweighted) - Grades are calculated from total points earned vs. total points possible.
- Weighted by assignment groups - Each group of assignments contributes a set percentage to the final grade, regardless of point totals within each group.
  - If you plan to weight grades, set up assignment groups (e.g., class assignments, projects, final presentation), and ensure their combined weights total 100%.
Review your current grading scheme. If the percentages don’t reflect your standards, create a custom grading scheme.
Set up your Gradebook policies:
- Set up a grade posting policy - Choose to release grades automatically (default) or have them hidden until you are ready to manually release them (Manual posting requires a setting change.)
- Apply a missing submission policy - When set up, all Online assignments are automatically marked as missing if the due date passes and no submission is made.
- Apply a late submission policy - When set up, point deductions are automatically applied to all online submissions turned in after the due date.

Confirm assignment submission types are set up correctly (online, on paper, or no submission).
If you are weighting grades based on assignment groups, ensure all assignments are in the correct group. You can manage this from the Assignments tab in Course Navigation.
Review quiz settings (availability, time limits, feedback options, etc.):
- New Quizzes
- Classic Quizzes
Consider adding assignment due dates and key events to the course calendar. Although you may be used to sharing deadlines in other ways, using the course calendar will help your students track all their coursework in one place.

Review your course for accessibility errors using UDOIT or the Canvas Accessibility Checker.
Use the Course Link Validator to check for broken links.

Preview your course in student view to ensure everything looks correct.
Publish your course.
Send students a welcome announcement to introduce yourself and orient students.

Self-Paced Guides to Canvas at Duke - Same content as our live workshops.
How-To Videos - A condensed version of our workshops (under two hours if you watch all the videos).
Growing with Canvas - Self-paced course by Instructure.
Reach out to us at canvas@duke.edu for 1:1 help with Canvas.