Introduction

Welcome! Whether you're new to Canvas or looking to get more out of it this year, we've put together some resources to launch your learning and spark new ideas. Canvas is the #1 LMS and has many powerful features you can grow into after learning the basics.

🗂️ What's in Your Starter Kit

- Canvas Micro-Lessons: below you'll find a series of micro-lessons on the Canvas building blocks, start-of-year course setup, and more advanced topics when you're ready. Maximize your browser, then click the arrow to expand any topic.
- Sample Welcome Page: from Modules or Pages, find the "Welcome" page. Edit this to personalize it for your class. By default it's set as the home page for your course to start the year.
- Sample Lesson Page: from Modules or Pages, find the "Sample Lesson". As you add learning content to your course, think about the instructional flow of a module or a page. Simply adding context and learning objectives and an organized structure helps a lot! Feel free to reuse our sample.
- Sample Assignment: from Modules or Pages, find the "Sample Assignment". As with a lesson page, adding instructional objectives and clear instruction and support to your assignments will make them more effective and understandable for students.

For more support at any time, visit http://www.fwisd.org/canvas, check the Canvas Resources, or find EdTech Professional Learning Opportunities.

1. Adding Learning Content to Canvas

New to Canvas or want a refresher? In this series you'll learn to create and organize learning content in Canvas, including adding existing resources from any source, building new lesson pages, creating quizzes and assignments, and assigning grades and feedback.

Adding Modules and Content [open full screen]

Main Idea: Save time and support students by putting your class materials, links, PDFs, and more into modules organized by lesson topic or week. Students can access at their own pace in class or at home. Just say "It's in Canvas."

Using the Rich Content Editor (RCE) to Build a Page [open full screen]

Main Idea: Adding files and links is a great start, but soon you'll want to build content in Canvas yourself! The Rich Content Editor lets you build pages, quizzes, and assignments — adding text, images, videos, Google Docs, and more.

Assessing Learning with Quizzes [open full screen]

Main Idea: Quizzes are powerful self-grading assessments that go beyond multiple choice including 13 types and popular STAAR-like formats. The grades sync directly to Focus. Later you'll learn to run analysis reports for data.

Creating Open-Ended Assignments [open full screen]

Main Idea: Besides quizzes, assignments allow for many open-ended assessments including using outside tools. Record videos, upload project files, submit links from Google, annotate PDFs, and set up group projects or peer review.

Entering Student Grades and Feedback [open full screen]

Main Idea: The Canvas Gradebook (menu: Grades) is where you'll view and enter grades and feedback on student assignments and quizzes and then sync them to Focus. SpeedGrader is a tool that makes batch grading easier.

Resources: watch the Gradebook Tour below, then Grading Assignments. More gradebook guides here.

2. Setting Up Classes and Preferences

Setting up new classes? Here's a few things you may want to do besides adding your content, including setting up Focus Grade Passback for one-click grade sync, cross-listing to combine similar course sections into one Canvas class, and customizing your notifications and images.

Set up Focus Grade Passback [open full screen]

Main Idea: Set up Focus and Canvas and indicate matching grading categories to allow syncing grades from Canvas into Focus with no need to manually enter them. This can be a huge time saver!

Guides to Set up Focus Grade Passback: iorad Step-by-Step Guide | Quick Reference Guide

Cross-List your Course Sections [open full screen]

Main Idea: For secondary teachers, you can combine sections of students in the same subject into fewer courses for easier course management. For example, you'll only have to add content to one copy of the course instead of all.

Tip: a section is a group of students enrolled in a course. Sections match your Focus class enrollments. When you cross-list, you're moving sections of students from one course to another. Following the guide will ensure you can undo this change also.

Guides to Cross-List your Course Sections: iorad Step-by-Step Guide | Quick Reference Guide

Notifications, Settings, and Navigation [open full screen]

Main Idea: Remove or add course navigation menu items as needed. Set up your profile and notification preferences, then encourage students to do the same. You don't need them all, so enable notifications you'll find the most useful.

3. Level Up to Get More from Canvas

Once you're comfortable adding content and setting up your course, you're ready to maximize the benefits. A thoughtful approach to module and lesson design will increase instructional impact for your students. Learn to use more robust quiz question types, differentiate for diverse needs, run detailed reports on students' mastery of your TEKS, and build interactive content!

Level Up Your Canvas Instructional Design [open full screen]

Main Idea: As you start adding content, following a consistent format and adding instructional objectives and context will better guide your students. The better your Canvas course gets, the more time it saves you to spend individually.

Data-Driven Instruction: Reports and Outcomes [open full screen]

Main Idea: Get valuable data on student course activity and completed quiz performance including tracking student mastery of specific TEKS objectives. Use this mastery data to guide re-teaching for the class or specific students.

Differentiation, Prerequisites, and Mastery Paths [open full screen]

Main Idea: Use powerful differentiation options to customize due dates, ensure completion of modules before moving on, or prescribe up to three levels of follow-up content based on student performance on a pre-assessment quiz.

Accommodations and Accessibility [open full screen]

Main Idea: Design with all students in mind by adding alt text to images, audio recordings to questions, adding time or other accommodations, multiple quiz attempts, and by helping students access Immersive Reader for support.