Making the Most of Canvas

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Welcoming Students

In your class, you will want to have a place to welcome students and introduce your course. You may want to create a module called "welcome" or something similar.

However you do it, there are two keys tasks to accomplish at this point:

  1. Setting the tone for how learners will engage with the course.
  2. Introducing the subjects, ideas, and content that students will grapple with.

On this page, we will go over how to set the tone for the course. In setting the tone, you will want to get started on the right foot and set in motion a sustainable method of interaction.

Consider:

  • Creating an "About your instructor" page, introducing yourself and and building your presence in the course.
  • Specifying your communication policies. This includes your preferred contact methods, and how and when students should expect communication and feedback from you.
  • Having an introductory discussion for students to introduce themselves to the class and become comfortable with Canvas Discussions.
  • Creating a "Raise your Hand" discussion topic for students to ask you and their peers questions about the class. This may help save you from answering every question, or the same question repeatedly.
  • Having students fill out a "Getting to know you" survey in Canvas. This can help you build relationships with your students and also gauge other factors like their availability (for online and hybrid courses) and technical ability and resources (where necessary).
  • Creating a course orientation page, including things like your course description, course goals, and tasks for the first week.
  • Providing "getting help" resources like Phoenix Cares, GBOSS, Disability Services, Dean of Students, Health and Counseling, The Learning Center, etc.
  • Check your syllabus against the requirements Links to an external site. put forth by the Provost's Office