Wilson College Strong Start Checklist

Semester Readiness Checklist

There are a lot of things to keep track of when you are heading into a new semester. The checklist below is designed to help make sure that you don't forget anything. The checklist assumes that you are teaching a course that you have taught previously and are using copied content, or are teaching a course where the content has been provided for you. If you need help with creating a new course or copying content, reach to Jenny Michaels.

Start of Semester Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure that your Canvas course is clear, up-to-date, and ready for students.

	Update and Upload the Syllabus - Make sure that the current syllabus is uploaded and available in the Welcome module and on the syllabus tab. Check to make sure that the syllabus has the current term and that your information (office hours, contact information, etc) is accurate.
	Update Due Dates - Check all assignments, quizzes and discussions to make sure that their due date is current and matches the syllabus. If you have assignments without due dates, consider adding them. Many students rely on the Canvas Calendar and To Do list to make sure that nothing slips through the crack
	Verify Your Grade Scheme - Check to make sure that the points in your syllabus match the points for the assignment, quiz or discussion in Canvas and that your categories and grade weights are set up correctly if you use them
	Validate All Links - Use the Link Validator (found under Settings) to check for broken or outdated links - especially any links pointing to documents, readings, or external resources
	Run an Accessibility Check - Clicking on UDOIT on the course navigation menu will run an accessibility scan for your course. You can use the user friendly tool to help make necessary changes for your course. You can learn more about it on our UDOIT resource.
	Streamline the Navigation Menu - Hiding unused tools from students keeps course navigation clear and simple. This is done by clicking on Settings then going to the Navigation tab and reordering the tools or hiding them (don't forget to click Save!)
	Delete or Update Old Announcements - If your course was copied from a previous term, delete outdated announcements or revise and reschedule them for the current semester
	Publish Content or Set Module Release Dates - Make sure that Modules, Pages and Assignments are all published. Content in a module is only visible to students if the Module AND the Content is published
	Do a "View as Student" Walkthrough - Use the "View as Student" button at the top right of the screen to experience your course as your students would. This helps you catch issues before your students do
	Publish the Course - When it is all ready to go, publish the course which will make it available to the students on their dashboards.
	Send a Welcome Announcement - Once the course is published, send a friendly Welcome! Announcement to the students. You can introduce yourself, let them know that the course is published, and what they can do to get started. This will set the tone for the semester, so be thoughtful and helpful with what you include.