The type of course you create requires certain considerations. 

1) Blank Course

Creating a blank course is our recommended method when copying a course that has been previously taught by you or another instructor. Copying the course happens within Canvas, rather than from the myACU Course Tool (e.g., Clone a Course). When copying a course from within Canvas, you have the option to copy choosing the content that gets copied over and automatically shifting due dates.

2) From a Template

Creating a course from a template is beneficial when building a new course from scratch. This provides a pre-designed home page and helpful pages for students on how to use Canvas.

3) Clone a Course

Cloning a course allows you to copy a course you have previously taught. The downside to this method is that all notifications sent from that previous class will also be copied over and due dates will need to be adjusted manually.

Before the start of each semester, you will need to request live course shells in Canvas from MyACU.   

These sections will include instructors and enrolled students. This is a step that a Canvas admin can not take on your behalf as it is associated with your single sign-on (SSO).  Only the primary instructor has access to the course tools.

1. Log in to your MyACU account at my.acu.edu.

2. Choose the upcoming semester from the dropdown menu on the MyACU page. This action will display your courses for that particular semester. If a semester or course isn’t visible, it’s likely because you’re not listed as an instructor. Contact your department chair or administrative assistant for Banner record verification. 

3. Click the wrench icon labeled “Course Tools.”

4. From the list of courses shown, select the correct course.

5. To request a Canvas course, click “Manage Canvas Course” for the relevant course or its parent course in the case of cross-listing. (Learn more about cross-listing in the “How do I cross-list a course?” tab.)

6. To create a new course, click the “Create Blank” button to request a new shell. (Alternatively, you can choose “From Template” or “Clone Course.” If cloning a course, you will be able to choose from a list of courses that you have previously taught. If you would like to clone a course that has been taught by another instructor, contact cat@acu.edu for assistance.)

Before cross-listing courses, you will need to create a blank Canvas shell for the section that will be the parent course. This is a step that a Canvas admin can not take on your behalf as it is associated with your single sign-on (SSO).  Only the primary instructor has access to the course tools.

1. Log in to your MyACU account at my.acu.edu.

2. Choose the upcoming semester from the dropdown menu on the MyACU page. This action will display your courses for that particular semester. If a semester or course isn’t visible, it’s likely because you’re not listed as an instructor. Contact your department chair or administrative assistant for Banner record verification. 

 3. Click the wrench icon labeled “Course Tools.”

 4. From the list of courses shown, select the course that will function as the “parent” course. Then select the “Cross-List Course” button.

5. You will now be presented with the Course Configuration Tool, confirming that you would like to create a cross-listing for the parent course you chose in the previous step. Select “Create Cross-listing”.

Note: If you receive the following error message, then contact cat@acu.edu.

6. In this next step, you will be prompted to choose the child course. From the dropdown box, choose the course that will be cross-listed as the child course, then select “Crosslist”.

7. You will then receive confirmation of the cross-listing. Select “OK”.

8. This screen will show what courses are cross-listed. The parent course will be listed in the black box, and the child course will be listed in the dark gray box. To cross-list another section or course with this same parent course, choose the “Create Cross-listing” button. If you are done, you can exit this page.

NOTE: You can only copy content from courses in which you are enrolled as a user whose role has permission to add content. For assistance copying courses created by another instructor, contact cat@acu.edu. 

See the following Canvas Guide for detailed instructions on importing course content.

(The Import Course Content option allows you to copy content into existing courses. You can copy course settings and content such as assignments, modules, pages, and discussions from previous Canvas courses into existing courses. You can also bulk migrate quizzes from Classic Quizzes to New Quizzes.)

Unfortunately, we are no longer adding instructors to closed courses previously taught by colleagues. This is to ensure student records, such as grades, are protected in accordance with FERPA.

If you need to import course content from a course previously taught by another instructor, contact cat@acu.edu for assistance.

Course Settings is where you can easily update and view course details, sections, navigation link options, external app configurations, feature options, and integrations.

Use this Canvas Guide to learn more about editing course settings.

As an instructor, you can control which links appear in Course Navigation. Canvas includes a set of default Course Navigation links that are shown by default and cannot be renamed.

Use this Canvas Guide to learn more about managing Course Navigation.

Modules are used to organize course content by weeks, units, or whatever organizational structure works for your course. With modules, you are essentially creating a one-directional linear flow of what you would like your students to do. Once you create modules, you can add content items, assign the module, or add requirements.

Use this Canvas Guide to learn more about adding modules to your course.

You can edit a module in the Edit Module Settings menu. Editing a module allows you to rename the module, lock modules, add prerequisites, add requirements, or edit the module assignment details.

If necessary, you can delete a module in your course. When you delete a module, all of the items in that module are removed, but they are not deleted from the course.

Use this Canvas Guide to learn more about editing or deleting modules.

As an instructor, you can create a new page to add to your course.

When creating pages, you can set page permissions as to who can edit the page: instructors (teachers), instructors and students, or anyone. You can also add a page to student To Do lists.

Use this Canvas Guide to learn more about creating new pages.

Instructors can edit pages they created. Students can create and edit a page that you created in a group.

By default, only instructors (teachers) can edit course pages. However, you can set a default preference for specific users to edit and contribute to the page in the Course Settings Course Details tab.

Use this Canvas Guide to learn more about editing or deleting modules.

The Gradebook helps instructors easily view and enter grades for students. Depending on the Grade display type, grades for each assignment can be viewed as points, percentage, complete or incomplete, GPA scale, or letter grade.

Only graded assignments, graded discussions, graded quizzes, and graded surveys that have been published display in the Gradebook. Not Graded assignments are not included.

The default view in the Gradebook is to view all students at a time, but you can also view students individually in the Individual Gradebook. However, the Individual Gradebook currently does not support all settings and options from the Gradebook.

Use this Canvas Guide to learn more about using the Gradebook.

SpeedGrader makes it easy to evaluate individual student assignments and group assignments quickly.

You can access SpeedGrader through: Assignments, Quizzes, Graded Discussions, and the Gradebook.

Use this Canvas Guide to learn more about using SpeedGrader.