Checklist – Before the Start of Term
Make changes before the new semester begins, so your students have the most accurate and effective content!
GETTING READY
1. Verify And Organize Your Course List
Confirm that your courses are available in Canvas. Go to Courses > All Courses from the sidebar menu to indicate which courses should be available on your Dashboard.
Have your most used courses available on the Dashboard and Courses list, and keep others out of sight but still easy to get to when needed. The secret is the star. 
See How do I customize my Courses list?
2. Combine Course Sections (optional)
If you teach multiple sections of your Course and you want all students to access the same content, you can request to combine or cross-list sections before the semester begins.
3. Copy Content From An Older Course
You reuse content from a previous semester, a development shell, or another instructor’s course. If it is a course taught by someone else, that instructor will have to give you access to that course.
See: Copy Course Content
CONTENT CHANGES AND UPDATES
1. Update The Syllabus
Make any updates and corrections to the course syllabus as necessary. Confirm dates, grading policy, links to Academic Integrity and Attendance documents provided by the District.
2. Review Modules and Content
Take the time to look over the materials and links in your Canvas course. Did you use everything in it? Are there any new items to add? Typos to fix or clarifications needed?
Review Content Items
Examine module contents and make any necessary edits to item titles, remove unused items, add new materials.
Review Course Accessibility
There are several important elements all instructors should consider to ensure maximum access to course content, so every student is able to succeed, regardless of ability.
Some of the most important features of an accessible course include:
- converting most PDF files into Canvas Pages
- adding ALT text to images
- captioning video
Module Settings
Check Lock Until dates and Publish status. Incomplete modules may be locked or unpublished to prevent student access.
If used, ensure module requirements and prerequisites are set properly.
See:
How do I lock a module?
How do I unpublish a module? (Draft state)
How do I add requirements to a module?
How do I add prerequisites to a module?
Internal Links
Test all internal and external links using the Validate Links in your Course Settings. See: How do I validate links in a course?
Publish Course Content Items
Review all course content items (Pages, Assignments, Modules, etc.) to confirm Publish status. Only content that is Published can be seen by students.
3. Update Course Navigation
Confirm the Course Menu contains the appropriate items in the desired order. Only necessary items should be visible to students to avoid confusion.
See: How do I reorder and hide Course Navigation links?
GRADES AND ASSESSMENT
1. Review Assignments, Discussions, Quizzes
Examine all gradable activities in the course, update instructions and details as needed. Check all relevant settings for assignments, discussions and quizzes:
- directions
- submission type
- point value
- number of quiz attempts
- availability date
- due date
2. Gradebook
Confirm grading policy, points possible, and grade displays in Gradebook. If using Assignment groups for weighted grading, ensure the assignment weights align with the information provided in the course syllabus.
See: How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?
HOUSEKEEPING
1. Adjust Dates
Make adjustments to assignment due dates, availability dates, module lock dates, and any other time sensitive information. Double check the calendar and syllabus to be sure your course events and due dates are set correctly.
2. Check Announcements
Announcements from the previous course will be copied when content is imported from another course. Review content for accuracy, delete unwanted announcements, and adjust delay dates to reflect the new semester.
See: Canvas Guides – Announcements
3. Preview The Course In Student View
Be sure to examine your course using Student View (eyeglasses/top right corner of tools) to preview the course from the student perspective. Ensure that all modules/items are published, available and updated.
You may submit assignments or quizzes while in Student View to verify everything is working properly. NOTE: Any assignments or quizzes submitted in Student View will appear in the Test Student row in the Gradebook. See: How do I view a course using a test student?
MAKE IT AVAILABLE
1. Publish The Course
Students should have access to courses beginning on the first day of a semester. However, instructors must Publish a course to make it visible and available to students. Students only see Published courses. Click the Publish button under Home when you are ready.
2. Welcome your students
Once your course is published, you can send an announcement or private message to your students welcoming them to your course. Introduce how you are using Canvas (e.g. Modules or Files, Assignment submissions, Discussions, Quizzes, Calendar, etc.). Indicate how you will communicate with students and how they should communicate with you (e.g. Inbox, Q & Q forum). Keep the welcome message short. Direct students to the Syllabus for information on the course schedule and policies.
Tell them where to go for help: Student Canvas Help
3. Review The Roster
Be sure to compare your Canvas course roster (under People) with your MyDelta roster. Student enrollments in Canvas are updated every hour to reflect enrollments in MyDelta.
Please report any enrollment discrepancies to facultysupport@deltacollege.edu
Credits: From Butte College’s Technology Mediated Instructional Resources
English 1A
The POCR process helped me to fully align the course content with course learning objectives. Now each assignment has specific learning objectives that are measurable. Every learning task, whether it be a lecture, reading, written assignment, discussion, video, or image, is purposeful and contributes to the desired course outcomes. Students know the who, what, where, when, and why of every action in the course. The accessibility component was invaluable also.
Communication Studies 1A
POCR review has allowed me to offer a much better course, but more importantly, it allows students to learn more. It has transformed my online teaching and it’s the one thing I recommend everyone do if they want to teach online.
Music 4
I thought my classes were pretty well organized and dialed in until I went through the POCR process. I was able to raise my online course to a much higher standard. The process is very structured and clear and for me it revealed several areas that needed improvement. The support team were all amazing and very well organized and more importantly, they understand how challenging it is to design a class while teaching. I would encourage every instructor who teaches online to consider the POCR process.
English 1B
Moving my Eng 1B through POCR made me rethink every choice I make in my online teaching. Is this the most effective way to structure a lecture? Is this the most impactful and relatable assignment? Have I taken enough steps to ensure that no student gets lost? Looking at my class with fresh eyes has made my class more organized, accessible, and engaging for my students.
Education 10, 12, 13, 14 and 70
At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic required faculty to become proficient at executing virtual instruction, I found the POCR process to be invaluable to my goal of designing effective hybrid and asynchronous courses that supported my students’ success. I frequently receive positive feedback from students describing their appreciation for varied elements of our courses spanning content presentation, interaction, assessment, and accessibility which I attribute largely to the professional development that I have received through the POCR process.
Statistics 12
By going through the POCR review process, my class is more accessible, presentable, and organized. Students liked accessing this class which was organized and manageable.
Psychology 1, 2 and 5
Aligning my courses with POCR standards improved my awareness of online course best practices, including addressing diverse perspectives, overcoming accessibility barriers, enhancing content presentation, clarifying assignment instructions, boosting online student interaction, and optimizing the overall student experience, which has significantly improved my courses and student learning.
Canvas Lite & Users GroupAll Delta faculty are members of the Canvas Lite & Users Group.
Join us there to ask questions of experts and your colleagues! Let’s build a community of best practices.
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