Course Syllabus

Jump to Today

Hello and welcome to Introduction to Teaching with Canvas. This course introduces Canvas tools in the context of practical strategies for design, development, and management of online, blended and face-to-face courses. You will have an opportunity to review the basics of course development and practice the use of Canvas tools through hands-on exercises.

Course Description 

This self-paced course introduces you to the tools available in the Canvas learning management system (LMS). You will learn how the system works through a series of curated readings and recall what you have learned through formative quizzes. You will also practice what you have learned through a series of hands-on exercises focused on the subject you teach. Finally you will reflect on the tools in Canvas through a shared discussion with facilitators and other faculty participating in the course.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, you will be able to use Canvas to apply Chickering and Gamson’s "Seven Principles of Effective Teaching" in the following ways:

  • Facilitate contact between students and faculty by creating a bio and setting communication expectations
  • Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students by creating a community of discourse on discussions
  • Encourage active learning by choosing a course home page that will help students succeed
  • Give prompt feedback through the use of immediately scored exams
  • Emphasize time on task by adding events to the course calendar
  • Communicate high expectations by sharing the syllabus online
  • Respect diverse talents and ways of learning by presenting content in a variety of formats

Discussion

Feel free to try out the Discussion tool. This course is no longer actively  monitored so you may not receive an answer but you can use the Discussion to see what it's like from the student perspective. Click on Discussions in the main navigation to access it. Questions and replies will be visible to everyone enrolled in the course.

Inbox

The Inbox is a messaging tool used to communicate with a course, a group, an individual student, or a group of students. The Inbox is organized chronologically from newest message to oldest.  Faculty and Students can update their Canvas Notification Preferences to receive Text Messages to their phone or Emails about incoming inbox messages. This course is no longer actively monitored, but you can still access via the Inbox  to try it out.

Zoom Video Conference

To get quick answers, you can always come to vFIT (ITS virtual help desk). To schedule a consultation, please submit a ServiceNow ticket.

Time Commitment & Recommended Skills

This course will take between 3 and 5 hours to complete. Your time commitment will vary depending on your level of experience with web technologies and the degree to which you engage with the activities.

Although this course is designed for novice Canvas users you should have the following:

  • Basic computer skills (word processing, e-mail, file management)
  • Basic Internet skills (use of browsers, searches, uploading/downloading files)
  • Familiarity with discussion boards
  • An open mind and willingness to try new things

If you require any special accommodations for this course, please contact us as soon as possible to ensure a quality learning experience.

Technical Requirements

  • Mac or PC computer with a current operating system
  • Current browser (Chrome or Firefox are preferable)
  • Internet connection, preferably broadband -- for viewing online videos

Hands-on activities

You will complete the hands-on activities in this course using a current course, which you'll find on your Dashboard or in Courses on the main navigation (in black to the far left). You may also request a sandbox course. To do so, please submit a ServiceNow  ticket.

How-To Guides and Effective Practices

Each unit provides Canvas how-to guides and articles on effective practices which you can refer to for future reference.

Course Structure

The material in this course is divided into four main units, with a brief introductory “Unit 0” at the start. Each unit will appear in the Modules section. To get started, review the Introduction page in each module, which lists the learning objectives and required assignments for the unit. Then use the Next buttons at the bottom right corner of the page to move to the next part of the module.

Conversely, you can move through the topics freely rather than via the structure designed with the Modules. Do that via the Modules link in the course navigation, where you’ll see all the Modules and their contents.

There are some caveats with this approach however. The module structure is designed to promote effective learning: You’re introduced to the topic, you have an opportunity to practice the skill, and discuss it (and ask questions) with the facilitators and faculty in the course.

Discussions & Collaborations

When this course is in moderated mode, each of the four units would provide you with opportunities to interact with your peers through an online discussion, in addition to creating content for your own online course. Each discussion includes clear criteria for your required post and replies.

Knowledge and Skill Checks

This course has been designed as an active learning experience to ensure that upon completion you feel confident about your new knowledge and skills.  In each unit, you will be introduced to a topic on teaching with Canvas, given opportunities to practice it and reflect on it, and asked to do a short knowledge check quiz. The scoring below is meant as a personal success guideline.

Activities (65%)

Complete eight of the ten short activities based on the criteria given. There are two to three activities in each unit.

Quizzes (20%)

Each unit is followed by a five-question quiz worth five points. You can retake them as many times as needed. You’ll need four out of five points on each quiz.

Discussions (15%)

Each unit (beginning with Unit 0) includes a reflective discussion question. Share your thoughts on four of the five discussions. We suggest a minimum of 30 words.  

Tips for Success

  • If you’re completely new to the Canvas LMS, give yourself time to orient to and explore it.  
  • Even though this course is self-paced and online, consider yourself a member of a SDSU’s teaching and learning community. Your participation, comments and questions contribute to our collective strength and diversity.
  • Consider going through course (a total of 3-5 hours) over a week or two, rather than stretching it out or doing it intermittently over a longer period.
  • Consider going through it together with a colleague or two.
  • Keep an open mind, particularly if you’re an experienced Blackboard user.


So Many Places to Get Help with Canvas!

You can get help within Canvas by clicking the Help option on the main Canvas menu (it's that little question mark icon right there on the left). Canvas Help includes a live Chat as well as a 24/7 Hotline 619-483-0632. Cut right to the chase, use Canvas' Instructor Guides (Links to an external site.)  (written step by step how-to guides) and short Video Tutorials (Links to an external site.)  on key functions and features. 

You can also submit a ServiceNow ticket or come into our Zoom "vFIT" for help during our regularly scheduled hours. See the ITS Support page (Links to an external site)  for updated hours and more info such as how to submit a ServiceNow ticket.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due