UMass Boston

Getting your Course Ready for the New Semester

All Wiser classes are automated to the Canvas Learning Management System.

Remember

  • Course shells are automatically generated for every course listed in WISER, at least 2 months before the semester starts.
  • Courses open for students 3 days prior to the WISER class start date and remain open for 28 days after the end date.
  • An instructor must be listed as PI/SI in WISER for their course to appear on their Canvas account. 

Book a consult  Review Canvas Migration Resources

Start-of-Semester Canvas Course Checklist

Reminder: All courses must be published (with a minimum of syllabus) at least three days prior to the start of the semester.

  1. Confirm Your Courses: Check to ensure your Canvas courses are located on your dashboard by logging into Canvas. If they aren’t on your dashboard, check Courses > All Courses, where you can favorite them to make them appear on the dashboard. If your courses aren’t listed in All Courses, contact your department to check to ensure you are assigned to teach the course in WISER.
  2. Cross-List Sections: If you typically merge courses in WISER, you can cross-list them in Canvas so that you only have to work out of a single Canvas course. Review the instructions for cross-listing here, paying particular attention to the notes labeled “Important!”
  3. Copy/Add Course Content: To copy from a previous Canvas course to your new Canvas course, follow the steps outlined in this video. To copy content from a previous Blackboard course, fill out this form. You can also start from scratch by opening your Winter course in Canvas and adding content through the Modules area.
  4. Update Due Dates: When copying from a previous course, you will need to update due dates to reflect the current academic calendar. You can bulk update due and available dates in the Assignments area of your course.
  5. Update Syllabus: The Syllabus area of your course automatically collects your course assignments and allows you to upload a syllabus document. Make sure to upload a current syllabus here so that students always have quick access to the syllabus.
  6. Check Links: Minimize student issues by verifying all links in your course are functioning properly. You can quickly check all the links with the Link Validator Tool, located in Settings.
  7. Ensure Accessibility: Review your course content for accessibility and make improvements, such as adding alt text for images and adding video captions. You can easily find and fix accessibility issues with YuJa Panorama in Canvas, a tool that automatically scores Canvas items for accessibility and displays an icon showing what you need to address.
  8. Enroll Assistants: Most Canvas enrollments automate from WISER, including Students, Principal and Secondary Instructors, Coordinators, and TAs. If you need a TA enrolled, contact your college/department scheduler to request the enrollment. Follow these instructions for enrolling a Peer Mentor or Tutor.
  9. Publish Your Courses: Publish your course or your students won’t be able to access it! Make sure to publish your courses (with a minimum of the syllabus) at least three days prior to the start of the term.

Also note: 

  • Please use Chrome or Firefox with Canvas and remind your students to do the same.
  • Review the Resources posted on this page for more useful tips.

Resources