Preparing Your Canvas Site Before Publishing

Issue or Question

Use this checklist to review imported content, dates, assignments, accessibility, navigation, settings, modules, and other course materials before publishing a Canvas course.

Environment

This information applies to:

• Canvas
• Faculty and other instructors preparing a course for students
• New courses and courses containing content imported from a previous term

Resolution

Before You Begin

Import Content from a Previous Course

• Import only the content needed for the new course.
• Do not import announcements or events from a previous course.
• Remove dates when importing content so outdated dates are not carried into the new course.
• Review the Canvas instructions for selecting specific content during a course import.

Update Course Dates

• Confirm that events, assignment due dates, and availability dates align with the current term’s schedule.
• Review dates typed manually into pages, modules, assignment instructions, announcements, and other course content.
• Confirm that repeated dates are consistent throughout the course.

Update and Post the Syllabus

• Update the syllabus with the correct course policies, schedule, and grading breakdown.
• Confirm that dates in the syllabus match the applicable assignments, modules, events, and other course content.
• Post the current syllabus where students can find it.

Finalize Assignments and Assignment Groups

• Place each assignment in the correct assignment group.
• Confirm that assignment groups are configured correctly when the course uses weighted grades.
• Delete empty assignment groups to reduce confusion.
• Confirm that assignment instructions, points, due dates, availability dates, and submission settings are correct.

Validate Links and Course Content

• Use the Canvas Validate Links in Content tool to identify broken links.
• Open important external resources to confirm that they are available and lead to the intended content.
• Review linked files and embedded content to confirm that students have permission to access them.
• Replace outdated files, instructions, and external resources.

Review Digital Accessibility

Review the course for accessibility issues and correct identified barriers before students need the content.

• Use Digital Accessibility: Start Simple for introductory accessibility guidance.
• Use the Panorama accessibility checker to identify and address accessibility issues.
• Use the Canvas Rich Content Editor Accessibility Checker to review supported Canvas content.
• Use meaningful link text that describes the link’s purpose or destination.
• Provide meaningful alternative text for informative images.
• Embed videos when appropriate and confirm that required accessibility features are available.
• Review the guidance for creating and using accessible PDF documents.
• Avoid decorative fonts, low-contrast colors, and formatting that reduces readability.
• Do not use color as the only method of communicating meaning.

Review Announcements and Events

• Delete outdated announcements that were imported accidentally.
• Create and publish new announcements when students should receive a notification.
• Review the Course Summary at the bottom of the syllabus page.
• Delete outdated events to prevent them from appearing in the current course.

Review Course Navigation and Settings

• Show only the course navigation links students need.
• Hide unused tools and navigation links to provide a more focused experience.
• Review the Canvas instructions for managing Course Navigation links.
• Confirm the course start and end dates in Course Details.
• Align the start date with the first date students should participate in the course.
• Allow sufficient access after the course ends to complete grading activities.
• Review the Canvas instructions for changing course start and end dates.

Publish Modules and Course Content

• Publish each module that students need to access.
• Publish the required pages, assignments, discussions, quizzes, files, and other items within each module.
• Confirm that prerequisites, requirements, and availability dates do not unintentionally prevent access.
• Remember that publishing a module does not necessarily publish every item within it.

Review the Course in Student View

1. Open Student View in the Canvas course.
2. Review the course home page, navigation, modules, assignments, files, links, and other required content.
3. Confirm that students can find and access the content they need.
4. Exit Student View.
5. Correct any missing, unpublished, inaccessible, or incorrectly restricted content.

The course is ready for publication when its current content, dates, navigation, settings, links, and accessibility have been reviewed from the student perspective.

Troubleshooting

If students cannot find or access expected course content:

• Confirm that the course is published.
• Confirm that the applicable module is published.
• Confirm that the individual page, assignment, discussion, quiz, file, or other item is published.
• Check the item’s availability dates, due date, prerequisites, and requirements.
• Confirm that the item is included in a visible area of the course.
• Review the course in Student View.
• Run the Canvas link-validation tool and correct any broken links.
• Use the applicable accessibility checker and address identified issues.