How to Customize Your Canvas Course

About this Resource

Use this resource to customize the ISU Course Template. Keep in mind that this resource is located in a separate Canvas course, not inside your Canvas course shell. For your convenience, keep this resource open in a separate tab while you edit your course.

Before you begin, ensure your browser is updated and compatible with Canvas.
Save edits in your Canvas pages frequently. If you make a mistake, use the Page History to restore to a previously saved version.

Need assistance? Book an appointment with a CELT instructional technologist. Find more Support options at the bottom of this page.

Accessibility: Review accessibility recommendations throughout this resource. To review and improve existing course content, visit the Ally Accessibility Course Report in your course navigation menu. For more comprehensive guidance, check out the ITS Digital Accessibility Toolkit.

DesignPLUS Tools: You can edit Canvas pages without advanced design tools. For advanced customizations, use DesignPLUS tools.

Home Page

Home is the first page that students see in your course. It is important to note that the Canvas Student app does not show Home as an entry point; instead, it displays Modules.

Choose Home Page Option

To customize the entry point of your course, you can change the Home Page option.

This course template uses a content page as the Home. This option has a page history feature which allows you to restore a previously saved version easily in case of mistakes.
You can choose Syllabus as Home if desired.
- Canvas Syllabus has a "Course Summary" feed at the bottom, showing a list of assignments and due dates.
- Home page information (banner, buttons, welcome message) is ready on Syllabus for you to customize. It's recommended to use the "Course Syllabus" page in the Start Here module to add detailed course information and policies.
- The Syllabus does NOT have the page history feature. If you save the page by mistake, you cannot restore the previous version.

Edit Home Page Information

Change the course number and name.
Add a welcome message and the course's basic information.
Avoid excessive text on the Home page to prevent information overload.
Change "Iowa State University" to the name of your department in the red bar at the bottom of the page, if desired.

Change the Banner Image

You can change the banner image if desired.
Watch a tutorial about how to change the course banner (length: 0:46).
Find images that showcase ISU branding in the "Banner Images" folder in "Files" on your Canvas course navigation menu.

Mark the banner image as decorative and add alternative text to informative images throughout the course.

Change Buttons

Use the DesignPLUS tools to modify button names or links and add or remove buttons if desired.
Watch a tutorial on how to change the buttons on the Home page (length: 3:20).

Add a Welcome and Course Navigation Video

Consider adding a welcome and course navigation video to the Home page to introduce your students to the structure and purpose of the course.
You can use Canvas Studio to record and embed a short (1-2 minute) course overview video.
See the course intro for English 393 video example.

Provide closed captions and/or video transcripts to ensure accessibility for all learners. Canvas Studio produces auto-generated captions for your review and publishing.

Course Syllabus

Use the Course Syllabus page in the Start Here module to present your course information.

CELT Syllabus Guidance: For information on a well-crafted syllabus, see CELT's Syllabus Checklist with Required, Recommended, and Additional Statements.

Add Syllabus Content

Change the course title/name on the banner
Add your course information in each section.
Modify the Grading Scheme example (Canvas-default) as appropriate. Remember to update the grading scheme in the Canvas course Settings to ensure grades are calculated correctly in your Gradebook.
Find course policy examples in the CELT Syllabus Checklist with Required, Recommended, and Additional Statements.
To add more columns/rows to a table in the "Grading" section, click on a row or column for a Table Context Menu. Select options on the menu to add or remove a column/row. Watch a tutorial on how to add a column/row to a table (length: 0:42).

Use Headings (Text Style) in the Canvas Rich Content Editor for content organization and improved readability. In the Syllabus template page, section titles use "Heading 3" (e.g., Instructor Information, Course Materials) and "Heading 4" for sub-titles (e.g., Grade Distribution, a particular course policy)

ISU Syllabus Statements

The Required and Recommended ISU Syllabus Statements are available for students via the "ISU Syllabus Statements" link on the course navigation menu.
If the link is not displayed on your course navigation menu, you can enable it by managing the course navigation links.

Print Syllabus

The syllabus can be saved as a PDF document and printed.
Printing instructions are available for you and your students at the top of the Course Syllabus page.

Syllabus Navigation Menu

The navigation icon is enabled on the right-hand side of the Syllabus page to help students quickly locate the syllabus content.
Do not delete the placeholder at the bottom (shown as [Syllabus Navigation]) unless you want to disable this feature.

Canvas Syllabus Placement

The ISU Course Template uses a content page to present your course syllabus. It's highly recommended you use a content page because it has a page history feature.
Another option is to use the "Syllabus" tool on the Canvas course navigation menu.
- This option has a Course Summary feed at the bottom.
- The syllabus does not include a page history feature, so you cannot restore a previous version if you make a mistake.
- You can enable/disable the Canvas Syllabus by managing the course navigation links.

Add Course Content with the Templated "Look and Feel"

The ISU Course Template’s look and feel can be easily replicated whether you create new content from scratch or build on existing content.

Create new content from scratch

Option 1 (beginner-friendly): Use the Example Content Page.
- Find the page in the Example Module of the course template.
- Duplicate the page.
- Edit the duplicated page and use the Headings in the Canvas Rich Content Editor to organize your content.
Option 2: Style a blank Canvas page.
- Add a new Canvas page to a desired module.
- Use the DesignPLUS tool to apply a theme to the blank page. Watch a tutorial on How to apply the templated look to a page (length: 2:36).
- Discover more ISU-branded themes in DesignPLUS tools.

Build on previous course content

Import course content from an existing Canvas course. You can choose to copy All Content or specific content.
Use the DesignPLUS tool to style any page with existing content. Watch a tutorial on How to apply the templated look to a page (length: 2:36).

Themed PowerPoint Template & Video Cover Card

Consider using the PowerPoint Slides template and Video Thumbnail (cover card) template included in the "ISU-Branded Templates" folder in your course's Files.
These templates will help your presentations and videos match the look and feel of your course.
Check out the Canvas guide on how to replace a Canvas Studio video thumbnail.

Start Here Module Items

The Start Here module contains the components for a typical overview to set the tone and help students succeed from the beginning of the course. Edit each page to fit your course.

Course Schedule

Create an accessible course schedule with the formatted table to document all important dates in your course.
Watch a tutorial on how to add a column/row to a course schedule's table (length: 0:42).

Meet Your Instructor

List instructors and TAs' contact information and student (office) hours
Click on the image and use the Image icon on the Rich Content Editor to upload photos.
Add a written, audio, or video self-introduction
- Consider using Canvas Studio to record and embed a short (1-2 minute) introduction.
Delete the Teaching Assistant section if appropriate.

Describe images in alternative text or mark as decorative to make them accessible for all learners.

Provide closed captions and/or transcripts for self-introduction videos to ensure accessibility for all viewers. Canvas Studio produces auto-generated captions for review and publishing.

Support and Resources

This page combines institutional requirements, support, and resources into an expandable accordion with many resources to help your students succeed in your course.
Add other resources you want to provide your students or remove any items not applicable to your course:
1. To add or remove content, call on the DesignPlus tools.
2. Place your cursor anywhere in the accordion.
3. In the DesignPlus dashboard to your right, click the Target tab and select the Accordion section.
4. In the Content panel, adjust the number of panels and enter their titles.
5. Enter the content for each panel on the Canvas page.
DesignPlus Tools
- For advanced customization, access DesignPlus tools when editing a page by pressing the following keys on your keyboard: Alt+Shift+D (Windows) or Option+Shift+D (Mac).
- The DesignPlus dashboard opens to your right.
- Book an appointment with CELT for one-on-one advanced customization assistance.

Other Suggested Items for "Start Here"

Consider adding the following items to the Start Here module:

A short Syllabus video to introduce and review your syllabus.
A Syllabus Quiz. Refer to sample syllabus quiz questions (PDF).
Student self-introduction discussion forum to build a community.
Tips on how to succeed in your course.
If you use any teaching approach unfamiliar to students (e.g., team-based learning, gamification, project-based learning, etc.), explain the purpose/structure and your expectations. Optionally, provide a low-stake activity for students to practice.

Example Module

Use Canvas Modules to organize course content by weeks, units, or a different organizational structure. The Example Module in the course template includes a Module Overview page and an Example Content Page to help you get started.

Module Overview

Use the template Module Overview page to:
- Introduce module topics
- Add module/unit learning objectives (describe what learners can do upon completing a module)
- List what learners need to read, watch, and/or complete within the module
Delete or add sections if appropriate
The course learning objectives should point to higher-level thinking skills. The module learning objectives should break down new knowledge and skills into specific, discrete skills and knowledge.
Examples:
- Course-Level: Upon completion of the course, students will be able to Analyze American sentiment toward World War II using seminal primary and secondary sources.
- Module-level: Upon completion of this module, students will be able to:
  - Identify seminal primary and secondary sources, such as interviews, opinion pieces, academic books, and journal articles representing American sentiment during World War II.
  - Dissect major themes and patterns in seminal primary and secondary sources.
  - Discuss cultural and socio-economic contexts surrounding the creation of seminal primary and secondary sources.
  - Analyze biases, beliefs, values, attitudes, emotions, and other factors impacting descriptions of American sentiment toward World War II in seminal primary and secondary source materials.

Example Content Page

Duplicate the Example Content Page when adding new content.
- Check the directions on how to duplicate a page in a course. Links to an external sit
- Use the heading hierarchy (Paragraph/Text Style) in the Rich Content Editor to apply the ISU template "look" to headings.

Course Settings

Before publishing your course, ensuring the course settings align with your course needs is important.

Customize Course Card

Course cards on the Canvas Dashboard show an overview of course information. Edit the course name and code if needed.
Pick a unique course card image, allowing students to recognize your course on the Dashboard easily. You can add or change an image to a course card.
- To create a course card matching this template's look, use the file "Course and Video Cover Card. pptx" in the "ISU-Branded Templates" folder in the course's Files to create an image (guidance is provided within the file).

Manage Course Navigation Links

You can control which links appear in Course Navigation/Menu for students.

- Hide unused links from students. The Visibility icon indicates a hidden link.
- Consider hiding Pages and Files links as they're repositories of course materials. If visible, students can see all published pages and files in your course.

Edit Grading Scheme

Canvas Gradebook assigns letter grades based on the course Grading Scheme.
Ensure your course's Grading Scheme aligns with your grading policy in your syllabus.

Update Other Course Settings

View and modify other course settings if necessary, including:
- associated course sections
- course status (published or not)
- course availability dates.

Resources & Support

Resources

Quality Matters Rubric: This template follows the Quality Matters research-based standards of course design quality.
Syllabus Guidance: See CELT's Syllabus Checklist with Required, Recommended, and Additional Statements.
Canvas for Instructors:
- Canvas at ISU
- Canvas Instructor Guides
DesignPLUS Tool: Check the CELT DesignPLUS guidance for information.

Support

CELT will support your usage of this template:

Book an appointment and meet with a CELT team member.
Send a ticket by emailing celt-help@iastate.edu