Last revised 2026-06-02

Short checklist to help you get started

Administer course

Find your course – available on the Dashboard in Canvas or via Courses --> All courses (where you can favorite the courses you want to be visible on the dashboard - How do I customize my Courses list? - Instructure Community)
Add colleagues – go to the People menu and add users. Read more: Adding people to a course
Add any joint courses (crosslisted courses) via Settings > Course Administration. Read more: Course Administration – Early access and Cross-listing/joint courses

Review the course content

Update the Syllabus page – the Syllabus summarizes course information, calendar events, and allows you, as the instructor, to present the course as a whole, its instructors, and the pedagogical approach. You will also find a link to the syllabus and the welcome letter on miun.se. If there is a lot of information, link to other pages. Remember that the syllabis page can replace the study guide. Read more: Syllabus
Is the course new in Canvas? - Read more: Modules – a great way to get started
Did you course run on Canvas earlier? - When you have materials from another year, you can copy it directly to your new course room. Add content based on the course's chronological structure and outline (theme/module/sub-course/course week, etc.). Add the assessed assignments, and remember to set the due date. Read more: Importing content from another Canvas course room
Update content – make sure the content is updated, edit existing modules and create new ones if necessary. Make sure that all due dates are correct.
Set the start page - Read more: Set the right home page after importing content
Check accessibility - The Accessibility menu option allows you to scan the course materials and ensure that they comply with accessibility guidelines for images, heading levels, lists, etc. Learn more: Accessibility checker
Validate links - Use the Validate Links function to check that all linked content is working. Read more: Validate links in a course
Student View – use Student View to check that all modules and resources in the course are published and visible to students. Read more: What do students see? Also check how the course appears in the Canvas Student mobile app. Read more: Two apps and your mobile web browser
Publish your course room - Change the course status to Published.
Subscribe to Ask the teachers - Go to Discussions and subscribe to the Ask the teachers discussion (otherwise you will not receive notifications when questions are posted)

Tip! Change the course card image, i.e. the image displayed on the Dashboard.

A good way to get started is to complete the Canvas Introduction for Teachers, which contains guides and recommendations on how to work effectively in Canvas.

If you need advice or support, please contact pukontakt@miun.se and feel free to attend our open support sessions for Canvas.