Textbooks

If you are instructing a course developed in partnership with the GMCTL, inform the FLT Program Assistant of any changes to the required textbook(s) for your class. If no changes are reported, the GMCTL will arrange for a bookstore order of the same textbook(s) used in the previous delivery.

If you require a desk copy of the textbook(s) for your class, see information from the USask Bookstore at Publisher Information for Desk Copies.

Clearly indicate if any access codes or other textbook accompaniments are required by students, as this will impact purchasing options.

Note: If the textbook has changed, all necessary course materials updates (modules, assignments, page numbers, etc.) are the instructor's responsibility.

If you are making a change to the final exam format from the previous offering (in-person, online, take-home, or no exam), confirm with your College or Department Head that the final examination format is acceptable.

Review and update the syllabus (including evaluations, class schedule and due dates, grading scheme, and instructor contact information).

Recent class syllabi can be found in the USask Course Catalog.

Review detailed information about USask's syllabus policies.

Submit your completed class syllabus to your Department Head for approval at least one month prior to the start of class.

If you are instructing a course developed in partnership with the GMCTL, submit your completed class syllabus in an editable format (i.e., Word document) to flt@usask.ca, who will keep it on file for future reference.

Copy the course content into the course for the current term. Ensure that you are selecting the correct version of the course to copy; copying the incorrect version may result in errors in the content, syllabus, textbook, etc. Read this article: How do I copy content from another Canvas course using the Course Import tool

• Instructors at USask are not able to “copy content into a new course shell”; instead, the empty course will be added for you by ICT, and afterwards you will copy content into it. The current course will not be available in your Canvas course list until about 1 month before the class begins.
• Note: Copying the course content is NOT required for initial deliveries of new classes; GMCTL will ready the class for all new deliveries. We recommend the class is hidden from student view until 1-2 days before the start of term, allowing you to complete all of the tasks in this section before students access the class.

Check links throughout your class. Identify broken links and replace them as necessary. The Canvas Link Validator tool is useful for finding broken links. However, it can only let you know if a link is broken (not if it is functional but points to out-of-date or incorrect information).

Refresh/reset any online tools such as Discussions, or other areas with student-generated content.

Update applicable course dates including due dates for assignments, test availability for quizzes/exams, and learning activities with specific associated dates. Read this article: How do I bulk update due dates and availability dates as an instructor?

• Note: Evaluations cannot be made due on University closure dates (stat holidays) or during mid-term breaks. Consult the USask Academic Calendar to find these dates each term.

Upload your Syllabus into the course in the “Syllabus” area. This will ensure the syllabus is publicly-accessible in the Course Catalog. 
To add a PDF to the syllabus area of the course, read this article: How do I embed documents from Canvas in the Rich Content Editor as an instructor?

A recommended approach is to adjust the “Link Options” to select both “Preview inline” and “Expand preview by Default”. This allows the file to display right on the page vs. the student needing to download/open the file.

Publish Course

When your class is ready to go live, you must publish the course for your students to see it. This must be done no later than the first day of classes.

Read this article for directions: How do I make my Canvas course and content available to students?  

Final Exams

A final exam date will be set for your class as part of the regular final exam scheduling system. This allows students to see their full final exam schedule in one place on PAWS.

• An in-person or online exam will be given a three-hour time slot in the final examination schedule. This will give students a three-hour window that is free of conflicts with other exams. Access to the exam can be made open for up to 24 hours should you want to have a longer window.

For all online exams (finals, midterms, and other tests), you are responsible for setting their deployment in Canvas. Contact Robb Larmer, GMCTL for help as necessary.

If required, adjust the exam settings for specific students (e.g., deferred tests, Access and Equity accommodations to grant additional time, etc.). To make adjustments for particular students in Canvas, see the following links:

• Once I publish a timed quiz, how can I give my students extra time?

• How do I assign an assignment to an individual student?
  
  

4 weeks before the exam period begins

Final Grades

Ensure that the final grades reported in the Canvas Gradebook are accurate. Contact Robb Larmer, GMCTL for help as necessary.

Submit final course grades formally via PAWS. See the following link for more information: Online Grade Entry, Grade Change and Grade Approval. Contact the IT Support Service Desk at itsupport@usask.ca for help as necessary.

See the USask Academic Course Policy on Class Delivery Examinations and Assessment of Student Learning for more information.

Within 5 business days after the date of the final exam