The great Chinese thinker Laozi’s words could apply perfectly to the transition from teaching in Blackboard to Canvas.
CELT Teaching Tip • December 14, 2017
"A journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step"
The great Chinese thinker Laozi’s words could apply perfectly to the transition from teaching in Blackboard to Canvas. As I shared last week, in Confessions of a Procrastinator, I have not yet built my course in Canvas, but this week I started and here are some tips to help you take that first step.

Start with the end in mind 
It is my great honor and pleasure to teach Everyday Creativity developed by my colleague and friend, Dr. Elena Karpova. As I started to build my Canvas course, I realized that first I needed to keep the learning outcome goal in mind. For us, that is students learning and then applying creative thinking strategies to generate multiple unique ideas. To accomplish this the students complete pre-class readings and quizzes, in class individual and group activities, and out of class work that demonstrates their use of the strategies.  

As you are bidding farewell to Blackboard, filter and sort through your collection of instructional materials and make decisions whether they need to be updated and/or replaced in your new course. Then as you (re)build your course in Canvas, there are three actions you can take to begin the journey of teaching in spring semester.   

  1. Build your modules: Modules organize your content by weeks, units, chapters, concepts or a different organizational structure. Modules give your course a consistent look and feel and make it easy for your students to navigate it. Modules also accommodate your delivery style: use them to re-create the folder set up from your course in the previous learning management system or, better yet, use them to chunk up your instruction into smaller, independent “digestible” units to empower student cognitive processes.** A module can contain files, discussions, assignments, quizzes, and other learning materials. Learn more using the Create a Module web guide.
  2. Choose your homepage: Your homepage sets the mood for learning in your course. Canvas has different options for choosing your course’s homepage. The syllabus is a great way to introduce your course, make your expectations transparent, and keep students abreast of all course happenings. Learn more via the Setting the Course Home Page web guide.
  3. Clean up your course’s menu: Your students should only see the course-specific menu options that allow to quickly and easily navigate all course information and keep distraction to a minimum. Learn how using the Customize the Course Navigation web guide.
  4. Check your quizzes: While most of your previous quizzes will import from previous Blackboard content, some, such as such as hot spot and quiz bowl do not transfer, and matching questions that have images in the answers must be fixed. Additionally, you will want to double-check multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, essay, matching, numerical, and formula question types before publishing your migrated quiz or survey. If a question format is not supported by Canvas, the question will become a simple text (students will not have the option to answer). The Quizzes tool in Canvas can be used for graded or practice quizzes, as well as graded and ungraded surveys and automatically creates a column in the grade book.

CELT developed this Canvas Course Building Basics YouTube video (below) and a Course Building Basics web guide on these actions that you can take to (re)build your course in Canvas.
If you have made it this far in the teaching tip, Congrats!  

You probably realize this is going to be a multi-step journey. Don’t fear! CELT’s open labs will be closed Dec. 8-Jan. 2, 2018, but consultations with our instructional designers may be scheduled during that time via the appointment scheduling website . There are multiple ways to learn the Canvas learning management system, including workshops (below), recorded resources, self-paced tutorials and webinars on the ISU Canvas training and resources website.

Additionally, Canvas offers 24/7 support, listed in the " ? Help " icon on the global navigation (far left of your Canvas website) or via the Canvas support line, 515-294-4000 (press 2, then 1). 

Best wishes for your winter break and spring semester canvas course building,


Sara Marcketti, Interim Director
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT)


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CELT open labs closed for semester break
CELT open labs will be closed Dec. 8-Jan. 2, 2018. Consultations with instructional designers may be scheduled during that time via their appointment scheduling website . There are multiple ways to learn the Canvas learning management system, including workshops (below), recorded resources, self-paced tutorials and webinars on the ISU Canvas training and resources website . Additionally, Canvas offers 24/7 support, listed in the “? Help” icon in the left column of your Canvas website or via the Canvas support line, 515-294-4000 (press 2, then 1).

Attend a Canvas Workshop through Dec. 22
CELT staff is offering five 90-minute Canvas workshops multiple times this November to highlight the pedagogy and mechanics behind Canvas functions. Below is the schedule through Dec. 22. Workshop descriptions . Register via Learn@ISU .
  • The Pedagogy of Canvas Quizzes, Dec. 19 (2-3:30 p.m.)
  • Assignments and Gradebook in Canvas, Dec. 20 (2-3:30 p.m.)
  • Groups and Collaborative Work in Canvas, Dec. 21 (2-3:30 p.m.)
  • Accessibility in Canvas, Dec. 14 or 22 (10-11:30 a.m.)
  • Course Design in Canvas, Dec. 15 or 18 (2-3:30 p.m.)

Additional Ways to Learn Canvas
There are multiple ways and teaching approaches for faculty, staff, graduate teaching assistants, and students to learn Canvas to be found via the MyCanvas Teacher at ISU website. In Canvas Training and Resources the following opportunities are highlighted:
  • Oben Labs (Note: CELT open labs closed for semester break)
  • CELT-led Workshops
  • CELT-led Webinars
  • Canvas Presentation and Training Request Form (for departments)
  • On-site Recorded Resources
  • Self-Paced Online Canvas Tutorials
  • Online Canvas Training Webinars
  • MyCanvas Guide for Students
Additional information about Canvas, open labs and self-paced training is available online through the My Canvas Teacher at ISU website.
Promoting Inclusion in Your Spring Syllabus
Picture of students eating in a dining center
CELT has developed syllabus resources via the How to Create an Effective Syllabus website. Since 2016, CELT continues to develop the Mindful and Learner-Centered Syllabus Checklist (PDF). This checklist provides an extensive list of student-centered resources, a guide for promoting an inclusive campus, and the recommended statements. The recommended syllabus statements developed to communicate a uniform message to all students about university policies that impact their experience at ISU, on the Recommended Iowa State University Syllabus Statements website.
Upcoming CELT Programs
You may register for the following CELT programs through the Learn@ISU website:


View the m ost up-to-date event schedule visit CELT’s Events and Registration website .

Prefer a Print version? If you would prefer to view the Teaching Tip as a printable document with web addresses, download the CELT Teaching Tip • December 14, 2017 (PDF)