WyoCourse Prep Checklist

Below you will find instructions on how to update your course for the new semester. If you have worked with ODL Instructional Designers in the Design Cycle you will use the Design Cycle Checklist. Everyone else will use the General Course Checklist.

Please make the following updates in your term course shell after content has been copied over from the master or preferred course.

To import course content from last semester or the master or preferred course, please follow these instructions:

For instructions using the basic WyoCourses tools:

If you have any questions about this process, please contact the Online and Digital Learning Team.

Contact the ODL Team

General Course Checklist

If you have NOT worked with ODL Instructional Designers in the Design Cycle you will start here, with the General Course Checklist.

Two people sitting on either side of a desk, one working and the other consulting the worker.

Choose the page you want students to see first

You can set the homepage in a variety of ways. It can be a page that you design, the Course Activity Stream, Modules, the Assignments, or the Syllabus.

 

Update Home Page

  1. Update the name of the college and course (if needed).
  2. In the "Welcome" section, add 1-2 sentences welcoming students to the course and summarizing the overall learning goal(s).

 

Please contact wyocourses-inst@uwyo.edu for help using this template.

Syllabus

  1. Create your Syllabus in Word - Syllabus Template
  2. Go to the Syllabus tool to upload or paste your syllabus.
  3. Instructions for how to use the Syllabus:
    How do I use the Syllabus as an instructor?
    How do I edit the Syllabus in a course?

 

Schedule

The schedule that appears at the bottom of the syllabus page is automatically created within WyoCourses. All you have to do is add a due date to any assignment, quiz, discussion, or page and it will show up on the student view.

Update the Meet Your Instructor page with photo, bio, contact info, and office hours. You are also encouraged to embed a 1-2 minute video to introduce yourself and connect with students.

 

  NOTE: To enable editing of DesignPlus templates, use the following keyboard shortcuts:

  • PC: Alt + Shift + D
  • MAC: Option + Shift + D

 

If you need assistance with DesignPlus, please reach out to ECTL.

Using modules is a fantastic way to organize your course. It enables students to go to one place to find everything they need grouped together, whether that is by week, or by topic.

Throughout the course, students may be prompted to access course materials through the "Course Reserves" tab in the course navigation menu. Check to see if there is an existing Course Reserves list for the course. If there is an existing list, copy it and make any needed edits.

 

For instructions on how to access, copy, and edit an existing Course Reserves List, visit UW Libraries. Once there, scroll down to the "Getting Started..." section for detailed instructions and tutorials.

Canvas Profile

If you haven't already done so, set up your Canvas profile. You can use the same bio and photo that you included on the Instructor Information page.

 

Course Card

When students access Canvas, they are presented with a view of their Student Dashboard. The Dashboard allows students quick access to their courses. You can add an image with your course name/access link. Students will associate this image with your course. To learn more, please review the following Canvas Guide: How do I add an image to a course card in the Dashboard?

Add a Welcome Announcement and schedule it for the day the course opens. if you want to customize the date and time for the Announcement to appear, select the delay posting option.

 

  Tip: Craft a concise announcement that welcomes students to the course and let's them know how to get started. Encourage students to complete the your first activities. You may also want to include a brief overview of what to expect from the course, such as the approximate number of hours per week they should dedicate to the course, interaction requirements, ways to contact the instructor with questions, etc. You aim to create a positive, motivating, welcoming tone that steps the students up for success in the course.

  • Set assignment due dates in Canvas.
  • Create assignment groups if applicable. Refer to the course facilitation guide for more information.
  • Set page "to-do" dates in Canvas if preferred. This tool is useful if you would like content page completion dates to appear on students’ calendars. Check the “Add to student to-do” under the content text box and choose a date.
  • Set module release dates in Canvas if preferred. Modules can be locked and set to open to students on specific dates if you find that feature useful.
  • Subscribe to discussions, especially If you create a Q&A Forum so that you are notified when new comments are posted.

Before you publish your course, we recommend validating the course links using the built-in Link Validator tool. The Link Validator tool searches through course content and returns invalid or unresponsive external links in both published and unpublished content.

 

For details about this tool, please review the following Canvas Guide: How do I validate links in a course?

  • Review the course to ensure any desired customizations for the term are in place.
  • Review course to ensure all pages are set as published unless otherwise preferred.
  • Check accessibility on any pages where new content has been added/modified.
  • Publish course. Students will not be able to see your course until it is published. When your course is published, any students who have been added will see it.

Design Cycle Checklist

If you have worked with ODL Instructional Designers in the Design Cycle you will start here, with the Design Cycle Checklist.

Laptop compter sitting on table with outreached hands.

  1. Set your course home page (also known as a "front page"). You'll find your course home page within the "Pages" tab in the navigation menu. It will be titled with your course prefix (e.g., "CHEM 1000 Home Page"). You are welcome to review these instructions on how to set the course home page.
  2. In the "Welcome" section of your course home page, add 1-2 sentences welcoming students to the course and summarizing the overall learning goal(s).
  3. Optional: Change the banner image. You are welcome to use one of the course banners saved in Files>Banners or upload a new banner. Please review the Replace Home Page Banner instructions for more information.
  4. Optional: If you decide to make changes to the module titles, please follow the Refresh Home Page Module List instructions to ensure that the module links on the home page reflect these changes.

Review and update the syllabus.

  1. Download Word copy from the Files section of the course and update as needed.
  2. Save as PDF with the same name as the PDF copy that appears in the Canvas course, and then upload to Canvas in the same folder as the old PDF copy.
  3. When prompted, confirm that you would like the new file to overwrite the old version. This will automatically update any links in the course to lead to the new Syllabus.
  4. If you made any updates to the PDF version of the Syllabus, make sure they are reflected in the "Course Information & Policies" section of the Syllabus page as well.
  5. Update the Term/Year in the title of the Syllabus page.

Update the Meet Your Instructor page with a photo, bio, contact info, and office hours. You are also encouraged to embed a 1-2 minute video to introduce yourself and connect with students.

 

  NOTE: To enable editing of DesignPlus templates, use the following keyboard shortcuts:

  • PC: Alt + Shift + D
  • MAC: Option + Shift + D

 

If you need assistance with DesignPlus, please reach out to ECTL.

Throughout the course, students may be prompted to access course materials through the "Course Reserves" tab in the course navigation menu. Check to see if there is an existing Course Reserves list for the course. If there is an existing list, copy it and make any needed edits.

 

For instructions on how to access, copy, and edit an existing Course Reserves List, visit UW Libraries. Once there, scroll down to the "Getting Started..." section for detailed instructions and tutorials.

Canvas Profile

If you haven't already done so, set up your Canvas profile. You can use the same bio and photo that you included on the Instructor Information page.

 

Course Card

When students access Canvas, they are presented with a view of their Student Dashboard. The Dashboard allows students quick access to their courses. You can add an image with your course name/access link. Students will associate this image with your course. To learn more, please review the following Canvas Guide: How do I add an image to a course card in the Dashboard?

Add a Welcome Announcement and schedule it for the day the course opens. if you want to customize the date and time for the Announcement to appear, select the delay posting option.

 

  Tip: Craft a concise announcement that welcomes students to the course and let's them know how to get started. Encourage students to complete the Course Orientation module before beginning Module 1 (M1). You may also want to include a brief overview of what to expect from the course, such as the approximate number of hours per week they should dedicate to the course, interaction requirements, ways to contact the instructor with questions, etc. Your aim is to create a positive, motivating, welcoming tone that steps the students up for success in the course.

  • Set assignment due dates in Canvas.
  • Create assignment groups if applicable. Refer to the course facilitation guide for more information.
  • Set page "to-do" dates in Canvas if preferred. This tool is useful if you would like content page completion dates to appear on students’ calendars. Check the “Add to student to-do” under the content text box and choose a date.
  • Set module release dates in Canvas if preferred. Modules can be locked and set to open to students on specific dates if you find that feature useful.
  • Subscribe to discussions, especially the Q&A Forum so that you are notified when new comments are posted.

Before you publish your course, we recommend validating the course links using the built-in Link Validator tool. The Link Validator tool searches through course content and returns invalid or unresponsive external links in both published and unpublished content.

 

For details about this tool, please review the following Canvas Guide: How do I validate links in a course?

  • Review the course to ensure any desired customizations for the term are in place.
  • Review course to ensure all pages are set as published unless otherwise preferred.
  • Check accessibility on any pages where new content has been added/modified.
  • Publish course. Students will not be able to see your course until it is published. When your course is published, any students who have been added will see it.