Start-of-Term Carmen Tips for Instructors

It’s a new year and a new semester, which likely means you have a new course in CarmenCanvas in the works. If you’re teaching in Carmen this spring and want your students to have a seamless experience, follow these best practices:

1. Create your course early. Students often check Carmen to verify that they are enrolled in courses, so the sooner they see their course, the lower their stress levels will be.
   1. Not planning to use Carmen this semester? Let your students know!
2. Publish at least some of your course content. Many students like to check their courses in Carmen before the first day of class. Be sure to publish at least the course homepage, syllabus and any prerequisite material so students can feel prepared from Day 1.
   1. Want to hide some of your content until later in the semester? Learn how to lock modules in the Canvas Community.
3. Check Student View. This will help you ensure your desired content is visible to students.
4. Verify links and assignment dates. If you copied a previous course, these and other items may no longer be accurate.
5. Review the Start of Term Checklist. The CarmenCanvas Resource Center includes a checklist for you and your students to make the start of each semester easier.

Need more help getting ready for spring semester? Be sure to check out the Resource Center! (May we recommend this collection of knowledge on the new Canvas Gradebook?)

If you’d prefer a hands-on experience with the Carmen team, register for one of our Start in Carmen workshops on January 3 and January 15. Each session provides a guided demonstration of the initial steps in building a course.