Building a Well-Designed, Accessible Course in Canvas

A practical, research-based path from an empty Canvas shell to a well-designed, accessible course you can reuse every term. Free to read. Sign in with Google to take the course in order and earn a certificate at 85 percent on the final quiz.

Start the course

What you’ll be able to do by the end

This course models the practice it teaches, so it starts with its own outcomes. By the end, you will be able to:

Plan a course from measurable learning outcomes using backward design.
Set up your Canvas course shell, navigation, and availability so students get in exactly when you intend.
Build accessible content with structured pages and units, organized to match how you teach.
Create assignments, tests, and rubrics that align to your outcomes.
Set up your gradebook with an intentional grading scheme before grades post.
Set up course communication, including scheduled announcements and automated alerts.
Prepare the course for students and reuse it across terms.

Lessons

What the course covers

Lesson 1

Design before you build

Lesson 2

Set up your Canvas course

Lesson 3

Structure your content

Lesson 4

Assessments that align

Lesson 5

Set up your gradebook

Lesson 6

Accessibility by construction

Lesson 7

Set up course communication

Lesson 8