Faculty Toolkit

As a returning instructor, you’re in charge of refining and evolving your course. The Learning Design Group (LDG) is here to help with content updates, objective alignment, and course clarity. Whether you need quick advice or a full redesign, your instructional designer (ID) can guide you through the process.

The LDG offers three levels of support based on your needs:

Level 1 - Consulting / Ad Hoc Support

Best for: Quick questions or limited support

  • Email your ID for feedback, resources, or brainstorming.

Level 2 - Course Revisions

Best for: Updating content, tweaking assessments, refreshing activities

  • Email your ID to discuss your plans. Support begins 1-2 months before the course begins and includes email or Zoom check-ins.

Level 3 - Course Redesign

Best for: Major changes like reorganizing modules or redesigning course structure.

  • Contact your ID early to plan. Support starts 2-3 months before the course begins, with regular email and Zoom check-ins.

Your ID is here to support your process, whether you’re making light updates or diving into a full redesign. 

  1. Course Planning
    • Consulting: Reach out with questions or ideas. Your ID will provide guidance and feedback.
    • Course Revisions: Share your revision plans. Work independently or with check-ins.
    • Course Redesign: Plan early with your ID to set a timeline and task list.
  2. Course Development
    • Course Revisions: Check in as needed. Your ID can review materials.
    • Course Redesign: Share updates (syllabus, assignments) for alignment and structure feedback.
  3. Finalization & Review
    • Course Revisions: Email your ID or schedule a check-in for final updates on structure and accessibility.
    • Course Redesign: Continue regular meetings for final reviews.
    • Final Grades: Students often check the Canvas grade book for their final grades. Be sure the final grade is visible and accurate in the Canvas grade book. In addition, university policy requires that grades be entered into the ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ web grading system no later than 90 hours after the course officially ends.
      • You can follow the  to learn how to submit final grades to the ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ grading system.
  4. Course Publication
    • Publish your course in Canvas 2 days before students access it (fall/spring) or 4 days before (summer). Send a welcome announcement to students.

Tools

We have a syllabus template available for you to use. This template is specifically designed with the asynchronous course in mind, which may include elements you haven’t used in a face-to-face course. We recommend using this template to help structure your course for optimal student engagement and clarity. You can access the template here: Syllabus Template.

At ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ, we reference the Quality Matters (QM) ecosystem as a best practice for course design. The QM rubric is a comprehensive guide to ensure your course meets high standards of quality, accessibility, and engagement. You can access the  to review the standards and guidelines.

Use the PDF document below to guide you in writing measurable learning objectives. The chart provides verbs aligned with different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, helping you create clear and measurable objectives for your course. You can access the Bloom’s Taxonomy Verb Chart here.

This general checklist can be used by any ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ faculty member to ensure everything is ready in Canvas for your students every semester.