At Marian University, the Learning Management System (LMS) — Canvas — is an essential tool for supporting student learning and ensuring consistency across courses. As outlined in the Marian University Faculty Handbook (2024), all faculty are required to publish their course in Canvas and include the following elements:
A syllabus
A calendar of assignments
An up-to-date record of students’ grades
Instructions or explanations for all major assignments and assessments (including the final)
These elements help students stay organized, meet expectations, and succeed in your course. This requirement applies to all courses and is designed to support transparency and equitable access to course information.
Highly recommended additions include:
Using modules to organize content
Rubrics for major assignments
Weekly learning objectives or overviews
Links to key resources and materials
Announcements to guide students through each week or module
Even if you’re teaching face-to-face, using Canvas in this way ensures that students have a central hub for course communication and can easily find what they need — especially if they miss class or need to review.
By following these guidelines, you're not only meeting university policy, you're also helping your students thrive.
Designing a clear, effective Canvas course can make a big difference in how your students engage with your content - and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is here to support you every step of the way. Our experienced instructional designers can work with you one-on-one to brainstorm layout options, organize your course materials, and polish your Canvas site into a student-focused, accessible, and engaging learning environment.
Prefer to work independently? You can also self-enroll in our “Faculty Design Canvas Resources” course - a self-paced guide that walks you through best practices for course design, organization, accessibility, and communication. It’s full of examples and tips that will help you design with students in mind.
Self Enroll Here: Faculty Design Canvas Resources” Course
While the Center for Teaching and Learning can help you design effective and engaging Canvas courses, the Educational Technology team is your go-to resource for all things technical within Canvas. Whether you need help with:
Setting up quizzes or discussions
Managing course settings
Troubleshooting technical issues
Understanding Canvas tools and features
…the Educational Technology team is here to assist you. Blake Ide, our Lead Instructional Technologist, provides direct support for faculty who have questions about Canvas functionality or need back-end support. They’ve also created an excellent Canvas Faculty Guide, full of tutorials and how-to instructions. You can access it anytime here:
Educational Technology Canvas LibGuide: https://libguides.marian.edu/Canvas
If you’re ever unsure who to contact, a good rule of thumb is:
Instructional design or course layout help? → Contact the CTL
Canvas tool or technical support? → Contact Educational Technology
You don’t have to figure it out alone — we’ve got you covered.
In preparation for the fall semester, the CTL collaborates with the Educational Technology team to offer Canvas Training to all new faculty. The current Canvas training dates are available here: New Faculty Canvas Training
If you've missed the dates listed above, no worries! We are always available to support you. You may fill out our Canvas Training Request form here.