Student Orientation Question

[OliviyaCarter]

Hey everyone! I have one more-

Actually, I’m setting up an orientation on Canvas for Freshman 2025 at State University, and I’m wondering… is there a way to add some kind of checklist so students can track what they’ve completed?

I’m worried they’ll get lost with so many modules.

[dbrace · Accepted solution]

Hi @OliviyaCarter,

You can create a downloadable file, whether it be a Microsoft Word file or Adobe PDF file.

From a Canvas perspective, the only checklist feature that exists are related to module requirements.

• How do I add requirements to a module? (use the "Mark as done" option if that they are not submitting something into Canvas and are only reading/viewing something)
• How do I mark a module item as done for a module requirement?

Does that help you?

-Doug

[chriscas]

Hi @OliviyaCarter,

I agree with @dbrace that using modules and adding requirements and prerequisites to them (so they need to complete module A before going to B, then complete B before C) would probably be the most helpful to keep students on track.  It sounds like you may already be using modules, so setting up the requirements and prerequisites shouldn't be too much work.  This doesn't exactly give a blank checklist, but it's probably the closest equivalent in Canvas.

With that being said, I'd also suggest having some current students review the orientation before you release it.  Get their feedback on whether it's easy for them to navigate and understand or not.  They may also be able to provide feedback on what they feel is necessary info to communicate and what is not.  I know as an admin that we tend to flood students with info, especially at orientation, but that often overwhelms students and decreases their retention of all of the information presented.  You don't have to follow all of their feedback, but I do find it useful to get student perspectives for projects like this to make sure the final product is actually beneficial for them.

-Chris

[jsowalsk]

@OliviyaCarter You can add requirements to modules and check to see in the course analytics if they have been completed: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-add-requirements-to-a-module/ta-p/1131

[jayell]

Hey Oliviya!

Oh, totally, you can add a checklist! Canvas doesn’t have a built-in checklist tool (sadly), but you can kinda make one by using Modules with completion requirements. Umm, when you set up each module, you can require students to "Mark as Done" or complete quizzes, assignments, or pages before moving on.

If you want something more visual, you could also, like, make a checklist PDF or Google Doc and link it in the course so they can tick stuff off as they go.