• Review Course Learning Outcomes, requisites, and other course information, and reflect on where you hope your students are at the end of the course.
• If you’ve taught the course before, read through your syllabus and remind yourself of how you have guided students toward course learning outcomes. If this is your first time with the course, see if you can chat with someone who has taught it and seek out some sample syllabi. If you have data related to students’ experiences and outcomes, read through it.
• List texts, videos, examples, and data sets that excite you about the course. 
• Reflect on what successful learning and teaching can look like in this course. Think about how you can share stories with students about what can be challenging and how they can stay engaged. If you’ve taught the course before, read your Student Evaluations of Teaching for what students loved and found challenging.
• Consider where your students are coming from. What could be motivating students to take the course? What authentic connections might be created between your course and their lives?

• Enter your textbook information in the Faculty Center in MyUW. This allows students to see it in Course Search & Enroll.
• If you want textbooks to be available for students to purchase in one or more local bookstores, contact the bookstores so copies can be ordered.
• Engage provides access to eTexts and other digital resources, typically at a fraction of the print cost. NOTE: Materials must be ordered the semester before the course is offered, during designated ordering periods.
• Pressbooks is a campus-supported tool that allows you to create your own course content or use other Open Educational Resources content. 
• Reserve course materials for students to access at UW–Madison Libraries. These can be books, textbooks, articles, videos, solution sets, and exams. Reserved materials will be shared with students via a reading list as part of the Library Dashboard in Canvas. Reserve requests can be processed within a few business days but may take longer if we do not currently own the item. Libraries can also help determine if course material is freely available to students online through a library purchase or as a public domain or Creative Commons work, as well as identify materials available through library licensed databases.

• Consult these suggestions for pre-semester planning from the McBurney Center for Disability Resources.
• As you create course content, ensure your content is accessible. Use UDOIT to scan your Canvas course for barriers and remediate them.

Additional resources:

• Instructor Guide to Student Accommodations (McBurney Disability Resource Center)
• Make It Accessible (UW–Madison Information Technology)
  

• Learn about the three core components of a UW–Madison syllabus and download an MS Word document that you can use to start creating your own syllabus.
• Strengthen your syllabus with techniques to support belonging and effective course participation.

• Your Canvas course shell is created automatically, typically about one week after enrollment begins for the semester. It shows up in your Canvas dashboard.
• You can practice using Canvas and experiment with different features by requesting a “sandbox” course – fill out the Non-Credit Canvas Course Request Form. You can also use a sandbox to develop materials for a future course whose shell hasn’t been created yet.
• Canvas offers a variety of ways to create and import course content. These include copying content from another Canvas course (for example, from a prior semester to the current semester). If you have copied content, make sure to review it and update assignment due dates.
• You can integrate many other learning applications, including many of the centrally supported Learn@UW suite of tools, into your Canvas course.
• Add Student Tech Modules to your Canvas course to help students learn to use Kaltura Mediaspace, Piazza, and other learning technologies.
• Canvas is not intended for large amounts of file storage. Use Google Drive and Kaltura (for videos) to store your course content and link to it from Canvas. Learn more.
• When everything’s ready, remember to publish the course so it’s visible to students. To verify that your course is good to go, see Making Sure Your Canvas Course Is Ready.

Additional Resources:

• For help setting up your Canvas course, you can contact the DoIT Help Desk and ask to meet with a consultant or reach out to the support service in your School or College.
• Getting Started in Canvas (Learn@UW Knowledgebase)
• Learn@UW trainings for both novice and advanced users.
• Inclusive Canvas Setup Guide (L&S Instructional Design Collaborative)

• Create a Module Zero in Canvas to introduce students to your course and how it will work. Include a welcome message to help students feel valued and supported.
• Check the religious observances calendar for the upcoming semester and plan ahead, to the extent possible, to avoid conflicts between holidays and exams or other major course activities.
• If you’d like to use Google Groups in your class (for example, to send email to the entire class), view these instructions for getting started.
• Get to know your students with a pre-course survey.
• Design a first class meeting in which you invite students to see how your course fits into their educational goals, how to participate in the course, and the ways in which their participation matters to you and their peers. View a sample exercise.
• In large courses, consider these tips for using Canvas to communicate.
• In smaller courses, view your class roster to familiarize yourself with students’ names and photos.

Additional resources:

• Navigating Classroom Dynamics & Disruptions (CTLM)
• Belonging in the Classroom (CTLM Instructional Resources Knowledgebase)
• Holding Effective & Inclusive Office Hours (L&S Instructional Design Collaborative)

• To view your room assignment, go to the Faculty Center in MyUW.
• If you teach in a General Assignment classroom, you can learn more available audio-visual features and how to use them from Classroom Media Support. Use the following links for support in these areas: Chamberlin Hall, Chemistry Building, Engineering campus, Grainger Hall, HSLC/CSC/WIMR/MFCB.
• If you are not teaching in a General Assignment classroom, contact the department that controls the room to learn more about it.
• If you are teaching in a room you haven’t taught in before, consider stopping by to get a feel for the space and how you will move in it.

Additional resources for General Assignment classrooms:

• Classroom AV system tutorial
• Classroom Media Support offers open houses at the start of each semester and one-on-one support by request at other times.