Canvas Outcomes Step 1: Program Decisions and Design
Departments can use Canvas Outcomes to track student performance on program learning standards with the help of the UIW Instructional Technology team. This guide sets project expectations for program use of Canvas Outcomes, explaining the decisions made by the department and the design process used at UIW.
Schedule an Outcomes Consultation
Project Expectations
Project expectations are defined to ensure a smooth and efficient experience with Canvas Outcomes. This tool depends on careful decision-making. Once outcomes are imported into a Canvas course, changes to names, descriptions, or calculation methods do not sync. Any adjustments after faculty begin course set up require they repeat the process. Additionally, once an outcome has been used to assess a student, it cannot be deleted.
Department Considerations for Success
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Communicate Who to Contact: Announce a designated representative for faculty to contact.
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Assessment Specialist Role: Schools may assign an Assessment Specialist to help faculty set up rubrics and assessments. This role has administrative access to all courses in the school’s Canvas account but cannot view student or grade data unless added to the course by the Instructor of Record.
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Standardize a Proficiency Rating Scale: Schools must adopt a shared proficiency rating scale. This scale will be set in the school's Canvas account to be used by all departments within that school.
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Document Program Decisions: Clearly outline department decisions regarding Canvas Outcomes usage and faculty assessment expectations.
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Align with Policies: Ensure use of Canvas Outcomes matches all syllabi, grading methods, and department policies.
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Determine Grade Processes: Programs must coordinate grading decisions to maintain consistency. For example, decide whether outcomes will have scoring enabled and how faculty will handle complete/incomplete grading.
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Prevent Misuse of Outcomes: Faculty must not use outcomes created for other departments or practice with outcomes in academic courses. Unauthorized use and testing behaviors compromise data integrity.
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Safe Practice Options: Sandbox courses are available for learning and experimentation. Outcomes in sandbox courses are safe to use but we are unable to duplicate department outcomes or rating scales.
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Coordinate with Tech Support: When requesting technical assistance, be prepared to explain how your assessments are structured so that support can provide accurate guidance.
Program Decisions
Decisions made by a designated department representative:
Design proposals reviewed and approved by the department representative:
- A sustainable folder structure for organizing standards.
- Naming conventions for outcomes.
- The final import file before upload to Canvas.
Faculty support and training coordinated by the department representative:
- Announce the adoption of Canvas Outcomes and share UIW guides.
- Communicate department processes and assessment decisions.
- Designate one or more faculty to act as Assessment Specialists.
Design Process and Timeline
Canvas Outcomes projects take approximately 6 weeks:
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Consultation: 1 hour for key stakeholders to discuss the program's needs, provide standards to outcomes designer, and schedule planning meeting.
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Proposal: 2 weeks for outcomes designer to format a plan.
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Planning Meeting: 1 to 2 hours to review designer's proposal and make decisions.
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Proposal Revisions: 1 week for outcomes designer to make requested edits.
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File Review: 1 week for department representative to approve the import file.
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Import Process: 2-3 days for outcomes designer to upload outcomes into the Canvas account.
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Leadership Debrief: 1 to 2 hours to answer questions, support the creation of internal processes, and plan faculty training needs.
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Faculty Training and Course Implementation: 1 day workshop for faculty to import outcomes into their courses, create rubrics, and set up assessments.
Outcomes Resources
Canvas Outcomes is a robust feature requiring careful planning to ensure assessment integrity. We encourage faculty and administrators to carefully review each of our guides: