Canvas Courses and Grade Retention Requirements

Published Canvas Shells

As with previous quarters during the Covid pandemic, all courses must have a published Canvas shell that includes, at a minimum, the syllabus. This includes courses that normally use a publisher or other third-party web site as the main instructional platform. 

Instruction Cabinet has determined that there are certain exceptions to this policy:

• ELCAP Pre-literacy and Level 1 ESOL classes
• Courses taught by other institutions (e.g. HSEM, BUSN courses taught by CWU)
• Independent studies, contractual studies, special studies courses
• Prior Learning Assessment courses
• Continuing Ed courses, except as part of a credit-bearing instructional program
• Coop/Internship sections

Canvas shells should be published by the end of the third day of the instructional quarter. For late start classes, Canvas shells should be published within two days of the start of instruction. 

Grade Retention

Grade records for sections required to issue grades will be stored in the Canvas shells for the respective sections using any one of the following methods, unless an exception is approved, in writing, by the Division Chair:

• Canvas gradebook
• MS Excel-compatible file uploaded to Canvas Files (eg. Export from third-party publisher site)
• Other digital documentation uploaded to Canvas Files (eg. Scan of paper records)

If you use the last two options, make sure you set the file permissions so that students can't see it!

• Hide Files from the course navigation
• Set file permissions to Unpublish Links to an external site.