Publishing Your Course in ISU Canvas

Description

This article provides instructions on how to publish your ISU Canvas course at Idaho State University (ISU).

Guide Navigation

Comparing Unpublished and Published Course Status

Before students can access your course in Canvas, it must be published. Here’s what that means and how visibility works:

  • Unpublished Course: Students cannot see or access the course or any of its content.
  • Published Course: Students can enter the course and interact with any published content, such as modules, assignments, quizzes, and discussions.

To ensure your course is ready for students:

  • The course-level Publish button, under Course Status, must be clicked (located on the Home page).
  • Use Student View to verify what content is visible and accessible from the student perspective.

Publishing a Course, Module and/or Individual Items

Publishing at the Course Level

The Publish button on the Home page controls student access to the course as a whole.

  1. Open your course in Canvas.
  2. On the Home page, find the right-hand sidebar and click Publish under Course Status. 
  3. The button turns green when published. Once students submit their work, you cannot unpublish the course.

Publishing Modules

You can publish a module and all of its contents, or publish the module and leave individual items unpublished. Modules must be published to release their content, regardless of the status of individual items.

  1. Go to the Modules page.
  2. Locate the desired module.
  3. Click the publish icon next to each module. You’ll be prompted to choose:
  4. Publish module and all items: Makes the entire module and its contents visible.
    1. Publish module only: Module is visible, but only published items inside are accessible.
    2. Unpublish module and all items: Hides the module and everything in it.
    3. Unpublish module only: Hides the module, but published items may still be accessed elsewhere.
  5. Click the gray circle with a slash icon next to the module title.
  6. A green checkmark indicates the module is published.

Note: If the module is unpublished, all items inside are hidden—even if those items are published individually.

Publishing Individual Items in Course

You can publish or unpublish any item (assignment, page, file, quiz, etc.) individually.

  1. Navigate to the Modules, Assignments, or relevant tool page.
  2. Locate the item.
  3. Click the gray circle with a slash icon next to the item title.
    1. Green check = published
    2. Gray circle with a slash = unpublished

Tip: Be consistent. For content to be visible, both the module and the item must be published.

Tip: Use Student View (in the Home page sidebar) to verify what students can access.

Confirming Your Course is Ready to Publish

Note: Before clicking the Publish button on your Canvas course, take a moment to ensure that everything students need is visible and accessible. Use this checklist to confirm your course is ready:

  • The syllabus is uploaded
  • First-day modules are published
  • Key assignments, quizzes, and pages are visible
  • The course is published via Course Status
  • Student View confirms student access

Taking these steps helps ensure a smooth experience for your students on day one.

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