Overview

Most courses include two types of learning goals, course outcomes and module/unit objectives. Course-level outcomes describe the overarching skills or knowledge a student will gain by completing your course, while module-level objectives describe the skills or knowledge students gain by the end of a module or other unit of study. Using Canvas Outcomes you can create, organize, and track the learning goals in your course. Your access to and view of Outcomes will vary depending on your permissions and whether your college is using classic Outcomes or Improved Outcomes Management. Canvas 101 uses classic Outcomes.

You can create outcomes from scratch, import them in bulk using a CSV file, or search for outcomes your college or department has already created. Organizing your outcomes into Outcome Groups makes them easier to manage. After you set up your outcomes, you can align them to graded assessments like quizzes, assignments, and discussions using a rubric. When you add an outcome to a rubric, you choose whether to use the criterion for scoring, how it is calculated, and the threshold for achievement. Aligning outcomes to graded assessments generates reporting data you can use to track student progress. You can also view all rubrics and assessments aligned to a specific outcome, which makes it easier to manage alignment across your course. Enabling the opt-in Learning Mastery Gradebook in addition to Outcomes will give you a visual snapshot of student achievement individually or across your course.

Learning Resources

Explore the links below to learn more about the Course Navigation menu in Canvas. Many of the Guides include short videos along with screenshots and step-by-step instructions, so you can watch and/or read depending on what works best for you.

Each link will open in a new tab. When you're ready, you can return to Canvas 101, by clicking on the Canvas tab in your browser.

Outcomes

Improved Outcomes Management

TIP: Building or rebuilding a course is a great time to examine or re-examine your outcomes and objectives. You may find Bloom's Taxonomy and list of associated action verbs helpful in doing so. Be sure to check in with your campus Office of Instruction and eLearning Department for specific course outcomes and requirements. Want to create and share outcomes within your department ... ask your eLearning office how!