How do I use an embedded Google document as a daily course agenda in Canvas?

To create a dynamic daily agenda that appears when students sign in, your best course of action is to create a running agenda in a google slide deck (or google doc) and embed that onto your front page in Canvas. Any updates you make to your doc or slide deck will update on your Canvas agenda front page.

If your Canvas administrator has integrated Google Drive with Canvas, please see How Do I Create a Hyperlink or Embed a file from Google Drive into the Rich Content Editor. Then begin at step 4.

Step 1 - Creating your agenda

Create an agenda document in either a Google document or a Google slide deck that you can update on daily or weekly basis, depending on how you intend to use your course agenda. If you intend to use a Google doc for your agenda, please see Using Google Docs for dynamic Canvas Content to ensure your Google doc will have a proper viewing window on your Canvas page. This example agenda was created in Google Slides.

Step 2 - Create the embed code

Select File from the top menu
Click Publish to the Web

Select the Embed tab on the pop up window
Click on Publish at the bottom

Copy the embed code and save it to a text file or other document. You will need it later

Click the x in the pop up window to close the embed code.

Step 3 - Create a Canvas agenda page

Create a canvas page that will allow students to view your agenda directly in Canvas.

From your left navigation bar, select Pages
Select the +Page button in the upper right of your screen

Create a title for the Page
Select the insert tab
Select Embed from the dropdown menu

Paste the Embed code from Step 1 into the Embed Code box that appears and select Submit

Click Save & Publish

Step 4 - Making your Agenda the Home Page in Canvas

Configure the newly created agenda Canvas page to be the "front page" in the course. To do this, follow the steps outlined in the article on How do I set a Front Page in a course?

Next, change the default home page for your course. This ensures students will start on the agenda page when they navigate to the course. Follow the steps here How do I change the course home page to complete your configurations.

Once completed, the agenda should display as the home page. To navigate to the home page, click home in the left hand navigation column. The student view can be accessed by clicking on Student View in the upper right corner."

Teacher View

Student View

To learn more about the power of agendas and their purpose in a PBL classroom, check out this article about Learner-Centered Echo Agenda Characteristics

The NTN Gradebook is constantly being improved based on the feedback from users and we strive to keep our documentation up to date. If this document doesn’t match what you are currently seeing, please let us know.

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