Canvas Course QC

Automated quality checklist for Learning Designers to verify a Canvas course is ready for students. Runs structure, content, publishing, and completeness checks — then reports issues by priority.

Prerequisites

• Canvas MCP server must be running and connected.
• Authenticated user must have instructor, TA, or designer role in the target course.
• Best run before the semester starts or before publishing a course to students.

Steps

1. Identify Target Course

Ask the user which course to QC. Accept a course code, Canvas ID, or course name.

If not specified, prompt:

Which course would you like to quality-check?

Use list_courses to look up available courses if needed.

2. Retrieve Course Structure

Call get_course_structure(course_identifier) to get the full module-to-items tree in one call.

This returns all modules with their items, publishing states, and summary statistics.

3. Run Structure Checks

Analyze the module tree for structural issues:

Check	Priority	What to Look For
Empty modules	Warning	Modules with 0 items (confusing to students)
Naming consistency	Suggestion	Do all modules follow the same pattern? (e.g., "Week N:", "Unit N:")
Module count	Suggestion	Does it match expected count for course length?
Item ordering	Suggestion	SubHeaders present for organization?

4. Run Content Checks

Call list_assignments(course_identifier) and check each assignment:

Check	Priority	What to Look For
Missing due dates	Blocking	Graded assignments without a due_at date
Missing descriptions	Warning	Assignments with empty or null description
Missing points	Warning	Assignments without points_possible set
Date sequencing	Warning	Due dates that don't follow module order
Rubric coverage	Suggestion	Graded assignments without an associated rubric

For pages, check if any pages in modules have empty body content using get_page_content for pages flagged in the structure.

5. Run Publishing Checks

Using the structure data:

Check	Priority	What to Look For
Ghost items	Blocking	Published items inside unpublished modules (invisible to students)
Unpublished modules	Warning	Modules that may need publishing before semester
No front page	Warning	Course has no front page set

Check for front page by calling list_pages(course_identifier) and looking for front_page: true.

6. Run Completeness Checks

Compare module structures to find inconsistencies:

Check	Priority	What to Look For
Inconsistent structure	Warning	Most modules have 4 items but some only have 1
Missing item types	Suggestion	Most modules have an Assignment but some don't

Build a "typical module" profile from the most common item-type pattern, then flag modules that deviate.

7. Generate QC Report

Present results grouped by priority:

## Course QC Report: [Course Name]

### Summary
- Modules: 15 | Items: 67 | Assignments: 15 | Pages: 20
- Issues found: 3 blocking, 5 warnings, 2 suggestions

### Blocking Issues (fix before publishing)
1. Assignment "Final Project" has no due date
2. Published "Week 5 Quiz" is inside unpublished "Week 5" module (invisible to students)
3. Assignment "Midterm" has no due date

### Warnings (should fix)
1. 2 empty modules: "Week 14", "Week 15"
2. 3 assignments missing descriptions: HW 3, HW 7, HW 12
3. No front page set for course
4. Due dates out of order: Week 8 assignment due before Week 7
5. "Week 3" module has 1 item while typical modules have 4

### Suggestions (nice-to-have)
1. Module naming: 13/15 use "Week N:" pattern but "Midterm Review" and "Final Review" don't
2. 5 graded assignments have no rubric attached

8. Offer Follow-up Actions

After presenting the report, offer actionable next steps:

Would you like me to:

1. Auto-fix publishing -- Publish all unpublished modules (with confirmation)
2. Show details -- Expand on a specific issue
3. Run accessibility audit -- Check for WCAG-oriented issues (uses canvas-accessibility-auditor skill)
4. Check another course

For auto-fix, use update_module or bulk_update_pages with user confirmation before each batch.

MCP Tools Used

Tool	Purpose
list_courses	Find available courses
get_course_structure	Full module tree with items
list_assignments	Assignment details for content checks
get_assignment_details	Deep-dive on flagged assignments
list_pages	Check for front page
get_page_content	Verify pages have content
list_rubrics	Check rubric coverage
update_module	Auto-fix: publish modules
bulk_update_pages	Auto-fix: publish pages

Example

User: "QC check for BADM 350"

Agent: Runs all checks, outputs the prioritized report.

User: "Fix the publishing issues"

Agent: Publishes the 2 unpublished modules after confirmation.

Notes

• This skill is designed for Learning Designers who manage course structure before students access it.
• Run this before each semester or after major content updates.
• Pairs well with canvas-accessibility-auditor for comprehensive course review.