Create a New Course
If you have never created a Vantage course, when you first login you will be taken directly into the course creation process. If you have created a course before, you can use the Create Course button at the top right of your My Courses Dashboard to create a new course.
1. Click Create a New Course to begin.
2. Complete the Course Information page (1. Enter Course Information). Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk.
a. Select an Institution and Department. If you do not see your institution or department in the dropdowns, follow the directions on the right of the page to update your information.
b. Locate the title you wish to use. There are two ways to find it.
You can start typing to search by author or title.
You can also search by discipline. Once you choose the discipline, you can further refine your search by choosing a Course Area. All titles available for the discipline and course area combination you select will display. Choose your title from the list.
c. Complete the Course name, Section Name, Course Start and End dates, Time Zone, and Course Description fields. Section Name and Course Description are optional fields, but all other information is required.
d. Click Next once you complete your course details.
3. On the next page (Choose Gradebook and Global Assignment Settings), default settings for your gradebook and assignments are selected. The images below show the default settings, but you can make changes based on the needs of your course.
4. Late Assignments
Selecting "Accept late assignments" will display grades for all student submissions. If all attempts for an assignment are submitted after the due date, the student grade for that assignment will display in red in the gradebook.
If you select "Do not accept late assignments," Vantage will not display any late assignment submissions in your gradebook. All student work is viewable from the student's dashboard.
5. Short Answers and Critical Thinking Checks
Short answers are present in Critical Thinking Checks, Video Activities, Data Activities, Reading Activities. If they are assigned and not set for auto credit, you will need to review and assign credit for students when they complete their attempts for these assessments before the student will receive a full grade.
6. Vantage Grade To Date
You can choose to display or not the cumulative grade for all Vantage assignments assigned for a grade and for completion on the student dashboard and the percentage of what Vantage is worth in your overall grade.
a. Gradebook Settings
Default: Accept late assignments, Assign short answer questions for each activity type, Critical Thinking Checks, Vantage grade to date and percentage of Vantage grade to student’s overall course grade
b. Global Assignment Settings by Type
i. Chapter Quizzes
Default: Assigned for a grade, one attempt, Unlimited Chapter Quiz reviews, and to restrict or not access to the quizzes
ii. Knowledge Checks
Default: Assigned for completion, Hints are allowed, Unlimited attempts
iii. Critical Thinking Checks
(If you elected not to assign short answer and Critical Thinking Checks earlier on this page, you will not see this section)
Default: Assigned for completion, Unlimited attempts
iv. Video Activities, Data Activities, Reading Activities
Default: Assign short answer questions, Assigned for completion, Unlimited attempts
v. If assigned for a grade, you will have a choice to receive credit automatically or require instructor review.
vi. Self Assessments
Default: Are for completion only
c. Click Review to verify your course settings.
7. Review the Course Details on the Review page (3 Review & Complete Course) to double check the settings you made for your course.
a. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.
b. Review the Gradebook Settings. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.
c. Review the Global Assignment Settings. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.
d. Click Complete to finish creating your course. On the course creation confirmation page, you can click the respective Copy buttons to copy your course link (used for non-LMS integrated courses only) or Course ID. You can then paste these details to wherever you want to store the information.
You can also click the Send button to email a copy of this information to yourself. Once you are finished on this page, click Back to My Courses to return to your My Courses Dashboard.
8. Once your course is created, you can go to the Assignments tab from the course tile on your My Courses Dashboard page. This will allow you to apply more granular settings for each Chapter and/or assignment.
9. Once you have finished editing Chapters and Assignments, your Vantage course can be paired with your Canvas course.
Copy an Existing Course
If you have created a Vantage course in the past, you may wish to copy that course to use for another section in the same term or for a new term.
 TIP: Copying a course is a one-time action. You should finish customizing the assignments and due dates of your course before making a copy of it. After you finish the copy process, changes will need to be made to both courses separately.
1. Click Create Course at the top right of your My Courses Dashboard.
2. Click Copy an Existing Course.
Or Click on the Cogwheel above the cover of the textbook and click copy.
3. You will see a list of all of your courses available to copy if you click on the “copy an existing course box.” NOTE: If you click on the cogwheel and then copy you will only see that course but all other steps are the same.
a. Choose the course you wish to copy.
b. If the course dates of your old and new courses match – for example, if you are running multiple sections of the same course in a single term – you can copy the due dates as well. Tick the "Copy due dates" checkbox to retain them.
c. Click Next to start the course creation process.
4. The Course Details of your chosen course will appear. You will see a banner message to change the Course Name, Section Name or Start and End Dates. Once you change one or more of these fields, click Next.
5. On the Review page (3. Review & Complete Course), you can double check the settings you made for your course.
a. Review the Course Details. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.
b. Review the Gradebook Settings. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.
c. Review the Global Assignment Settings. If you need to make changes, click the pencil icon to the right of this section.
d. Click Complete to finish creating your course. On the course creation confirmation page, you can click the respective Copy buttons to copy your course link (used for non-LMS integrated courses only) or Course ID. You can then paste these details to wherever you want to store the information.
You can also click the Send button to email a copy of this information to yourself. Once you are finished on this page, click Back to My Courses to return to your My Courses Dashboard.
6. Once your course is created, you can go to the Assignments tab from the course tile on your My Courses Dashboard page. This will allow you to apply more granular settings for each Chapter and/or assignment.
7. Once you have finished editing Chapters and Assignments (if necessary), your Vantage course can be paired with your Canvas course.
Deep Links and Grade Sync in a New Canvas Course
For best results, create your Vantage course before you are ready to pair it with your Canvas course. Assignment points and due dates will sync to Canvas when you create your grade links, but changes will not automatically update after the fact. Therefore, we recommended you set your point values and due dates in Vantage before pairing with Canvas, as well.
We recommend creating links in the Modules area of your course, although you could also use the Pages area. Using Modules tends to give the smoothest user experience.
You can add a module specifically for your Sage Vantage content or include the Vantage links within existing modules (for example, if you set up your Canvas course with a module for each chapter). The layout of your Canvas course depends entirely on your instructional design preferences.
You do not need links for each section of Vantage content. Once students are in Vantage, they can access all Chapters and Assignments in the courseware. A link is required, however, for each grade you want to sync from Vantage to Canvas. Depending on how many Assignments you want to capture grades for, this can make for a lot of links in your course. For this reason, it can be beneficial to separate links into those you want students to see on the Canvas Home or Modules pages, and those you wish to have hidden from students in terms of course navigation, but still have available for grades in Canvas.
Adding links for students to see
Adding links for grade tracking only
Adding links for students to see
1. Choose the module where you would like to add a Vantage link. Next, click the "+" button to add new content to the module.
Note: If you are adding Vantage content through Pages instead of Modules, create or edit the Page where you wish to add content. Click the Apps icon in the toolbar and select the Sage Vantage tool. Adding links will mirror the process outlined below for Modules.
2. In the "Add" dropdown menu, select External Tool from the list. You will see a list of available tools. Choose the tool for Sage Vantage.
Note: Your Canvas administrator can choose the name of the tool when installing it. While the tool name may be simply Sage Vantage or Vantage, it also could be named something such as Sage Vantage Link Selector.
3. Locate the Vantage course you wish to pair with, then click Select. If you only have one Vantage course in your account, it will automatically be selected for you.
4. After selecting your Vantage course, the link selection page will load. Three dropdown menus are available to help you filter content in your Vantage course. They will help you narrow content selections to more easily pick links and grade sync items. We recommend using only one filter at a time.
The dropdown menu options are
a. Resource Types – Filter by a single resource type such as Readings, Chapter Quizzes, etc.
b. Chapters – Filter content by a single chapter
c. Assignments – Filter only assignments or by assignment status (assigned for grade / completion or unassigned)
5. Once you filter the content, the sorted list will show only those items matching your selection. You can choose items from the resulting list to create deep links and/or grade syncs in your Canvas course.
For each item in the list, there are two columns on the right of the page. The left column (Link to Course) refers to the deep link that is added to your Canvas module. The right column (Grade Sync) determines if an assignment is synced with your Canvas gradebook.
If an item is not gradable – such as a chapter reading – the grade sync column will not have a checkbox. It will instead have a dash indicating it cannot be synced. If you have previously grade synced an assignment, the Grade Sync column will show a dash as well indicating it's already synced.
Create both links and grade syncs at the same time per resource type:
Create both links and grade syncs at the same time per chapter.
a. Create content links in your course
To create a link in your Canvas course, choose one or more items you wish to
add by ticking the checkbox in the "Link to Course" column for that item. If you previously selected an item for grade sync (such as Knowledge Checks, Video Activities or Chapter Quizzes), the Grade Sync column will display a gray check 
mark confirming it is grade synced.
You can use the "Select All" checkbox above the "Link to Course" column to add a link and grade synch for all items in the sort list. This will select both the link to course and grade synch boxes. All checkboxes will be ticked, a link added to the Canvas course module and the grade synch will add an assignment to the assignment area and a column in the grade book. You only want to do this for the different resource types except for Chapter Readings
You can use the Go Back button to choose more content if you forgot to add items. When you review, you will see all choices you have made.
Once you have picked all links you want to add to your Canvas module, click Continue on the "Confirm LMS Selection(s)" page to return to the Canvas Module and see the deep links you just created.
If you only add only one link after you click continue on the confirmation page in Vantage the process will stop at the add item page. Scroll down until you see the URL and Page Name fields. You can change the Page Name if you wish. We recommend that you select the Load in a new tab checkbox. Click Add Item to finish.
The deep links will appear in your module. Links without grade sync will have a link icon. Links with a grade sync will have the assignment icon. If necessary, publish your module / content so students can access it.
If you have selected multiple links to add to your course module, you will not have to click the add item button to add the links to the module because the links will be added automatically to the selected module after a very brief pause on the add item to module page.
Links without a grade sync will appear in Canvas with the link icon to the right of the assignment link. Links with a grade sync will appear with the assignment icon to the right of the assignment link.
You need to be in modules to edit the links with the link icon. Click the 3 dots to the right of the link assignment's title to open the action menu. Select Edit from the list of options. You will be able to edit the title of the link and check the box in front of “Load in a new tab” which gives students a better reading experience.
You can edit the links with the assignment icon either in Modules or in Assignments. In Modules click on the assignment link and then click on Edit Assignment Settings. In the Assignment area click the 3 dots to the right of the assignment's title to open the action menu. Select Edit from the list of options.
When adding grade sync items, assignments are created within the Assignments area of Canvas as well as adding assignment columns in the gradebook. Visit your Canvas gradebook to see the new columns that were added to your assignment selections. Visit the assignment area to see the newly added assignments you can group and assign weights.
NOTE: It is always a good practice to click on at least one Vantage link to assure connection.
Student experience without opening in a new window.
Student experience with opening in a new window.
Adding links for grade tracking only
The easiest (and fastest) way to add grade links for grade tracking only is to create a dedicated Module in Canvas for your additional Vantage assignments that are not linked elsewhere in your course. For example, if you have a reading link and a Chapter Quiz link in each of your modules for that week’s chapter, but you want to capture grade for Quizzes, Knowledge Checks, and Video Activities, then you would link your Knowledge Checks and Video Activities in the “extra” module that’s only for Assignments.
The linking process itself is the same as for links you want students to see, the only change is in how you set up the Module.
1. Create your placeholder module.
2. Add the Vantage assignments links.
3. Publish the module and all assignments.
4. Unpublish the module, leaving the individual assignments as published. Canvas requires that assignments be published before it will accept grades from Vantage. Hiding the module while leaving the assignments published means that grades will flow to Canvas, but students will not see the assignment links on their Home or Modules page.
Add Assignment Due Dates and allow for assignments to open in a new window in Canvas
After you grade sync Vantage assignments, you can assign due dates in Canvas and have the assignment open in a new window. Doing so allows students to take advantage of the native features in Canvas to monitor their upcoming tasks and have a better reading and learning experience.
1. In the left navigation menu, click on Assignments. Next to the first assignment, you would like to update, click the 3 dots to the right of the assignment's title to open the action menu. Select Edit from the list of options.
2. Click on more options.
3. Scroll down to Submission Type and check the box in front of “Load This Tool In A New Tab,” add the Due Date and then click on “Save & Publish” or “Save.”
4. Repeat this process to add a date and open in a new window for all Vantage assignments in Canvas.
5. Once the assignment dates are added, you and your students can see the assignments listed on the course Home page in Canvas. They will appear in the "Coming Up" area on the right side of the page.
Students can also see upcoming assignments in the "To Do" list of their Canvas dashboard, by clicking the assignment icon of their course card on the dashboard, or in the Canvas calendar.
Excluding Grades for Completion from the Canvas Gradebook Calculations
Knowledge Checks, Video Activities, etc. are often assigned for completion instead of a grade in Vantage. If you choose to grade sync these assignments, the gradebook column in Canvas will record the point value to show the assignment was completed.
While you may want your Canvas gradebook to show these assignments were completed, you may not want to include these points in the final grade calculations. You can exclude these assignments from the final grade, but still allow them to display in the gradebook to show the assignment was completed.
1. In the left navigation menu, click on Assignments. Next to the first assignment you would like to update, click the 3 dots to the right of the assignment's title to open the action menu. Select Edit from the list of options.
2. Add the due date, then click Save.
3. Scroll down the page about halfway. Tick the checkbox next to Do not count this assignment towards the final grade.
4. Click Save on the bottom right of the page.
5. Repeat this process to exclude any assignments that you don't want to include in the final grade calculations.
Deep Links and Grade Sync in a Canvas Course Copy
NOTE: For best results, create or copy your Vantage course before you are ready to pair it with your Canvas course copy.
1. Follow your school's normal process to make a copy of your Canvas course including the Vantage links.
2. Once your Canvas course copy is complete, go to a module and click on any Vantage link to begin the pairing process.
3. On the Vantage "Copy Course Selection" page, choose the option to Pair your LMS course to an existing Vantage course.
4. Locate the Vantage course you wish to pair with, then click Select.
5. After you select the course, you will see the student preview of the content for the link you clicked to initiate the pairing process.
6. You can close the student preview and return to your Canvas course. No further action is required. |