canvas-course-qc skill by vishalsachdev

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Ghost items	Blocking	Published items inside unpublished modules (invisible to students)
Unpublished modules	Warning	Modules that may need publishing before semester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

8. Offer Follow-up Actions

After presenting the report, offer actionable next steps:

Would you like me to:

Auto-fix publishing -- Publish all unpublished modules (with confirmation)

Show details -- Expand on a specific issue

Run accessibility audit -- Check for WCAG-oriented issues (uses canvas-accessibility-auditor skill)

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.

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

8. Offer Follow-up Actions

After presenting the report, offer actionable next steps:

Would you like me to:

Auto-fix publishing -- Publish all unpublished modules (with confirmation)

Show details -- Expand on a specific issue

Run accessibility audit -- Check for WCAG-oriented issues (uses canvas-accessibility-auditor skill)

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.

canvas-course-qc

Documentation

Documentation

Canvas Course QC

Prerequisites

Steps

1. Identify Target Course

2. Retrieve Course Structure

3. Run Structure Checks

4. Run Content Checks

5. Run Publishing Checks

6. Run Completeness Checks

7. Generate QC Report

8. Offer Follow-up Actions

MCP Tools Used

Example

Notes

Documentation

canvas-course-qc

Documentation

Canvas Course QC

Prerequisites

Steps

1. Identify Target Course

2. Retrieve Course Structure

3. Run Structure Checks

4. Run Content Checks

5. Run Publishing Checks

6. Run Completeness Checks

7. Generate QC Report

8. Offer Follow-up Actions

MCP Tools Used

Example

Notes