Currently, when students first enter a Canvas course, they are taken directly into the course content. There is no built-in option for institutions to require an acknowledgement or agreement step before access. Many schools need students to review important enrollment statements, academic integrity agreements, liability waivers, or other pre-course requirements. Without a formal acknowledgement feature, instructors often create workarounds (like quizzes, assignments, or external forms), which are inconsistent, easy to bypass, and not institutionally enforced.
Canvas should include an option for institutions to enable a “First Access Acknowledgement” feature. The first time a student enters a course, a customizable pop-up or landing page would appear containing the required statement (e.g., official enrollment acknowledgement, syllabus agreement, or pre-course policy). Students would be required to digitally sign, check a box, or type their name/date to acknowledge the statement before proceeding.
Once the acknowledgement is completed, the course content will unlock for the student. This feature would ensure that all students review and confirm key institutional requirements before accessing the course, reduce manual tracking for faculty, and provide a consistent, enforceable record of acknowledgement across the institution. It could also be built as a "commence enrollment" activity. The option to have more than one pop-up option would be a bonus.
It could be a pop-up statement, or a link to maybe the college's student handbook, policy book etc.
