Outcome Map
New in 4.2.0
On by default. Where: the course Outcomes page (the classic Outcomes page). For: instructors, instructional designers, deans, and admins.
Canvas shows outcome alignments one outcome at a time, and lists every assignment a rubric is attached to, which makes the big picture hard to see. The Outcome Map puts every outcome and everything aligned to it on one page, and lists what looks worth cleaning up.
The map only reads from Canvas. It never changes anything and saves nothing.
Open the map
- Open a course’s Outcomes page.
- Click Outcome Map, next to Find. The map opens in a new tab, so the Outcomes page stays open in the first one.
The map appears in a few seconds. It then reads the course’s Classic Quiz question banks, and a status line counts them off. A course with many question banks can take a little longer at this step, because each bank is read separately.
[SCREENSHOT: the Outcome Map button next to Find on the Outcomes page]
Read the map
Assignments run down the side, grouped by assignment group. Outcomes run across the top, grouped by outcome group. Question banks aligned to an outcome get their own rows at the bottom.
| Mark | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ● | A rubric criterion on the assignment, or the question bank, is aligned to that outcome |
| ○ | Only in courses that mix both kinds: a tracked-only criterion (see Grading below) |
| Inst. | An Institution outcome, created at the account level |
| Course | An outcome created in this course |
| Other | An outcome created in a different course and copied in |
| ⚑ | An outcome the map suggests you likely remove (see the Cleanup tab) |
A key above the map shows the marks that appear in your course. Hover a column header for the full outcome title, description, and ID. Hover a mark for the rubric and criterion, or the question bank and its mastery percentage.
Totals show how many outcomes each assignment covers and how many assignments and question banks assess each outcome. When two outcomes in the same group share a number, they are labeled 1a, 1b, and so on.
The legend under the map lists every outcome with its source, description, outcome group, ID, how many assignments and banks use it, and whether Canvas will let you remove it now.
[SCREENSHOT: the map with outcome columns, assignment rows, and the key]
Notes above the map
- What this map includes: rubrics on assignments, and Classic Quiz question banks that belong to the course. It does not include New Quizzes item banks, or question banks stored in other courses or accounts.
- Grading: whether the outcome criteria count toward the grade. A tracked-only criterion records an outcome result when the instructor selects a rating, but its points are left out of the grade. A scored one adds its points into the grade.
- Blueprint: in a Blueprint course, a reminder that changes sync to associated courses. In a course that receives Blueprint content, a link to the Blueprint, because shared rubrics and outcomes should be fixed there.
Assignment rows can carry small badges: Unpublished, No rubric, Rubric not used for grading, and Locked by Blueprint (or Locked in associated courses in the Blueprint itself).
Clean up outcomes
The Cleanup tab waits until every question bank has been read, so an outcome assessed only through a quiz bank is never reported as unused.
It starts with a suggested fix order:
- Point rubric criteria at the outcome you are keeping, and on question bank pages align the kept outcome and remove the old one.
- Remove the outcomes you no longer need from the course Outcomes page.
- Delete rubrics that are not attached to any assignment, if no one needs them.
- Click Refresh in the map to check the result.
- In a Blueprint course, sync so associated courses receive the fixes.
Then it lists:
- Likely remove: suggestions, each with its reason and whether Canvas will let you remove it yet.
- Possible duplicate outcomes: outcomes with very similar wording but different IDs, often an old and a revised version. This is a wording match, so review before acting.
- Outcomes not used by any assignment or question bank.
- Outcomes that may belong to another course: course-level outcomes created in a different course, and outcomes whose description names a different course code.
- Rubrics not attached to any assignment that carry outcomes. Canvas still lists these as alignments, which is why its own Outcomes page looks cluttered.
- Assignments with no outcome.
- Duplicate rubric copies, such as a rubric and its “(1)” copy.
- Outcomes on rubrics or question banks but not in this course.
- More than one outcome group in use.
Each item links to its Canvas page, which opens in a new tab. Make any change there, then click Refresh.
[SCREENSHOT: the Cleanup tab with the fix order and the Likely remove list]
How “Likely remove” is decided
An outcome is marked ⚑ when either is true:
- It is a course-level duplicate that nothing uses, and its duplicate set has an Institution outcome or an in-use outcome to keep.
- Its description names a different course code than the course, such as NRSG 403 in an NRSG 412 course.
These are suggestions, not decisions. If the outcome is still used, move those alignments first. Canvas will not remove an outcome from a course while a rubric or question bank still uses it, and the Can remove now column shows which ones it will allow.
Export and print
- Export Map CSV: the map as a spreadsheet, with each outcome’s source, description, and whether it can be removed now.
- Export Cleanup CSV: every Cleanup item with its source, details, hint, and link.
- Print: a landscape copy of both tabs.
Limits
- Works on the classic Outcomes page.
- Reads only question banks that belong to the course. New Quizzes item banks are not included.
- Does not show which quizzes draw from each question bank.
- Possible duplicates and course-code mismatches are found by matching text, so review them before removing anything.