How do I add items to the Calendar?

The Calendar tool allows you to post events to a calendar. For example, an instructor might use the Calendar to post reminders about class activities and due dates, while a student might post a meeting with a study group in My Calendar in Home. This article describes how to add events directly in the Calendar tool.

Note: When you have the Calendar tool added to your site, the following tools also have options to display due dates or event dates on the Calendar. Select the link below to go to specific instructions for adding an item to the calendar from one of these other tools.

Go to Calendar.

Select the Calendar tool from the tool menu in your site.

Select Add Event.

Select Add Event in the menu bar near the top of the screen to create a new event.

Add event content.

You must enter a Title, Date, and Start Time to create an event.  All other fields are optional.

  • Your Title will be displayed on the calendar, so it is best to make it something short and informative.  
  • The Date is the day that the event takes place. You may select the date from the drop-down menus, or you may use the calendar icon to the right to bring up a pop-up calendar for selecting your date.
  • The Start Time is the time of day when the event begins. For a meeting, the start time is easy to determine. If your event is simply a reminder about required reading or other non-time-specific activities on a certain day, you might set the start time at 12:00 AM.  

If desired, you may also enter an event Duration, End Time, and Message.

  • The Duration is how long the event will last. Selecting an amount of time from the Duration drop-down menu will automatically update your End Time accordingly.
  • The End Time is when you expect the event to end.  Selecting a time of day from the End Time drop-down menu will automatically update your Duration accordingly.
  • You may also provide additional event details in the Message area. The Rich-Text Editor is available to you in the Message area, which means that you can format your text, or include images, links, or other embedded content as part of the event details.

Note: After entering text or other content into the editor in UVACollab, we recommend using the Accessibility Checker to confirm that the content is fully accessible to all site participants. See How do I check my content for accessibility? for more information on the Accessibility Checker and instructions for checking content.

Choose Display Options.

You may select to display the event to the whole site, or to selected groups. Display to site is the default.

Note: You must have existing groups (or at least one official course roster) in your course for the Display to selected groups option to appear.

Display to selected groups.

If you have groups in your class and you would like to post events that are only visible to specific groups, select the Display to selected groups option.  

The menu will expand to show a listing of existing groups/rosters and you may select one or more groups from this list.

Recurring events.

If your event happens more than once, you have the option to modify the frequency of the event so that it posts to the calendar at specified intervals.

Select the Frequency button to add a recurring event.

Select Event Frequency.

Select the frequency option from the Event Frequency dropdown menu that best describes your event. Options include:

  • once
  • daily
  • weekly
  • Sunday/Monday/Wednesday
  • Sunday/Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday
  • Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday
  • Monday/Wednesday
  • Monday/Wednesday/Friday
  • Tuesday/Thursday
  • monthly
  • yearly

Select Save to save the selected Event Frequency.

Event Type.

Select the Event Type dropdown menu to view all available types. The default event type is Activity.

Select an Event Type.

You may select a different event type if it is more appropriate for your calendar item. For example, for an exam event, you might select Exam as the event type. Options include:

  • Academic Calendar
  • Activity
  • Cancellation
  • Class section - Discussion
  • Class section - Lab
  • Class section - Lecture
  • Class section - Small Group
  • Class session
  • Computer Session
  • Deadline
  • Exam
  • Formative Assessment
  • Meeting
  • Multidisciplinary Conference
  • Quiz
  • Special event
  • Submission Date
  • Tutorial
  • Web Assignment
  • Workshop

The type of event that you choose controls the icon associated with that event when displayed on the calendar, as shown in the legend above. It will also control the priority of the item as specified in the user's individual preferences.

Enter an Event Location.

If your event is happening in a specific location, you may enter the event location into the Event Location field.

Tip: For events with no physical location, you could enter "Online" or "On Zoom" if you do not want to leave it blank.

Enter Special instructions.

Enter any special instructions for the event into the Special Instructions field.

Add Attachments.

You may attach a file to your event if desired.  

For example, you might attach an agenda, a map or instructions on how to get to the location, or any other items that would be helpful for participants attending the event.  

Select Add Attachments to browse for and select your file.

Select Save Event.

Once you have entered all of the information for your event, scroll to the bottom of the page and select Save Event to post your event on the calendar.