Course Design

A&S Instructional Specialists want to help faculty and staff create optimal courses in Canvas to ensure students have the best experience possible in navigating their courses remotely. If you are looking to identify strategies to enhance your course or want an easy template go to Canvas Commons and search A&S Course Template to import into your course.

Canvas Course Essentials

Home Page

As the "landing page" for your course, this is what students will encounter upon entering your space in Canvas. An appropriate home page should include course name, a welcome message, and a clear directive as to how students should get started in your course.

Orientation

Linked from the home page, an Orientation (or Start Here) page or module typically provides all the necessary information a student needs to be able to get started in your course. We like to think of this as the place you would put all of your first day logistical information in. Creating a module with this information creates an easy place for students to navigate to anytime of the semester when they need information quickly.

Syllabus

The Syllabus in Canvas makes it easy to communicate to your students exactly what will be required of them throughout the course in chronological order. Some parts of the syllabus are automatically populated and cannot be edited by the instructor. See the following guide for more information.

How do I use the Syllabus as an instructor?

Content Pages

Content pages are used to provide a clear navigation through the weekly course content to guide students. Most content page layouts include objectives, readings, lectures, activities and assignments section.

Modules

Clear and concise module structure is a core element to students being able to understand and work through your course. Most module structures follow a weekly or modular scheme with an overview content page, assignments and quizzes listed that students need to complete before the end of the module.

Advanced Design

A&S Instructional Specialists are excited to announce a new instructional design tool by CidiLabs called DesignPlus. This program allows us to partner with you in creating dynamic canvas courses that are engaging and unique. Going through this process with us will take out many of the repetitive tasks when building out a new course while also being able to tap into more advanced features. If you'd like to take a glimpse into what is possible when partnering with your instructional specialists, take a look at CidiLab's showcase. When you're ready to take your course to the next level, schedule a consult with a specialist!