Organize Your Course with Usability in Mind: Canvas Modules
Overview
It's important to create courses that are easy to navigate and accessible for all students. This page includes information that will guide you through best practices for structuring a course, but you can also locate pre-built course templates in the next module Creating Your e-Learning Site.
Refer to Creating Your e-Learning Site for pre-built modules and templates.
Video
Utilize Modules and Content Pages
Modules are groupings of content around similar student outcomes and/or topics. E-Learning has a modules tool that makes it easy for advisors to organize and present topics to students. You can download pre-built modules from Creating Your e-Learning Site or follow the guides below to help you build from scratch.
Organize Using Modules
Each module in your course should consist of a landing page with related content and assessments. Modules can be accessed on the homepage and in the modules tab in e-Learning.
- How do I add a module? Links to an external site.
- How do I use the Modules Index Page? Links to an external site.
- How do I create a new page in a course? Links to an external site.
- Refer to these Canvas Guides for related step-by-step guides:
Be Consistent and Clear
Organize module content pages and course files in a structured, uniform way that makes it easy for students to locate information.
- Begin each page with stated student outcomes that align to the content and assessments in that module.
- Utilize heading styles on content pages for a consistent look and to make it navigable by screen-readers. Refer to this Rich Content Editor Canvas Guide Links to an external site. for steps on how to change text style.
Be Descriptive
- Include alternative text every time an image or graph is displayed
- Write measurable student outcomes for each module and avoid using acronyms or unknown words.
- Include thorough instructions and rubrics Links to an external site. for all assessments.
Chunk content
- Look for natural breaks in video content. Your content will be usable if students are able to refer to specific concepts, rather than searching within one long lecture. Typically instructional videos are approximately 10 minutes long. Here's an example: instead of a 30-minute lecture on "All About Cats," consider organizing it by concept so you have: 1) Habitat Degradation of Big Cats (11:12), 2) Mixed Ancestry of the Domestic Shorthair (9:44), and 3) Nine Lives and Nine Digits: the Hemingway Cat (9:99)
Provide alternative means of access
- Include closed captions Links to an external site. and copies of the slides and script with all video content.
- Familiarize students with the Ally Links to an external site. tool that allows them to download content in alternative formats.
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