This article will cover best practices for course design in Canvas, with a checklist to support the task.
Why design matters
How many emails do you get from students in a quarter? Do you spend time directing students to course materials? A well-designed course can reduce questions and give you back valuable instruction time. Yes, please!
Canvas is designed to reduce the tension between technology and pedagogy. Whether you’re teaching a large survey class or a small seminar, Canvas works in all modalities.
To template or not to template
The first principle of good course design is to create a clear path to your course content and set this as a home page. A clear path simply means helping students find your content easily. We all have the curse of knowledge with our courses; we know where everything is, but our students can’t read our minds.
A clear path can be a well-organized home page, which links to weekly modules. If you choose the Modules page for your home page, be sure they are organized sequentially so students will get a Next and Previous button at the bottom of each page. You can find out more about using the Modules in the Maximizing Modules workshop.
Not a designer? No problem; use a UCSB template.
Following instructor and student feedback, we have created two templates for UCSB Canvas courses: the Minimal Course Template and the Deluxe Course Template.
Both templates include question banks, allowing instructors to create their own "Getting to Know You Survey" and "Mid-Quarter Feedback Survey." They also both include a UCSB Resources page that includes helpful links to campus services for class and well-being support.
The templates are available to UCSB instructors in the Canvas Commons; you can import them into a sandbox or an empty course shell to explore their features. If needed, you can reset your sandboxes at any time.
This short video will explain why and how to use UCSB templates in your course.
Course design fundamentals
You want all your students to be able to access course content quickly and easily, on their laptops, tablets or smartphones.
Start with this checklist, adapted from the Canvas Course Evaluation Checklist.
- Home Page provides a visual representation of your course and a brief course description or introduction; clear instructions for students (e.g., where to begin) and quick and easy navigation to current content.
Once created, set this as your Front Page by choosing it via the Pages site - right kabob (3 vertical dots) - then Choose Home Page. You will see your Front Page there to select. - Course expectations such as participation rules, etiquette expectations, code of conduct; policies for grading, late work, and make-up work are provided. Good places are the Syllabus, homepage, Announcement or a Page in the first Module.
- Navigation is clear and consistent. Links should be specific - avoid “general”, for example. Hide unused items. Canvas Guide: Navigation Links
- Contact information, provide a biography, availability information, communication preferences, response time, and picture. This builds connection and community.
- All links, files, videos, and external URLs are active and working. Canvas Guide: Link Validation
If you want to be sure your course materials are accessible on smartphones, review the Mobile App Design Considerations partner document to the checklist.