Why Is This Important?

A thoughtful, logical organization to your course site enables the student to focus on learning. Using consistent naming conventions for modules and providing due dates helps students establish a rhythm to their course work.

Item #43 – Logical Organization

Courses are designed in different ways within Canvas, so a logical and consistent design is important for students who are navigating your course for the first time.

Examples of a logical and consistent course include:

Modules have similar structures.
The content of the course is sequenced appropriately (e.g., an article that students must read before taking a quiz should appear before that quiz).
Consistent naming conventions for repeating activities and pages (e.g., “Chapter 1 Quiz,” “Chapter 2 Quiz,” etc.). Avoid inconsistent naming (e.g., “Chapter 1 Quiz,” “Quiz on the periodic table (Chapter 2),” etc.).

Item #44 – Relevant Module Titles

Titles of the content area/learning module help students orient themselves within the course and quickly recognize the theme or main topic of the module.

The titles of content areas/learning modules can be displayed in the module titles, module overview pages, course overview and the syllabus.

Examples: “Module 1: The Victorian Era,” “Week 5: The Nervous System,” etc.

Item #45 – Activities Within the Module

Each module should include at least one activity with a due date. This creates a rhythm and pattern within the course and helps hold students accountable for keeping up with the content in an online course.

Due dates can be set for assignments and quizzes with the settings for those tools in Canvas. Note that while it is good practice to set multiple due dates for discussion participation (for example, an initial post due on Wednesday and replies to two classmates due on Friday), Canvas currently allows just one due date per assignment. You can remind students in the assignment instructions of the additional due date, or you can add the second due date as an event in the course calendar. If you have included specific due dates in the assignment instructions, don't forget to update those next semester!

Icon: Pillar by yudi from the Noun Project