Canvas offers several ways to set up the general structure of your course. The three main ways that faculty typically structure their course build is by using Pages, Files,Modules, or a combination of these elements.
The course structure is important for helping students understand how they should "move" through your course and how to engage with information and activities that support their learning goals.
Pagesare just places to put information (text, images, links, files, etc.) and Pages can link out to other Pages. Think of them like a new document in Microsoft Word.
Below is a visual example of the design of a possible Home Page housing lots of information and links out to the Syllabus Page, a Quiz, a Discussion Board, etc. The icons used are the ones you will see if you decide to design with Modules.
Files are the way you organize all course content that you bring into Canvas, like PDFs, PowerPoints, etc. Many choose to just put all course materials and documents into file folders and direct students to the Files tab (in the left-side course navigation) to access them.
If you show students this Files tab and allow them to view files/folders there, you can "lock down" certain folders and individual files so that they do not have access to everything you've uploaded to your Canvas site.
Modules are ways to organize groups of items(content on Pages, Assignments, Discussions, etc.) and have students "walk" through them either in a linear fashion, or in whichever order they choose.
One feature of the modules is that that you can control what students have to do before they proceed either to the next activity or next module.
Pages: An Overview
Pagescan be used to:
create a courseHomepage (also called theFront Page)
create a content page to include in modules
create a resource page
create a collaborative space to which all course participants can contribute.
Pagescan include text, video, audio clips, math equations, images and links (to websites, files, and other pages you have created in your course). If you’ve ever used a wiki, this is essentially a wiki with a more usable interface.
Why use Pages to organize content in Canvas?
Once you have created pages, you can link them to one another or include them in modules. You can also link to pages from various places in the course (e.g. Discussions, Assignments, Quizzes, Announcements, Calendar). Pages can be used to create simple learning assets, such as lecture notes, or outlines. As we mentioned above, think of pages as Word Documents that you can edit and design as you wish.
Watch the videos below to learn how to create pages in Canvas and how to use the Rich Content Editor to style your pages. We encourage you to experiment with creating pages in your sandboxes!
Modulesare a way to organize your course by weeks, units, chapters, topics or whatever organizational structure works for your course. With modules, you can create a one-directional linear flow of what you would like your students to do. Modules can be accessed by clicking 'Modules' in the left-side course navigation menu, or you may also set your Modules pages to display as the Home Page for your course.
Modules can contain files, discussions, assignments, quizzes, and any other learning materials that you would like to use. You can add items to a module that you have already created in the course, or you can create new items from within a module. This allows you to create the structure of the course while developing new learning materials. Modules and the items with in them can easily be reordered to fit the flow of the course by simply dragging and dropping.
MODULES help keep course content organized not only for you, but for your students.
Managing course content is not unlike managing everything you store in your office. Papers, journals, books, schedules, reports, and mail plus gadgets, desk toys and personal items reside in your work space. If left unorganized, course content can clutter a student's learning space.
MODULES allow you to define content delivery.
In your course outline you detail what will happen in your course. Some faculty group the information by week while others group content by topic. MODULES can be used to deliver your course materials int he same way. For example, you may set up a module for each week or for each topic. Those modules would contain related information, such as an introduction; a reading; a web resource or video; an assignment; a quiz or survey.
MODULES help student navigate the course content.
Modules in Canvas are the only tool that provides a forward and back button. These buttons can be helpful for students to view content for the first time or for quick review. Modules provide an area where the teacher can deliver content using an instructional scaffolding approach to help students understand core concepts prior to attempting to complete an assignment or quiz.
Watch the videos below to learn how to create modules in Canvas. We encourage you to experiment with creating pages in your sandboxes!
If one document is accessed in numerous modules, but the later modules are locked, students will not be able to access the document at all for earlier modules (even if the early module is unlocked).
If you 'remove' an item from a module, that only removes the item from that module, it doesn't delete the item or remove from any other places that you have put that item.
Files: An Overview
Often you'll want to simply upload files that you've created on your own computer intoCanvas. You can upload files in various places in your course (e.g. Discussions, Assignments, Pages, Quizzes, Modules), but there is also a courseFilestool that houses everything you upload and can upload files directly here. This is accessible by clicking 'Files' in the left-side course navigation menu.
By default,Filesare accessible to everyone in the course. You can hide theFilestool on the Course Tools Menu which prevents students from accessing course files. You can also leaveFilesaccessible, but lock individual folders and files.
It is recommended that you do not give students access to your files area without first (a) organizing your files into clearly titled folders, and (b) naming all of your files with titles that students will understand.
Personal Files
In addition to courseFiles, eachCanvas user hasPersonal Files. You can access your personal files by clicking on Account on the far left-side global navigation menu and think clicking on 'Files' in the pop out menu. Files stored in thePersonal Filesarea are accessible only to the individual user, but you can access your personal files from within your course files.
Accepted File Types
Canvaswill allow you to upload any file type, but only certain file types can be viewed in Canvas without having to download them. The following file types will be viewable within Canvas:
Your files can be easily managed using a basic click-and-drag method; however, you can only drag from right to left or within the right-hand pane – crazy, right? You cannot drag from left-to-right.
Warning: By default course files are visible to all users. You can lock files and folders, which means the content will only be visible to instructors in the course, or you can hide the Files link from the course navigation menu.
Watch the videos below to learn how to upload and manage files in Canvas. We encourage you to experiment with uploading and organizing your files in your sandboxes!