Modules in Canvas are used to help organize your course materials, support students with navigating through your course, and provide a mechanism for setting permissions within your course so that you students gain access to your course materials as you intended.
For the purposes of this section, think of the Canvas modules as empty file boxes.
We are now going to share what kinds of items you can put in your Modules help you deliver your course:
Once you've created a module, or your "empty file box", you can add certain items into your module: Assignment, Quiz, File, Content Page, Discussion, Text Header, External URL, and External Tool. The most common items to add to a modules are assignments, quizzes, pages, and discussions.
We will learn more about assignments and discussions in later units, but for now we will only focus on module structure and adding pages.
Creating Modules
Now that we have an idea of what purpose Modules serve, and what type of items can go into individual Modules, let's review some tutorial videos that go into more detail about modules.
Demonstration Video: Creating Modules and Adding Items to Modules
Chunking Content in Modules
One of the main concepts that leads to successful online/hybrid course design is Information Chunking. But what is chunking? Why is it embedded in the world of course design? And what kind of chunking strategies can an instructor use to enhance learning? Chunking is an important concept to remember when you're building anything for your course, even your modules. The OEI Rubric cites chunking in two important criteria: A5- Unit-Level Chunking and A6- Page-Level Chunking.
What is Content Chunking?
Content chunking refers to the strategy of making more efficient use of our short-term memoryLinks to an external site. by organizing and grouping various pieces of information together. When information is chunked into groups, the brain can process them easier and faster, because our working memoryLinks to an external site. can hold a limited amount of data at the same time. So, content chunking is useful when we try to memorize something complex, such as a 14-digit number for example, or large pieces of information, like a course’s content, since the smaller pieces are easier to retain and recall.
Module Chunking Strategies:
Classify items in your modules - Know which items in your modules are are essential for students and which are optional, and make this distinction clear to students. Get rid of any unnecessary information and try not to flood your learners with unessential content - Less is more!
Group items in your modules - Look at the content in your module and try to identify content that can be grouped together in sections under Text Headers, or just in a linear order. This strategy can lead to learners having an easier time finding what their looking for and following the flow of your course.
Organize items in your modules - Create a logical structure within your modules and stay consistent with your structures in later modules. Your content should have a rational flow, starting from basic and broad concepts and then progressively advancing into more complex items.
One of the ways to help students understand the organization and rationale of your modules and how they support your objectives, is to create an overview page for the start of each of your modules.
What is an Overview Page?
Overview pages serve as navigational guides to a topic, or in this case a module. They often contain:
A short introduction
Goals, objectives, and/or outcomes for the module
Links to important items coming up in the module
Overview pages serve as a gateway and guide for a module by giving students a big picture view of what's ahead.
You can think of the overview pages in your modules as the table of contents or movie trailer of your module. Students get a preview of what's to come which helps them plan their time, and develop a set of expectations for how to engage with materials within your Canvas Module.
You can set modules to be locked until a given date. Students will be able to see the module titles and module item names, but they will not be able to access the module items until after the lock date has passed.
Open Modules
In Course Navigation, click theModuleslink.
Edit Module Settings
Click theOptionsicon [1]. Select theEditlink [2].
Lock Module
Click theLock untilcheckbox.
Set Date
In the Unlock field, enter a date that the module should unlock.
Use Calendar
You can also use the calendar to select a date. Click the Calendar icon [1]. In the calendar, click the date the module should unlock [2]. If you want to set a specific time, enter a time in the time field [3]. Click theDonebutton [4].
Update Module
Click theUpdate Modulebutton.
View Module
The unlock date and time will appear next to the bottom of the module.
Unit 2: Set Up Your Course Structure Unit 2: Creating Pages in Canvas