Canvas Design Best Practices
Academic & Instructional Innovation
Faculty follow the Canvas course design checklist and use A&II resources as a guide for improving their courses. A&II staff will be available for consultation as needed.
Faculty can attend Canvas course design workshops provided by A&II for their program to help establish course consistency.
Fall2015
Fall2016
Program leaders determine the extent to which their program will apply additional design best practices beyond the LMS Use Policy requirements.
Faculty can analyze the state of their courses using a course design checklist and identify areas needing improvement.
TIMELINE
For Students• Ease of use • Student centered learning
For SMU Programs and the University Overall• Continuity projects professionalism• Easy access and understanding for faculty reviews
and accreditation• Reduces likelihood of legal action
For Faculty• Efficient course management and grading• Fewer student questions/disputes• Course site verification and maintenance • Student centered learning• Meets LMS Use Policy requirements
BENEFITS
Make a Great First Impression 1
Create a Course That’s Easy to Navigate2
Make It Easy For Students to Find Everything
3
Ensure Students Know What to Expect4
Keep Students Informed and Engaged5
Five Best Practices For A Well-Designed Canvas Course
Make a Great First Impression
Students feel welcome Students see where to go and what to do first
A relevant image begins to engages students
1
These five navigation tabs are consistent
Files, Pages, and unused navigation tabs are hidden from student view
Create a Course That’s Easy to Navigate2
Link to course components, files, pages, URLs
Make It Easy For Students to Find Everything
Content is organized into Modules by week, topic, or unit
All resources needed to complete the Module are included and sequenced
3
• Syllabus document is found in the Syllabus area• Assignments are found in the Assignments area• Grades are found in the Grades area
Make It Easy For Students to Find Everything
Files have consistent and descriptive names
Content is published once and linked to it to avoid duplication or errors
3
Do You Know?
When an Assignment (Assignment, Quiz, graded Discussion) is created from or linked to a Module, where else does it automatically appear?
A. Syllabus
B. Assignments
C. Grades
D. Calendar
E. All of the above
Content is published once and linked to.
Ensure Students Know What to Expect
Downloadable pdf made available
Assignment Groups show how grades are weighted
4
Assignments appear in Syllabus area automatically
Ensure Students Know What to Expect
Rubric with grading criteria informs students how they will be graded
4
A Canvas Assignment with a Canvas Rubric must be created in order to align Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) on the Rubric
Ensure Students Know What to Expect
The Gradebook communicates and centralizes grades for the student
4
Assignment Group weighting appears in Grades area
Keep Students Informed and Engaged5
Announcements inform students of events and news items not already covered by automatic notifications
Discussions engage students with each other
Canvas has several types of automatic notifications to help with course communication
Academic and Instructional InnovationSupporting Innovation in Teaching and Learning
Tanya Knoop
Christine BrozBeverly Saar
Elba RiosBrian GothbergDanny Grobani
Questions?
