Course Design Tips

Below are ten proven tips for building and teaching an online or web-enhanced course, and how they can be implemented in the Canvas environment:

Make it easy to navigate. 

Use Modules to organize content and activities into digestible pieces of interaction laid out chronologically. Students should be able to click Next and Previous to move through the course in a logical manner. 

Establish patterns and model desired behaviors. 

Both teachers and learners benefit from a fairly predictable set of course expectations and a clear "beginning" and "end" to each milestone in the course. Additionally, modeling good writing in your course shells, content pages, etc. demonstrates adherence to the same rules you want your students to follow. Writing formally and modeling the desired formatting style (APA, MLA, etc.) in your content is helpful and gives your students a great example to emulate.

Make it meaningful. 

Try building your course "backwards" by starting with what you expect students to have accomplished or mastered after successfully completing the course. Specify learning outcomes so students know why they are being required to complete specific activities and master specific skills.

Be present. 

The Canvas communication tools--Announcements, Collaborations, Discussions, and Conversations--all facilitate an effective learning environment and are an opportunity for you to infuse yourself into the digital classroom.

Engage the learners.  

Consider ways to empower students by encouraging peer interaction and engagement with the content. Solicit their ideas and contributions as part of the learning process. Students should not merely consume the content; they should be engaged.

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