Module 2 Information

This module will explore the best practices and Xavier tools you can use to organize your course content within Canvas. Using course modules and Xavier-specific icons as visual cues for course materials, such as readings, videos, and lectures, students will quickly become familiar with each Xavier course that uses a Canvas component.

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Implement course design best practices in creating modules
Provide organized access to course materials
Organize your course navigation menu
Configure your course homepage
Create a Start Here page
Use the Xavier icons to denote course content

Creating Course Modules

Best practices in instructional design promote breaking course content down into modules, or units, in order to allow students to work through the content at a manageable pace. Within each module, students can interact with course content (through lectures or readings), their peers (through discussion boards), or the instructor (through assessments like quizzes and assignments).

Modules allow you to organize units of related materials that students can access from any device with an internet connection. These stand-alone resources allow students to review materials, videos, images or other content at any time. Using modules for face-to-face courses provides easy, organized access to course materials or activities, like quizzes or assignments.

Modules can organize courses and their content by weeks, units, or other structures that work for your course. Each module can contain files, discussions, assignments and other learning materials specific for your course. Once modules are created, you can easily add additional content or reorganize the modules by dragging and dropping within Canvas. Modules are especially useful for learning materials that are best covered in a set sequence.

Watch: How do I create and manage modules? (Length: 5:11)

This short video will review how to create and manage modules within Canvas.

Click here for the video (external link)

How-to: How do I create modules?

The steps below teach you how to create your modules within your Canvas course. You can also download the guide to Creating Modules by visiting the Canvas support website.

Navigate to http://canvas.xavier.edu. This link will open a new window for you to use while referencing these instructions.
Click on the course in your Dashboard that you would like to edit.
Click Modules in the left-hand course navigation menu.
Click the Add a Module button.
Add a Module Name in the Module Name field.
Click the Lock until checkbox [1] if you want to lock the module until a specific date (prevent students from accessing it). Click the Calendar icon [2] to select a date and time.
Click the Add Module button.

By default, modules are added in a “draft state,” meaning students are unable to view or access the modules. Publishing content will be covered later in this course.

Adding Items to Modules

Once you have modules created for your course, you can begin adding content materials to those modules. You can add various items to modules:

Assignments
Quizzes
Files
Discussions
Links

Adding items to modules creates a to-do list approach to the course content and activities, and asks students to work through the material as individual items on a list.

Another way to organize course content within modules is by using Canvas Pages. Pages collect together all of the content and activities into one Page. This organization aligns all of the course materials into one place and moves the students through it in a more streamlined, cohesive way.

Creating and using Pages will be discussed later in this module.

To add items to modules, follow the steps below.

How-to: How do I add items to modules?

The steps below teach you how to add items to your modules within your Canvas course. You can also download the Guide to Adding Items to Modules by visiting the Canvas support page.

Navigate to http://canvas.xavier.edu. This link will open a new window for you to use while referencing these instructions.
Click the course in your dashboard that you would like to edit.
Click Modules in the left-hand course navigation menu.
Click the Add Item button.
Click the Add drop-down menu and select one of the following item types:
- Assignment
- Quiz
- File (document and media file types)
- Content Page
- Discussion
- Text Header
- External URL
- External Tool
Select the item you want to add from the list if you’ve already created items for the course.
Click the New link [1] if you’ve not created an item and want to create a new item now and enter a name in the Name field [2].
Indent the item if you’d like to create a hierarchy in your modules.
Click Add Item.

By default, all new items are unpublished. Publishing items within Canvas will be covered later in this course.

How-to: How do I view my modules?

The steps below teach you how to use the modules index within your Canvas course. You can also download the Guide to Using the Modules Index by visiting the Canvas support page.

Click Modules in the left-hand course navigation menu to open your Modules Index page.
Within the modules list, you can view the global setting [1], your modules [2] and each of the items within the modules [3].
You can re-order the modules or any of the modules items by hovering over the drag handle and dragging the item.
For each individual module content item, you can use the settings drop-down menu [1] to indent the item up to 5 levels (or remove an indent) [2], edit the content item [2], move the item [3], or remove the content item from the module [4].

Organizing Your Course Navigation Menu

Canvas allows you to customize your course navigation so that students have easier access to your course content.

The Course Navigation Menu is a series of links on the left side of your course that help you and your students access different course areas.

course nav 1.png

When you are on a specific feature area or page, that menu item is highlighted in blue [1]. Links that are hidden from student view are in faded gray [2]. The navigation menu item names cannot be changed.

By default, new courses show links leading to the index pages for 14 areas:

How-to: How do I reorder and hide Course Navigation links?

The steps below will detail how to reorder and hide course navigation links within your course. You can also view these steps through the Canvas Support website page on Navigation Links.

Navigate to http://canvas.xavier.edu. This link will open a new window for you to use while referencing these instructions.
Open the course you would like to edit by clicking on the course in your dashboard.
Click Settings in the Course Navigation Menu.
Click the Navigation tab.
Drag and drop links to create a custom order. You can also click the link Settings icon [2] and select the Move option [3].

Note: You can also select, navigate, and drop navigation links using a keyboard. To view the keyboard shortcuts, press the comma key. Links will always be placed below the link where you drop it. To replace a link at the beginning of the navigation menu, drop the link at the top. By default the link will appear as the second link in the list. Then move the top link down below your preferred link.
Drag and drop a link to the hidden section at the bottom of the page [1] to hide a link from the students. You can also click the link Settings icon [2] and select the Disable option [3].
Click the Setting icon to enable a link again. This time the option will include Enable.
Click the Save button.

Setting Your Course Homepage

Your course Homepage is the first page students see when opening the course in Canvas. By default, the course Homepage is the Canvas Syllabus (described below). However, you can also set your own Homepage by clicking on the Choose Home Page button on the far right hand side of your course homepage and then clicking the button in the popup next to the Home Page layout you prefer.

Other options for the Home Page include:

Announcements
Modules
A Front Page

Syllabus: The Canvas Syllabus page is an auto-generated list of all of the Assignments and Events you include in the course. The Syllabus collects this information into one chronological list of course activities. Students can view this list in one place for easy access to all of the requirements for the course.

Announcements: The Announcements page lists all of the announcements you have sent to students regarding course updates, due dates, or course news. You can select this as your course Homepage to keep students current on updates within the course.

Modules: The Modules page lists all of the modules for the course. If the course Homepage is set to Modules, students would first see a list of all of the course modules.

A Front Page: Xavier recommends building a Front Page for courses as the Homepage. Creating a Front Page allows you the freedom to add any content you choose to the course Homepage. Many faculty like the flexibility this option provides.

Using a Start Here Page

Best practices in course design and online learning recommend that faculty include a clear starting point for students that introduces the course and how to get started.

That’s why Xavier recommends using a Start Here page in courses that include a Canvas component.

The Start Here page includes course learning outcomes, a link to a traditional, course-specific syllabus, information regarding technical support, and any other important course policy information.

Ice-Breaker Activities

Another important aspect to the Start Here page is the opportunity for students to connect with the instructor and each other. Incorporating a short introduction activity, an Ice-Breaker, allows students to quickly engage with each other and work toward building community among their peers.

Syllabus Quizzes

Another element faculty include in the Start Here page is a Syllabus Quiz. This short, low-stakes assessments helps to determine how well the students comprehended the course policies and procedures. This quiz can be completed through Canvas.

Using Xavier Icons and Templates

Xavier University has developed its own set of icons and a course template for faculty to use within Canvas to organize course materials.

These icons and template are visual cues within modules to help indicate to students what kind of engagement they will have with the course content. For example, Xavier’s icons visually indicate to students when to watch a video, review a recorded lecture, or engage with web content.

These tools also help to visually break up the module content to avoid overwhelming students with the amount of content within any one module or course.

Click here for an example of Xavier’s course template.

To import the Xavier templates and icons into your canvas course(s):

Click on the "Commons" link in the left navigation bar of Canvas (under your Canvas "Inbox")
Search for "Xavier Online" in the Commons search bar in the middle of the page
Click on the "Xavier Online Course Template" resource name that appears first in the search results
On the right side of the next screen, check the box beside the course(s) that you would like to import the templates and icons into
Lastly, click on the green "Import Into Course" button to import the templates and icons into the selected course(s)

Web Links: Canvas Module Tutorials

To learn more about using modules to organize your Canvas course content, review these Canvas tutorial links: