Modules are the Canvas tool for organizing and presenting your course content to students. Modules permit you to group related content, in a specific order, in an easily navigable container for your students to access course content and activities; and modules provide instructors with an easy to use tool for controlling and sequencing access to instructional materials and activities. Modules are a way to organize your course by weeks, units, chapters, topics or whatever organizational structure works for your course. With modules, you are essentially creating a directed flow of activities for your students to follow.

Each module can contain files, discussions, assignments, quizzes, and any other learning materials that you would like to use. You can easily add items to a module that you have already created in the course. You can also create new items on the fly within the module. This allows you to create the structure of the course while developing new learning materials.

The same course content can be added to multiple modules or iterated several times throughout an individual module. Modules can be easily organized using the drag and drop feature. Elements within the modules can also be reorganized by dragging and dropping.

You can also lock a Module until a specified date and students cannot access the content until the Module is unlocked. Set Module prerequisites and students cannot access the Module until the prerequisites are complete. Require students to view content in a Module sequentially and students must access the content in a linear fashion.

Image represents how a Module could appear in Canvas

Why use Modules to organize content?

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. Elements within the modules can also be reorganized by dragging and dropping.

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 instructor can deliver content using an instructional scaffolding approach to help students understand core concepts prior to attempting to complete an assignment or quiz.

MODULE CONSIDERATIONS

Initial Structure

- Initial instructions about how to get started in the course are present.
- Module content is organized logically (e.g., content is separated by week/chapter/module/unit/etc.).
- Module settings are utilized correctly (prerequisites, open dates, etc.).

Interactive Elements

(Activities that involve student-to-student interaction. Examples include: discussions, peer reviews, collaborations, chats, and wiki pages.)

- There is a Welcome or Getting Started activity.
- There is an interactive element in most (if not all) of the modules.
- Instructions, purpose, and expectations are clear and concise.
- The interactive element contributes to the learning experience.
- Discussion form settings are utilized correctly (post first, threaded, graded, etc.).

Non-Interactive Elements

(Some activities are student-to-faculty interactions. Examples include: submission assignments, quizzes, exams, and journals.)

- Instructions, purpose, and expectations are clear and concise.
- The assignments contribute to the learning experience.
- Assignment settings agree with posted instructions (types of submissions, etc.).
- Quiz settings agree with posted instructions (question at a time, etc.).

Assessments

- Instructions, purpose, and expectations are clear and concise.
- The assessment contributes to the learning experience.
- Assessment settings are utilized correctly (one question at a time, timer, etc.).

Use of Multimedia

- Images are uploaded correctly and used to enhance the learning experience.
- Audio is uploaded correctly and used to enhance the learning experience.
- Videos are uploaded correctly and used to enhance the learning experience.

Overall Activities

- Multiple methods of content delivery are used. For example, chapter readings, lecture notes, PowerPoint’s, Audio, Video, Web-sites, etc.
- Content delivery methods address multiple learning styles.
- Multiple methods of evaluation are used. For example, discussion forums, assignments, wikis, group assignments, and/or assessments.
- There is some form of evaluation/participation every week.

Overall Structure

- Content is well organized and easy to find/understand.
- Hyperlinks are functional (links not broken).
- Content is related to subject matter.