A first best practice when developing your Canvas course is to add the Syllabus. Navigate to Module 2.2 to Create an Effective Syllabus Page. Second, we recommend adding the entire course content to Files. However, instructors can go a step further by designing course content using Pages and/or Modules. Pages and Modules allow for a more effective student learning experience.

Tip: Naming Conventions-Do Not use Dates. Create file names with more general terms (e.g., Week 1, Week 2) so you can easily import content from a previous course and reuse it in another quarter.

Files

Files can include any documents, images, or other files you have uploaded to your course.

The Files tool allows instructors to create a repository for the files related to the course. Files within the Files tool must be published, or they will not be visible or accessible to students. If the instructor does not own the file for intended use, the instructor should link to the file (if available) instead of uploading the file.

Files Tutorial

The Canvas Files Tool tutorialis approximately 13 minutes long.

Learn how to upload and manage your files:

The Rich Content Editor

The Rich Content Editor is the tool in which you'll add videos, text, images, etc. to your course. The RCE is consistent among many tools within Canvas. For instance, Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, and Pages.

Copyright Resources:

Copyright Reminder (Stanford Libraries)
Add Usage Rights and Publish Uploaded Files (Canvas Help Article)

Modules

Modules offer an easy way to organize course content into a seamless learning path for students. This layout makes it easier for students to identify what is expected from them. Some instructors organize their modules by subject, theme, project, and some organize by week. This is an effective and efficient design. Students aren't needlessly clicking through the course searching for what to complete next.

Modules Tutorial

The Canvas Modules tutorialvideo is approximately 12 minutes long.

Adding Content to Your Module

Each module can link to various types of content or other areas of your course, like files, discussion boards, pages, assignments, and quizzes.

How do I add course content as module items?

Tips for Setting Up Modules:

Put every element that you create into your Modules (all discussions, external links, assignments, pages, collaborations).
Organize modules chronologically, by week, unit, or lesson. Avoid dates.

Customize Student Access to Modules

As with many items in Canvas, you can decide to keep a module in draft mode or publish it when you are ready for students to see it. To unpublish a Module, simply click on the checkmark in the green circle to the right of the module, so that it turns into a grey unpublished symbol.

Remember: The modules publish/unpublish status overrides the status of items in the Module. If you publish a Module, all items in it will be published as well unless you individually unpublish items within the Module.

Tips for utilizing Modules

Disable and Enable tools from the left-hand navigation menu to ensure students are sticking to the learning path and not needlessly clicking around to other content.

Files

Files Tutorial

The Rich Content Editor

Copyright Resources:

Pages

Pages Tutorial

Why use Pages?

Recommendations for Page Design

Modules

Modules Tutorial

Adding Content to Your Module

Customize Student Access to Modules