Canvas Modules

Instructors can use Canvas Modules to structure their course and organize content and activities.  Think of the course as a filing system, where the course shell is the file cabinet.  Inside the filing cabinet are manila folders.  Modules are the manila folders of a Canvas course. The are ready to keep thematically like materials, readings, activities, and assignments together as a unit. 

Visit the Canvas Guides at: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/tkb-p/Instructor#Modules


What You Need to Know

Canvas provides flexible options for how to build your course. You can determine what tools are or are not available in your course, what page displays as the homepage when students first log in, and how that page looks. 

You might consider organizing course material in some of the following ways. 

  • Around specific units or themes. Modules may be a useful tool for thematic structures. Modules are essentially content containers. They allow you to divide your course into units, with each unit containing a group of assignments and additional content. Modules may be convenient if you require students to move through the content in a sequential way or if it is necessary to group your course material into units.

  • Around the calendar portion of your syllabus. The Syllabus tool allows you display all course assignments and events, with undated assignments appearing at the bottom. If most of your course materials contain dates, organizing your course around the Syllabus tool may be most best choice for you.

  • Around course assignments. This option is great if your course is very project or task-oriented and can be accomplished using the Assignments tool. The Assignments tool includes all assessments: quizzes, graded discussions and online submissions (i.e., files, text, URLs, images, etc.). You can manage all assessments within Assignments.