Using Modules for Structure
Modules are a way to structure a course that allows the course to be chunked into separate digestible pieces. There are a number of ways to structuring the modules and chunking the information. A few approaches are by:
- Dates (weekly or monthly module)
- Theme/Topic/Case study (If a course covers specific themes this can be a good division).
- Outcome (If you have key outcomes, you can create your modules based on these and ending each with an assessment)
Key Styling and Structure Points
- Use title case for all headings: (e.g., All Principle Words in the Heading Should be Capitalized)
- If using a weekly structure, make sure activities completed in that week are placed in the relevant week (links to these activities can be inserted into the syllabus if instructors would like a 'collected' view of activities/assignments)
- Module item names (pages, assignments, etc.) should be as descriptive and brief in their titles as possible. Where appropriate possible, use descriptive words as an indicator for students on what is contained in this content (e.g., Overview of Historical Learning theories).
- Module items that contain names of modules, weeks (Module 2: Readings), or bulleted structure (1.1.2) may wish to be avoided as in-course links will break if these are moved and renamed. Instead, use the descriptive language of their contents (e.g., Readings: Principles of Classroom Management).
Examples of Module Structure
Modules organized with indents after weekly overviews. Note the indents are not easily identifiable in the Canvas mobile app.
Sample shows a structure where the "Module" links go to canvas modules organized in Parts and then broken into modules.
Other Options
- Use two Modules - Current and Archived, with older content moved in reverse chronological order into the Archived module
- Image and page-based navigation, which allows for more creative, non-linear, and gamified approaches to learning