Organizing Content - Presentation

On Canvas, content storage is separate from the content presentation. Most content is in the form of an uploaded file (Word, PDF, or Powerpoint files, typically) or a content page (a web page with text, pictures, and links, sometimes called a "wiki page" on Canvas). This means that all the files are stored in one place but displayed in another place (same with pages).

For information uploading files, see Organizing Content - Storage.

There are two ways to organize your content on Canvas:

• Modules: a sequential list of course content with one level of hierarchy (modules)
• Linked Pages: a bunch of pages linked to each other however you choose

We recommend using modules to keep things simple for you and for your students. On Canvas, the left-hand navigation menu is reserved for navigation. You can't make links to content there.

Organizing with Modules

Click on the "Modules" link on the left-hand navigation menu. Using modules, you can organize your content, assignments, discussions, and quizzes sequentially. We suggest organizing chronologically. Here's an example:

Click the blue "+Module" button to get started. Name it, then click "Add Module." For more details, see Canvas documentation: Create a Module.

To add items into a module, click the + to the right of the name, then choose what kind of item to add. For more details, see Canvas documentation: Add Items to a Module.

For example, to add a new Content Page, click the +, then choose Add: Content Page, then click [New Page], (1) then type in a name for your page (2).

Finally, click Add Item.

You can move modules or items within modules by grabbing the handle on the left and dragging:

Organizing with Linked Pages

Organizing course in modules limits you to a sequential order. For the majority of courses, that's good enough. It's simple for students and simple for instructors.

For more advanced users, another option would be to create a bunch of pages, then create links to other pages using whatever organizational structure you want. To make a link while editing a page, click the Links tab in the "Content Selector" on the right side of the page, then click one of the blue links.

Be careful: with the ability to make an arbitrary structure to your course, it's easy to make a confusing, inconsistent, or unclear structure. We recommend that most classes should use the module organization.

Home Page

You can choose what students will see when they first arrive at your course by clicking "Home" on the left menu , then "Choose Home Page"

The choices are:

• Recent Activity - This is the default. Shows students new content and upcoming due dates
• Front Page - A content page that you design
• Course Modules - Shows the modules
• Assignment List - Shows the list of assignments
• Syllabus - Shows the syllabus page, which is like a content page with assignments listed

You may want to show one page before the class begins, and another a week or two later, once students are familiar with the course.

For more details, see the Canvas documentation: Change the Course Home Page.