This webpage features a curated collection of effective Canvas course sites developed by Harvey Mudd College faculty, showcasing best practices in online and hybrid course design. These examples highlight how thoughtful course structure, intuitive navigation, and intentional use of Canvas tools, such as Modules, Pages, and integrated media, can enhance the student learning experience.
Each course reflects HMC’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and student-centered teaching, whether in person or online. By sharing these exemplary designs, we aim to support faculty in creating engaging, accessible, and well-organized digital learning environments that foster deeper understanding and meaningful student interaction.
Instructor: Ben Wiedermann
This course is well-structured and engaging, making excellent use of Canvas tools to support self-paced learning, active engagement, and collaborative learning. The modular design, flipped classroom approach, and regular instructor-student interactions create a user-friendly online learning environment in Canvas.
Tools used (selected): Homepage, Modules and Announcements
Instructor: Kyle Thompson
The AI and Ethics Canvas course is well-organized with clear structure, interactive discussions, and a variety of assessments. It follows best instructional design practices by emphasizing modular learning and engagement. This approach fosters a dynamic and effective learning environment.
Tools used (selected): Homepage, Modules, Discussions
Instructor: Austin Brown
This site demonstrates a good use of a variety of Canvas tools. The instructor released course materials gradually rather than all at once in week one, helping to prevent information overload while allowing for timely adjustments. By maintaining a consistent weekly schedule for updates, discussion prompts, and other resources, the instructor ensured that students can anticipate new content and plan their work effectively.
Tools used (selected): Homepage, Modules, Syllabus, Discussions
Instructor: Hal Van Ryswyk
This course site is simple, but packs a lot of information in a small amount of space. A table constructed in a Canvas page guides students through a schedule of the course. Humor is used to help students feel comfortable and there are built-in opportunities for students to engage with the instructor.
Tools used (selected): Homepage, Files, Announcements
Instructor: Albert Dato
This course site does a lot with the Home page. A table shows students the general schedule of the course, as well as a model representing the core idea of the course.
Tools used (selected): Homepage, Assignments, Discussions
Instructor: Maduka Ogba
This course highlights just how minimal a course can be while still being extremely effective. The course page lands in the Modules tool, which is used as the main structure for everything in the course. All unused tools have been removed, though we would recommend keeping the Accessibility and Library tools/links.
Tools used (selected): Modules
Instructors: Lisette de Pillis & Heather Zinn-Brooks
This course is well-designed and engaging, with a user-friendly structure that makes navigation easy. The course summary clearly displays assignments and their due dates in one place. Regular use of announcements keeps students informed and on track.
Tools used (selected): Homepage, Modules, Announcements
Instructors: Lynn Kirabo, Xanda Schofield, and Calden Wloka
This course is thoughtfully designed with clear goals and expectations. It effectively uses Canvas tools and modules to guide both the structure of the course and the completion of coursework. Each module includes pre-work to help students prepare for upcoming lectures, creating a strong foundation for engagement and learning. Overall, the course is well organized to support student success.
Tools used (selected): Homepage, Modules, Announcements