Teaching Outcome: The instructor introduces students to the digital course environment, clearly communicates how the course is organized, expectations for how to navigate and utilize the digital aspects of the course, and provides introductory information to support students’ self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and confidence in their ability to succeed.

A course homepage is the first opportunity to establish a connection with students and make a welcoming first impression. Using a homepage instead of a the course opening immediately to the modules or syllabus let's you customize how you introduce students to the course. You can include an image, write a personalized message, or include a brief video welcome. Most importantly, this page tells students exactly where to go to get started learning more about you and the course.

A module dedicated to orienting students to you and the course fosters a sense of belonging and prepares students with the structural and logistical knowledge that can be hidden or invisible, especially to first-generation college students. While the information is often also in the syllabus, housing this information in a ‘Start Here’ module make it easy for students to find; especially for students accessing the course from a mobile device.

This page explains what students can expect if for some reason something occurs that prevents the instructor or students or both from attending class (in-person and/or online). For example, campus is closed due to a wildfire.

Every course has a syllabus, but making this available in Canvas ensures students can access it at anytime. Making the syllabus available as a PDF, Google Doc, or Google Site, ensure students can view the syllabus using a mobile device.

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The module includes a page that introduces students to the focus for the week before introducing any content or assignments. This page is something students can use to activate any prior background knowledge that will help them make connections to the new information they’ll encounter. It also provides a ‘bird’s eye view’ of the week (or weeks) ahead which supports time management.

Assignments, Discussion Forums, Activities, and Assessments (i.e. quizzes) include clearly written directions that provide transparency in why the task is meaningful to learning, instructor expectations, and what successful student work should include. Part of being transparent is situating assignments, discussions, etc. in the module where they take place. When assignments, discussions, or quizzes are only accessible from the course menu links, they can be easily missed. Or, students will go straight to 'what's due' and skip the module content.

The instructor supports students in easily accessing the necessary course content for the module. All the content students will need to read, view, or interact with during the module is included. Digital texts, articles, videos, etc are linked or uploaded in the module. Presentation Slides are made available (even if released the day of or after class). This also includes assigned textbook readings even if students have a physical book and the readings are already listed in the syllabus. Content is not only organized in the module, but context is provided to introduce the content and help students understand how it relates to the course outcomes and/or module objectives. Additionally, some guidance is provided, such as self-check questions, important concepts to note, or skeleton notes, support student interaction with the content.