As an instructor, you play a crucial role in shaping the academic experience of your students. One of the most powerful tools at your disposal is Canvas, the learning management system used at Pitt. A Canvas course can significantly enhance student engagement and learning outcomes when designed effectively. It can also help you to avoid the hassle of unnecessary questions and misunderstandings.

To help you create the perfect Canvas course, we turned to the instructional technologists from the Center for Teaching and Learning. Their articles and best practice recommendations are based on extensive research and expertise, which we've summarized below. Then, we got feedback from a focus group of students to reinforce how much they appreciate these Canvas site design practices."

Understanding Student Needs

To create a course that truly meets the needs of your students and helps to prevent frustration, it's essential to understand what helps them to be successful and meet your expectations. Here are some common concerns expressed by Pitt students:

1. Lack of Clear Deadlines:
   It can be frustrating for students when the professor doesn't list due dates at the beginning of the semester. That causes assignments and due dates to creep up and makes it hard to plan ahead with work schedules and social plans.
   Student Feedback: “If I know I have a big paper or test coming up, I ask for a lighter schedule at work a couple weeks in advance and adjust my plans with friends. Especially when more than one class has something due in the same week.”
    
2. Disorganized Course Materials:
   When course materials are scattered across different modules without any clear organization, it makes it hard for students to find things necessary to complete their assignments.
   Student Feedback: “If I can’t find anything, the Canvas course is just a source of frustration instead of help. When my professor tells me it was on the Canvas site, all I think is, ‘Where?! Because I looked and didn’t find it!’”
    
3. Inconsistent Communication:
   When professors don't regularly update announcements or respond to messages, it can make students feel they are left in the dark. A Canvas message is often the most efficient way to answer common questions for all students.
   Student Feedback: “When the latest announcement is a month old or different than something said in class, I just assume it’s out of date. If the professor isn’t going to answer my message, I’ll just wait and ask in the next class. But that delays me by several days, which isn’t great for keeping up.”

What Student Really Love in a Great Canvas Course

Here are some best practices for Canvas course design from instructional design experts here at Pitt and throughout academia.

1. Organized Course Layout:
    
   • Modular Structure: Breaking your course into modules, each representing a week or a unit, helps students navigate through the content systematically and easily find the resources meant to accompany each session.
   • Consistent Formatting: Use of a consistent format for each module, including an overview, objectives, readings, assignments, and any additional resources, helps students quickly browse content to find what they’re looking for.
      
2. Clear Communication of Deadlines:
    
   • Calendar Integration: Listing all assignment due dates and exam/quiz dates on the Canvas calendar at the beginning of the semester ensures students can see all important dates in one place and plan accordingly!
   • Syllabus: A detailed syllabus that is easily accessible from the course homepage is critical. As the year goes on, you can update and highlight changes in the syllabus on Canvas should any due dates or assignments change.
      
3. Regular Updates and Announcements:
    
   • Weekly Announcements: Posting weekly announcements summarizing what was covered, what's coming up, and any important reminders helps students stay on track. It also communicates that you care about how they’re doing outside of the lectures.
   • Feedback: Timely feedback on assignments and prompt responses to student inquiries helps to maintain open lines of communication and helps students make adjustments they may need to succeed.
      
4. Multimedia Resources:
    
   • Video Lectures: Incorporating video lectures caters to different learning styles, helps students review material for an upcoming test/quiz, and helps students who miss a class to catch up. Tools like Lecure Capture (Panopto) can record and upload these videos to Canvas.
   • Supplemental Videos: If you’ve covered a tricky topic or something that relies on knowledge from a lower-level course, you can link to a YouTube or LinkedIn Learning video to provide reinforcement.  
   • Interactive Elements: Including quizzes, discussion boards, and interactive assignments keeps students engaged.
      
5. Accessibility and Inclusivity:
    
   • Captioning and Transcripts: All video content should be captioned and have transcripts available for students who may need them.
   • Accessible Documents: Providing accessible document in multiple formats (PDF, Word, etc.) helps to accommodate all students, on any kind of device. Saving PDFs as documents (not images) and providing alt text for images enables a screen reader to process it.
      
6. Student Feedback and Continuous Improvement:
    
   • Surveys and Polls: Regularly soliciting feedback from students through surveys and polls can help you understand what's working and what can be improved.
   • Course Adjustments: Students really appreciate it when instructors are prepared to make adjustments based on student feedback to enhance the learning experience continuously.

Implementing Student-Focused Practices

As you design or update your Canvas courses, keep these suggestions in mind and consider the feedback from students. A well-structured, accessible, and engaging course design can make a significant difference in their academic journey and success.

This was just an overview of best practices for supporting your students through your Canvas site. But the Center for Teaching and Learning are the real experts. They are here to support your goal of creating the best possible learning experience for your students. Check out their Canvas Resource Hub for detailed information and support. They can even conduct a Canvas Course Shell Best Practices Review, in which a technologist will help review your site and suggest changes that can help you take it to the next level.

Happy teaching, and here's to a successful semester ahead! Hail to Pitt!

-- By Haree Lim, Pitt IT Student Blogger