Modules and pages are the main tools for organizing and building the course site. Modules can be used to divide the course into weeks or units, while pages can be used to organize content further, such as links to articles and other reading materials. A good rule of thumb is to keep the site as simple and clear as possible without omitting necessary information.

A clear structure and good organization make the course site more efficient and reduce the time students spend searching for materials. This matters for all students, but a lack of structure can be especially problematic for those who use assistive technologies or need greater clarity in presentation.

See also About Course Design.

Only links that will actually be used should appear in the course navigation. Unnecessary links often cause confusion, while missing links can make it harder to access content. View the course in Student View to see which links students can access.

Commonly used links include: Home, Announcements, Syllabus, Assignments, Grades, People, and Panopto Video (only if Panopto is used in the course).

Read more about course navigation.

To change the language of the course site, go to Settings and then Course Details. After changing the language, click Update Course Details.

Read more about settings and course navigation.

To ensure consistency across courses, the syllabus should always be placed under the Syllabus link in the course navigation.

Read more about the syllabus.

Due dates for assignments and quizzes appear automatically in the course calendar, provided that the items have been published for students. Make sure that all assignments and quizzes are set up and published, that due dates are correct, and that other relevant course events have also been added to the course calendar.

Students get an overview of due dates and events from all their courses in their own calendar, which helps them identify busy periods and plan their studies ahead.

Read more about the course calendar.

To update dates for all assignments in one place, see: How do I bulk update due dates and availability dates as an instructor? 

When assignment and quiz weighting has been set up in Canvas, students can see this information where relevant, for example under Grades, in the syllabus, and on assignments. It is best to set up weighting at the beginning of the course, since it is usually a quick task and helps students understand the importance of each assignment.

See the guide on setting up assignment weighting.

In Canvas, individual students can be given different due dates or other specific settings in assignments, discussions, and quizzes. This is important for students who are entitled to accommodations.

Read more in the assignment guide.

See also information for teachers on the student counselling website.

Link text should describe the content it opens, such as the title of an article or document. It can also be helpful to include information about the length of the material, such as the page count of a PDF or Word document.

Screen reader users can choose to have a list of links read aloud or move between links using the keyboard. For this reason, link text must be informative. Avoid link text such as “Click here.”

Check that links in the course open the intended content. This is especially important in Student View, since a link may open for the teacher but not for students.

Canvas can also help identify potentially broken links with the link validation tool in course settings on the right-hand side.

Read more: How do I validate links in a course?

Use the Accessibility Checker button in the Canvas Rich Content Editor. It can identify common accessibility issues and suggest improvements, for example when an image is missing alt text or when color contrast is too low.

Keep the following in mind when creating content:

• Make sure text is clearly structured.
• Use the editor’s heading options to create headings (Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.), rather than only enlarging the font. This is essential for students who use screen readers.
• Make link text descriptive.
• Always put a full stop at the end of sentences, which is important for screen readers.
• Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background, for example black text on a white background.
• Take into account users with limited color vision or color blindness. For example, avoid color combinations such as red/green, yellow/blue, or black/red. Information should not be conveyed by color alone, such as “incorrect items are shown in red” or “blue numbers refer to this year.” See, for example, W3C Use of color.
• Fix issues in line with the suggestions provided by the accessibility checker.

Scanned material should be clear and legible, and it must be accessible to users who rely on screen readers. See further information about scanned material.

Alt text should be added to images that convey information or serve a function on the course site. Only decorative images that have been marked as such in Canvas are exempt.

Alt text is read by screen readers, for example for blind and visually impaired users. It provides information about the content or function of an image. It may also appear in place of an image before the image loads, for example if the file is large, the user has a slow internet connection, or the page is viewed without images.

Alt text should describe the content or function of the image in the context in which it appears. It should be clear and concise, while still accurate enough to convey important information. The same image may therefore need different alt text depending on how it is used.

Alt text should not repeat information that is already clear in the surrounding text. It is also often unnecessary to begin with phrases such as “image of” or “the image shows,” since screen readers usually announce that it is an image.

If an image is purely decorative, it should be marked as such and left without alt text.

Read more:

Information and examples of alt text: Alternative Text, WebAIM.

Tables should only be used to present data that genuinely requires a table format. They should not be used to control layout, for example to position text and images. Tables often work poorly on small screens and do not always adapt well to different screen sizes.

When data is presented in a table, make sure that columns and/or rows have clear headings.

It is recommended to publish the course site at least two weeks before teaching begins. This gives students time to browse the course site, review busy periods, and plan their studies. Timely publication can also help support staff prepare assistance for students who need it.

Students do not have access to an unpublished course site and do not receive email notifications sent from an unpublished site.

Read more: Publishing a course site for students.

View the course as a student to confirm that students have access to all course content.

The course site does not always appear exactly the same in the app as it does in a browser. Check that content displays normally and is readable there as well, since the Canvas app is widely used by students.

Introduce the course site to students at the beginning of the course and explain how it will be used.

What seems clear and obvious to a teacher may not appear the same way to students. Ask students for feedback on the organization and clarity of the course site. This can be done, for example, through a short discussion or survey. To help students respond honestly, it is a good idea to make the discussion or survey anonymous.