Navigation and Organization

These design and layout guidelines apply to all CCS Canvas courses. Their purpose is to provide students with a consistent experience as they move from course to course or between schools. A familiar interface is easier to use and reassuring to the student. See the CCS Canvas Course Design Must Haves for a complete checklist.

Navigation

Use item titles to identify content.
Be consistent with course navigation, organization, and naming conventions.
Hide unnecessary pages and content.
Use the Canvas Accessibility Checker located in The Rich Content Editor to check for common accessibility errors.

Content

Chunk information into shorter segments.
Offer a variety of engaging resources that facilitate communication, collaboration, and student engagement.
Provide activities that develop higher-order thinking and problem solving skills.
Include frequent and appropriate methods to assess students’ mastery of content.

Assignments

Provide complete, accurate instructions.
Provide criteria for the assessment of graded assignments (rubrics, exemplary work).
Give students opportunities to review their performance and assess their own learning with pre-tests, automated self-tests, reflective assignments, etc.
Include assignments that mirror real world applications such as experiential learning, case studies, and problem-based activities.
Use Open Educational Resources or district-adopted resources.