Madel and I have been working this fall semester to figure out the Big Ideas Math + Canvas integration. Whenever I jump into her Canvas course, I admire how everything looks. It's so clean and inviting to her NHS Algebra and Geometry students. This inspired me to ask Madel more about her instructional design practices in Canvas.
Naming conventions
Madel is careful to not include dates when naming pages, assignments, and quizzes in Canvas. This practice is called making your content evergreen. 🌲 Madel is saving herself the headache of re-naming items in subsequent years. She's also avoiding having to potentially re-link content.
Headings
Committing to headings is a small change with a big impact. Instead of relying on color or font size to bring attention to a section, she uses Headings. Headings are essential for people who use screen-reading devices, but they're helpful for everyone. They guide someone's eyes through a page and break up content.
Visual calendar
In past semesters, Madel only listed the previous week on her calendar. Now, she sees value in posting a calendar for the entire semester. Students can look back as needed. Here are a few more homepage moves she has made to support her students.
- Created a banner with Google Slides that indicates the course name
- Moved Announcements to the top of her home page [Course Settings > more options]
- Labeled calendar days as black or gold
- Inserted icons to visually indicate sections
Madel shared that Canvas Camp 2022 challenged her to make her course more efficient. Get students to where they need to be in fewer clicks! We don't have any more Canvas Camps on the calendar, but I'm always happy to lead abbreviated training sessions based on the content we covered. Send me an email, and we'll organize something.
Kristin Patrick, Blended Learning Coach
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