Available Options
Date Release Example
Requirements and Prerequisites Example
Mastery Paths Example

Why Should I Use Modules?

Course organization is crucial to student success and provides a structural framework for the students to navigate the course content. Canvas Modules allow instructors to organize and present content to students in an organized manner. Content can be chunked into several different sections depending on how an instructor chooses to organize content. Organization methods can include but not limited to chapters, units, sections, weeks, or by type. For example, an art history course could organize content in linear order by time or in a non-linear order by art style. No matter what method you use it should be consistent. Use a naming scheme for the modules. This will make your content easier to scan and read for students. Click the tabs above to view example of how Canvas modules will appear to students.

Available Options

The module feature in Canvas has several features that allow instructors to control student access to content. Review the list of options available and view the examples in the tabs above to get an idea of how content is presented to students. The features include the following:

Add Content - Instructors can add assignments, quizzes, discussions, pages, files, sub-headings, and links to modules.
Move content and modules - Each module and content item can be rearranged in the desired order.
Publish/Unpublish - Modules and individual content items will have the publish option. See draft state tutorial for more details on how the publish feature works in Canvas.
Indent - Individual content items can be indented
Date Release - Instructors can set a date and time when a module will be released to students.
Requirements - Content items in the course can have requirements set. Requirements options will vary depending on the content type.
- All/OR option - Instructors can choose to setup requirements where students must complete all requirements in sequential order OR allow students to choose one required assignment from a module.
- View Progress - If requirements are set, instructors can view the progress students are making in completing requirements.
Prerequisites - Prerequisites work in conjunction with requirements and can be applied to modules for limiting student access to content until the previous module requirements are completed.
Mastery Paths - Mastery paths allow faculty to build personalized learning paths for students based the student's performance on previous assessments. Note: This option is a feature option. Please review Canvas Release Notes page for details on how to turn on feature options in a course.

Date Release Example

Below is a visual example of how modules will appear to students using the date release option. In this example content is arranged in modules by Units. (1) Sub-headings can be added to help provide students with visual cues to the sections within the module. (2) Items in the module can be indented to make it easier for students to scan the content. Assignments will include some assignment details under the title. If the assignment is late, a graphical indicator will display to the right of the assignment title. (3) If desired, each module can have a date release set. When a date release is set on a module, students will see a lock in the module header. Content in a locked module will not be clickable. The date when content will be released will display below the content in the locked module. If is also important to note that students will be able to access the assignment from the assignment and to do lists but will be presented with a locked message when they click to view the assignment. The assignment description does not display.

Important Notes

Use a clear and consistent naming scheme for all the modules you create.
When using the date release option be sure that assignment content within the module has due dates and availability period that do not conflict with the module release date. For example, in the locked module below the release date is February 1 so none of the assignment content should have a due date before the release date.

Requirements and Prerequisites Example

Modules have the option to set requirements on module content items and then prerequisites modules can be set on the subsequent modules to restrict content until the requirements in the current module are completed. Review the student view in the example below. (1) Students will see the requirement label for each content item under the content item title. The options available for instructors to set will be dependent on the type of content. (2) Instructors have the option to require students to complete ALL requirements and can force students to complete the requirements in sequential order OR instructors can allows students to complete just one required assignment in a module. It should be noted if choosing this option, instructors will need to excuse the uncompleted required assignments for the students in the gradebook. (3) As students complete the requirements they will see a visual indicator of what they have completed. Please view this student guide for more details on which each icon means. (4) The prerequisite indicator will display in the module title bar along with a lock icon. This will be the visual indicator to students that the module is locked and will not be unlocked until all the requirements in the previous module are completed.

Important Notes

Be sure to organize content in same manner that requirements will be setup.
Be careful how you setup assignment due dates and availability period. If not careful, you could potentially have students who cannot progress in the modules because of closed availability of a required assignment.
Assignment requirements only work with assignments setup for online submission.

Mastery Paths Example

What is Mastery Paths?

This module example demonstrates the different ways instructors can use mastery paths to accomplish desired outcomes. Instructors can make the mastery paths as simple or complicated as desired so it is crucial to map out the desired mastery paths and outcomes you want students to follow and accomplish. Students will only see the assignments they need to complete. Other content will be locked until previous assignment is graded. Once the assignment is graded and based on their score with that assignment they will be presented with the next assessment in the mastery path. Below are some different pedagogical approaches instructors could use with Mastery Paths.

Important Notes

Important! Mastery Paths is course level feature option and must be turned in a course before the mastery path options will appear in the assignment settings and modules. See What is Available in Course Settings and Canvas Release Notes for more details about feature options.
The mastery paths can be configured in the assignment settings. Additionally, assignments must be assigned to mastery paths in the assign to section of the assignment settings.
Students will only see and receive grades for the assignments in mastery path that displays to them.
Pages can be part of a mastery paths but cannot be the starting point of a mastery path.
Non-graded assignments cannot be part of a mastery path.
Be careful about setting availability dates on assignments with mastery paths configured
While you can apply requirements and prerequisites on items in a mastery path, the requirements and prerequisites are overruled by the mastery paths.

Remedial or Different Paths for Assignments

In the first example is a series of writing assignments (1st draft, 2nd draft, etc). Students will be required to work on the first draft until they have "mastered" the instructor's desired outcome (ie using proper grammar). In the mastery path settings instructors can set three different threshold scores. If students don't meet the threshold score, they can be presented with remedial content to help them with what they struggled with the previous assignment. If students meet the threshold, they will be presented with a more advanced assignment to complete. With this pedagogical approach you can allow all students to work a faster or slower pace depending on how well they mastered the previous assignment.

Allowing Choice

In this example students are allowed to choose from a series of up to three different assignments to complete. Students will click choose assignment group to see the assignment choices.

On the next page students will be presented with the options. Each assignment title and description will display. Once they click select next to one of the assignments this will be the only assignment from the series that displays to them in the course.