Building a Course in the Canvas LMS
I’ve been assigned to build a course using the Canvas learning management system (LMS). It is my fourth system to learn. I started back in 2008 with Blackboard Vista, then Angel, and currently I use Desire2Learn’s Brightspace at Lone Star College. But so far, Canvas has been one of the easiest LMS to begin building an online course. It helps that I have taken some courses as a student in Canvas. It also helps that I took advantage of the Lynda.com training offered to University of North Texas students and watched an excellent tutorial. I also think that after ten years I’ve gotten better at recognizing how LMS work and most of them are similar in principle if not in execution.
However, Canvas has a straightforward interface that uses modern application conventions such as plus sign and dot menu icons. As you add pages, files, assignments and discussions to the modules section it adds the equivalent in the appropriate section and the gradebook (if applicable). The WYSIWYG Rich Content Editor is the same as most other applications. I really liked using the Accessibility Checker when building a table.
It also has some quirks. So far I cannot find how to replace a file I’ve added to Canvas. Instead, I had to delete the file, re-upload the corrected version, and make sure it was added in the right spot within the modules. There is also a disconnection when renaming a page or file. It will only do so in the area you access the editing function. It doesn’t rename it in other places.
Besides an easy LMS, I’ve been pleased with how much having a completed design document helps guide my building activities. It is nice that I’ve already worked out the problem, format, theory, goals, outcomes, activities, course schedule, assessment rubrics, and everything else that goes into the design phase. I’ve learned it is my roadmap and touchstone.
The feedback in the design stage I received from my instructor and peers has been quite helpful in planning the structure of my course in the LMS. I think consistent directions for each part of the course will help guide students through the semester. I hope the feedback I provided my peer was just as helpful. I did not hear one way or another. But looking at how another person approached the design of an online course did spark some ideas for how I would do it myself.
I struggled a bit with converting the face-to-face syllabus for an online environment. The explanation for what constitutes an “absence” in an online course is challenging. I plan on logins and participation in online discussions and meetings replacing what would normally be attendance in a face-to-face course. But the wording in the syllabus is quite off-putting and strict. However, I’m following what the department uses for their other classes and I know that in a community college we suffer from a large number of students who either never show up, drop out, or just quit participating. There are many reasons for this outside of the quality of instruction. I figure the straightforward word choice is there on purpose.
Overall, the development stage of my online course in Canvas is on target and I’m appreciating the process and tools.