Canvas Modules

The instructor-focused modules include templates that assist in providing information to students in the event that a course is moved online. Once imported, the templates can be modified to meet your specific needs.

The modules include the following:

• Home page template
• Module structure template, with module overview page and lecture video with a discussion activity
• Individual assignment templates, with essay, progress report, and peer review activities
• Group assignment templates
• Quiz, surveys, and exam templates

These templates have been designed by experienced online instructional designers in partnership with the centers for teaching and learning at Indiana University using evidence-based Quality Matters standards.

Back to top

Each of the student-focused modules covers how students can use a particular tool to keep learning in your course in the event of a prolonged building or campus outage. Once imported, the modules can be modified to meet your specific needs.

These modules may also be useful outside of a campus emergency. They are generic instructions for students who need to use the following tools:

• Zoom
• PDFs
• Kaltura (MediaSpace)
• Various Canvas Tools
• PowerPoint
• Examity
• IUanyWare (Citrix)

The included instructions are kept up-to-date by training and documentation specialists so they are ready and accurate when you need them.

Back to top

As students work to keep learning during the evolving COVID-19 situation, the Keep Learning site offers key tips and resources to help your students make the shift to learning online.

Back to top

The process for importing resources from Canvas Commons is straightforward, but knowing where to start is tricky. The following steps will walk you through the process of importing content from Canvas Commons into your Canvas course.

You will get a confirmation that Canvas is working on the import. Generally, with the Keep Teaching modules, this is usually a quick process. 

To learn more about working with module requirements in Canvas, visit the following page on the Canvas Community site: How do I add requirements to a module?

Back to top

These modules are provided to help your students understand the changes that you plan to make while you must take your course online. Any information [in bold and in brackets] can (and should) be modified to represent course-specific information.

For example, if you choose to meet with your students via Zoom (a videoconferencing tool), the content below should be modified to represent information for your course:

Here are the critical pieces of information regarding our Zoom meeting room:

• Zoom URL: [meeting room url https://iu.zoom.us/j/#########]
• Meeting Time: [Time to meet]
• Meeting Day: [Day to meet]
• Other Notes: [Any important notes about meeting]

Note: If you don't have the skills to make changes in Canvas, contact your campus center for teaching and learning for training and support.

Changes you cannot make

On each page, the instructions that appear between the red horizontal lines cannot be edited. Any information before the first or after the last red horizontal line can be modified by the instructor.

These instructions are pulled from a central location that is regularly updated and is written to be generic enough that they should be relevant no matter how often you choose to implement the tool. Do not try to edit this content via the HTML editor, as you may break the connection to the central location.

How to choose what to publish

You may import the entire module, or choose just to import specific pages. You should only publish to students the instructions for tools that you plan to use during the period in which you have taken your class online.

Back to top