Why Use Canvas Modules?

But why use modules? Why not just use the tools on the side?

The tools in the Canvas course menu are purposeful, but not organized the same way a course is organized. For a comparison, we can think of Quizzes as a collection of hammers. There is nothing on the Quizzes page except for hammers. They are all different, but they are all hammers. Out of context, they really only serve one purpose: hammering.

 In a Module, you're not limited to one tool. You can put all of the tools in the context in which they will be used. For example, we are going to build a bookshelf. That is our objective.

Here are the directions.

Here are the tools you will need at this point in the semester to accomplish this task.

Modules work like this. Instead of making students go back and forth to the hammer drawer (Quizzes), or search in another drawer for instructions (Files), or dig through the screwdriver drawer (Assignments), we give them the tools they need to accomplish today's task all in one place. Since the end goal is not to learn where things are, but is to build a bookshelf, we eliminate the frustration of not finding the tools and help students accomplish the task. Modules keep all of the appropriate tools in one place. You can keep the other tools out of the way to eliminate visual noise.

You can create your modules to follow the sequence of your course so that students have one main navigation page to interact with. It simplifies their Canvas experience so they can focus on learning the content and achieving your course objectives.