The syllabus sets the foundation of a course and provides a bird’s-eye view of its components. Creating a dynamic syllabus using the tool in Canvas allows you make adjustments throughout the term or from one semester to the next without creating multiple versions in documents or pdfs. Just alert students to a change with a quick announcement, and then you all have access to an updated central version whenever needed.
The temptation is to put every conceivable description, guideline, and policy in the syllabus. However, this explosion of content in the syllabus makes for long, unreadable expanses of text that students do not actually read.
Try prioritizing procedures and aspects of your course that shape the whole course that learners might want to reference frequently. Put the other information somewhere else in Canvas, such as a home page or Start Here module. That makes it easier to walk learners through the information in chunks, rather than dumping it on them all at once in the syllabus.
To streamline your online syllabus, focus on the essential components and make strategic choices about what else to include. Breaking information into smaller pieces and presenting them intentionally will maximize what your learners absorb.
You might also choose to include institutional or departmental policies, resources for academic and student support, and other course expectations here. Another benefit of the online syllabus is that you can link to these resources directly rather than providing an exhaustive explanation of each one. Consider incorporating just a brief introduction and linking out to the full resource.
Design principles can transform how your Canvas site looks and feels and how it communicates information to your students. Join this presentation to learn what design principles you can apply to enhance the impact of your course content. We have tools and resources for you to start applying what you learn in this session.
Facilitated by Casey Pearce, Digital Learning Designer
Register here for Design Principles for Learning on July 12th .
Are you interested in learning about how to secure your online tests and quizzes? Join Clemson Online for a quick look at these topics to help you ensure your classes’ academic integrity. In this course, we will explain the purpose of securing your online assessments and demonstrate how to use them in your course. All of this is in just a 20-minute Quick Hits session!
Facilitated by Gray Jackson, Learning Technology Specialist.
Register for Quick Hit: Canvas Quizzes and Academic Integrity on July 27th.
Review our Summer 2023 Events Calendar to see what Online Instruction Development opportunities await!
We have a robust Summer lineup of topics and live training formats to support your use of Canvas and other e-learning tools. Topics cover demonstrations of using Kaltura, presentations on inclusive practices for online education, and workshops to get your Canvas site ready to teach!
All of our live training is recorded. Registrants will automatically receive a link to that day’s video after it has been processed.
Contact James Butler with any questions regarding these sessions.
Clemson Online – Where Tech and Teaching Meet
Organization helps to create an engaging and transparent online space for your learners.
Clear learning objectives provide a strong foundation for designing your course and communicate to learners what they will accomplish.
Here are our top tips for making effective learning videos for your online courses. Top Tips Be yourself Talk as […]
