This is a short video about how I have tried to humanize my landing page in Canvas, and a little about why. This video is designed to complement the "Canvas Landing Page Walk-Through" video because it explains why I have designed the page as I have.
This is a walk-through of my Canvas landing page that uses the "syllabus" feature. This video might be useful for teachers thinking about how to design their landing pages, particularly if they're using the syllabus tool.
One of the problems facing teachers of remote or online courses is that, because nearly all of our course materials are walled off inside a learning management system like Canvas, many students may not know much about the course beyond the generic course description. One way to encourage students to start thinking about your course is by creating what Michelle Pacansky-Brock calls a "liquid syllabus"—one that is more sharable and easier to engage with than a static document sitting in an LMS.
While presenting ourselves as caring instructors is important in any types of class and times, it has become even more crucial during the Covid-19 pandemic, the social and political protests, and the upcoming election.
In their research on the common traits of best online and face-to-face classes, Rebecca Glazier and Heidi Skurat Harris found that clarity is a vital component of effective online teaching. Here are some strategies to enhance the clarity of our courses: