Presenting your online course in a clear and consistent way gives students the confidence to learn what you want them to learn. Choosing to employ these strategies help students see that you are invested in their success in an online environment.

Site Design Concepts	Site Design Strategies
Consistency	Create modules that are structurally very similar to each other, of similar lengths and take similar amounts of time to complete. Having similar structures within each modules helps students know what to expect and what is expected of them. To help students keep on track, schedule readings, assignments, and activities to be completed on the same day of each week.
Clear Navigation	Minimize the routes through the course site to avoid confusion for students by simplifying the way that they access and navigate the course site. Create back buttons on your pages to minimize students getting lost in Canvas. Provide an overview (either written or video form) of each module describing how students can access different components of the module.
Communication	Create a brief, welcoming introduction to the course and clear instructions on what to do on the first day of the semester on the home page. Change your home page content on a routine basis throughout the semester to reflect the current week. Offer clear directions and due dates for each assignment Provide netiquette guidelines Offer learner support for the online environment: Tips for being a successful student online FAQs for troubleshooting: Links to tutorials or aids for Canvas tools or other technology Social media sites where students can help each other
Visual Clarity	Make sure that important items are more prominent and clearly identified on your web pages. Group items together that belong together. Don't reinvent the wheel for every page in your course site. Design pages that look alike and students will know where to look for the information they need. Students will come to rely on finding information they need in similar places on your course site and its pages. If you are linking to important resources, make sure students know they what they are supposed to click on. Try to keep your web pages clean, clear and focused. Minimize the use of different fonts on a page. Use new elements (e.g., a video, infographic or image) with purpose.

Building the Syllabus

A syllabus for an online course will look very similar to syllabi that you've made for face-to-face courses but there will be sections that you'll need to include or consider:

Download "How To Make A Syllabus" as a pdf file.

For an example of what a course module or similar design elements might look like, check out our UT Snapshot: Course Design Examples.

Additional Resources

Use the resources listed below as you begin to develop modules and a syllabus for your online course.

Tools and Technologies (Canvas Training Center) Readings and Resources Unit 5 Worksheet

Site Design Concepts

Site Design Strategies

Consistency

Clear Navigation

Communication

Visual Clarity

Building the Syllabus

Additional Resources