Quotes from the students' nominations
This canvas course page is the best-organized and easiest-to-navigate course page I have used while at UMR. The home page includes an easy-to-read and well-updated schedule of all class activities, assignments, and labs. This schedule also includes links to all pre-class materials, in-class materials, and assignment dropboxes. The course schedule has also been filled out for the entire semester, which is very helpful when trying to plan ahead for assignments and stay aware of upcoming exams. The link to the professor's office hours are also linked at the top of the page, which makes them even more accessible. Overall, the course canvas page is very visually appealing and provides a high level of organization and information that makes it easier for students to succeed in the course.
This canvas page is one of the nicest, well-organized I've ever been enrolled in. The syllabus, schedule, assignments, and lab information are all easy to find. Professor Haas and professor Olson are incredibly helpful and patient when helping students in class, and the canvas page is a good reflection of their teaching method. I rarely feel lost or confused about which resources to use when in class, or what we're doing.
This website is easy to navigate right from the homepage. It has the course calendar laid out with all of the assignments and drop boxes hyper-linked. It seamlessly incorporates both lecture and lab material. The course itself was innovative as each lesson was delivered in a way that fit its content the best- it ranged from flipped lecture to worksheets to slideshows, and each day felt specifically tailored to the content we were learning.
Recipient Q&A
What are you most proud of in your Canvas course site?
My Canvas course sites intentional, student-first navigation and clear organization. My primary goal was to eliminate barriers when finding course materials. Rather than making students hunt through nested modules, random tabs, or disjointed assignment lists, everything is organized seamlessly from day one. Students can see daily topics, clear expectations, and assignment details with accurate point values directly in their syllabus and Canvas calendar before the term even begins. Essential resources like office hours, course materials, and policies are always just a click away. On top of functionality, I take pride in the visual design. Each year, I select custom color schemes and imagery to make the course inviting and visually dynamic. Creating a space that is both effortless to navigate and pleasing to look at sets a welcoming tone for learning. We also work to meet ADA compliance.
What is one lesson you learned while building or using your course site that might help other instructors who want to improve their use of Canvas?
One of my biggest takeaways was learning to stretch outside my comfort zone to improve the student experience, specifically by diving into basic HTML. While I'm certainly not a web developer, I realized that standard LMS templates had limitations if I wanted a truly seamless, visual homepage layout. I spent time researching code snippets and learning coding basics online so I could custom-build the course homepage. It was a learning curve, but discovering how to find solutions independently and apply basic HTML allowed me to create the exact intuitive, polished layout I envisioned for my students.
How have you noticed your Canvas site supporting student success? What does student success look like in your course?
To me, student success means building an environment where students have total clarity. By designing a Canvas site that is transparent, visually inviting, and easy to navigate, we've eliminated the friction that usually leads to missed deadlines or confusion. Students frequently tell us how much they appreciate the design and ease of use. But the best validation of our Canvas layout is when students say the course content is tough, but because everything is so clear and accessible, there's no excuse not to succeed. The site directly supports them by putting their focus on learning.
When building this course site, what was your process?
I searched through other people's Canvas sites. I looked at co-workers sites, sites I could find online and more and then built a system that works for us. We teach microbiology, and the post-lab due dates are not predictable. Sometimes labs are completed in a single day (example - you can have staining results the day you stain) and sometimes it takes a week to conclude a laboratory set-up. We wanted these deadlines to be very very apparent, so I created the calendar view system.
Is there anyone you would like to acknowledge that you collaborated with or who helped you on your course site?
The success of our Canvas site is really a testament to my teaching partner and our complementary strengths. I get to focus on the creative direction, visual layout, and aesthetic design, while she excels at the critical, detail-oriented work, ensuring flawless hyperlinking, accurate point values, and correct calendar dates. She empowers me to be creative while providing the meticulous structure that keeps the course running seamlessly. Working with her makes the whole process effortless.