Skip to main content
To KTH's start page

Course rooms to be inspired by

Here, the E-learning team wants to highlight some chosen Canvas course rooms created by KTH teachers. The purpose of showing these examples is to inspire you as a teacher when working with your own courses in Canvas.

About the course rooms listed

The examples below are from several different schools at KTH and contribute with diversity when it comes to structure and layout, which is important since different courses have different needs. Generally speaking, a course room is more valuable for the students’ learning when the course is well structured as a whole and when the physical and digital course structures are in line with each other.

The thought behind these examples is that you, as a teacher, will be able to see how designing your Canvas course room in an effective way can help with navigating the course and improve student experience. A long-term goal is that Canvas will be used in similar ways in most courses. This is because of feedback from the Student Union at KTH saying that students find it very confusing when they have to relearn Canvas every time they start a new course. Students want a more uniform use of Canvas in all courses. 

Note! These courses may not follow all the E-learning recommendations in detail, but make up inspirational examples of structure according to what we have listed below each course room. 

Remember to create an easy-to-use navigation

The navigation is one of the most important aspects of creating a course room. The structure of your course room will determine how the students will go through the material. It is also important that the design is based on the target group, prerequisites and the specific subject. 

Uniform course design is also a big factor in successful use of Canvas in educational settings. Learning is often dependent on how the different functions interact with other elements of the course, such as assignments, activities, tools, resources etc.

Tips

Degree project courses in Canvas

​Are you looking for inspiration for how you can use Canvas in your degree project course? The pages Degree projects in Canvas  give you tips on how to deal with common challenges with degree project courses.

The example course rooms

The selection is partly based on an evaluation of Canvas course rooms made in the spring of 2020 and partly on considerations from the Student Union at KTH.

Note: The example course rooms are edited copies of the original course rooms. This means that they are not active course rooms, and it is not possible to see participants or students submitted assignments.

Example 1: The homepage presents, course overview and modules provide structure

DD2350 example course room: Algoritmer, datastrukturer och komplexitet (Canvas, Swedish)

  • The course has a good structure and is easy to navigate.
  • A good overview with clear module names, which makes the module navigation easier. 
  • Course overview with a detailed schedule that chronologically shows all activities in the course and links to lecture pictures and exercises with solutions. 
  • Only a few functions shown in the course navigation menu, which makes it easier for students to navigate in the course room and for you as a teacher to maintain a pedagogical focus in your course. 

Example 2: The homepage introduces and modules give structure

SF1625 example course room: Envariabelanalys (Canvas, Swedish)

  • A lot of material is gathered on a very straight forward homepage and the content is presented in a simple and clear way.
  • The content and structure of the modules and the course structure is clearly explained on the homepage.
  • The content of the modules is presented with the help of short videos which creates a great easy-to-understand structure.
  • Few visible functions in the course navigation menu.
  • This is a big course but the layout works for smaller courses as well. 

Example 3: Homepage and clear modules

BB1050 example course room: Bioteknik (Canvas, Swedish)

  • Modules are used in a way that creates a comprehensible structure.
  • Clear names of assignments as a way to create accessible modules for all students.
  • The course navigation is limited to the most important functions for students. The rest are hidden to simplify the course navigation.
  • Uses the function to show the last three announcements at the top of the course homepage. 

Example 4: Homepage, course overview and thematic modules

AL2130 example course room: Waste Management (Canvas)

  • The homepage contains a short explanation of the course room and links to relevant content.
  • Clear names on the content of the modules and thematic division make it easy to navigate.
  • Uses the Announcements function to inform students. 
  • Creates closeness in the digital classroom by linking to teachers' profiles on the KTH website.

Example 5: Modules as the homepage and clear assignment groups

DM1588 example course room: Sensor Programming for Media Technology (Canvas)

  • Uses modules as homepage.
  • The course room modules give students the tools they need to find information in one place. 
  • Uses the function Syllabus link to course PM. 
  • For two-way communication with and between students, the Discussion function is used.