Julie Test Page

Now that you’re familiar with the essential features of Canvas, you’ll learn more about what your courses will look like at Excelsior. As noted earlier, any courses you are enrolled in will appear on your Canvas Dashboard on the first day of the term.

The Homepage

The homepage of your Excelsior course will and resources to use throughout the term. You may find that the course design looks a bit different in each course you are taking, but the essential items of each course will remain the same. Here’s what’s essential to find from the homepage:

Announcements from your Course Instructor

At the top of the homepage, you’ll be able to see any recent announcements posted by your Course Instructor. If your Canvas Notifications are turned on, you should also be notified when an announcement is posted. Announcements are how your instructor will provide context, insight, and important reminders about your upcoming work. They may post announcements as text or videos. Make sure to read or view each announcement carefully so you don’t miss important information! Learn more about how to view announcements.

An example of a Canvas course homepage with the Recent Announcements section highlighted

Course Introduction

Screenshot of an example homepage with a course introduction video.

The homepage will always include a short description of your course. Sometimes you may also find a video overview of your course here. This is a great introduction to what you will learn about this term!

Course Modules

Getting Started

Each course contains a Getting Started module, which begins with a short Accessibility & Academic Integrity Acknowledgement. This activity is ungraded but required. It helps to make sure all students understand important Excelsior policies and support resources, including how to receive accommodations through Accessibility Services. It also covers Excelsior’s Academic Integrity policy. Once you’ve completed this short quiz, you’ll be able to access the remaining course content. 

The Getting Started module also contains the syllabus and information to help you succeed in an Excelsior course.

What’s in a Module?

Once you’ve completed the Getting Started module, you’ll be able to begin Module 1. But, what’s in a Module? Let’s take a look.  

Every course at Excelsior is organized into multiple Modules which contain lessons, activities, and assignments. For most courses at Excelsior, one week equals one module. 

One week equals one module.

Each week begins on Monday morning and ends on Sunday evening at 11:59 pm Eastern time.

So, for a typical 8-week course at Excelsior you will complete eight modules of work:

  • Week 1 = Module 1 – Begins on Monday morning at 12:01 am ET and ends on Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET
  • Week 2 = Module 2 – Begins on Monday morning at 12:01 am ET and ends on Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET
  • Week 3 = Module 3 – Begins on Monday morning at 12:01 am ET and ends on Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET
  • And so on…

You can access the Modules of your course by selecting the Modules link on the navigation menu. 

An example of a Canvas course homepage with the Modules link highlighted on the left side of the screen

From there, you will see each Module title and any prerequisites, which are items that must be completed before the Module opens. Below the Module title you will see all lessons and activities contained within that Module. Here’s an example of one Module in the course BIO212: Microbiology:

An example of a module in a Canvas course. The title of the module and the prerequisites are highlighted. An arrow is pointing at the first page of the module, “1.0 Overview.”

Selecting the first page within the Module, 1.0 Overview, reveals the Module’s learning outcomes, required resources like readings and videos, and assignments that must be completed during the Module. From there, you can progress to the next page to begin the week’s work. 

Graded Activities

Within each Module, you will find graded activities. These activities differ depending on the course you are taking. Here’s a list of some graded activity types you may find in your courses and what they mean:

Quizzes are used to assess students’ understanding of the course material. They may be set up as either timed or untimed. They may have a specific due date. And they may allow you to see whether your answers were correct or incorrect or this information may be hidden from student view. Review the instructions for any quizzes in your course so you understand how it is set up. Learn more: How do I take a quiz?

Assignment Submissions are activities where you upload a file in Canvas for your instructor to grade. This could be an essay, a presentation, a podcast, or video, and much more. Review the instructions in your course so you understand what you must complete and by when. Some assignments have Turnitin integrated, which changes the look of the submission area. You will learn more about Turnitin later in the orientation.

Learn more about assignment submissions: How do I submit an online assignment (without Turnitin)?

Discussions are activities where you will have an asynchronous conversation with your peers and your instructor. Typically, discussions will require students to complete an initial post earlier in the week and then return to the discussion to reply to other students and/or the instructor. Learn more about asynchronous discussions: How do I reply to a discussion?

In addition to the items above, some courses also have required materials outside of Canvas, in a third-party tool like an e-book or a lab. For these courses, there may be graded activities that take place inside the third-party tool. In some cases, your grade will automatically sync back to the grade center. In other cases, your instructor will transfer your grades from the tool into Canvas.

In the next lesson, we’ll learn more about how your instructor grades your work and where you can find their feedback.