Module Zero Course Orientation

Including an orientation module in your Canvas site is one of the best ways to organize introductory information. Your homepage or syllabus are also suitable alternatives, which an orientation module can reinforce.

How to Put Into Practice

Developing a structured orientation to your course pays ample dividends. You will save time fielding basic questions, and students will embark on the semester feeling confident they are on a solid foundation with course logistics, technology, rhythms, and routines. A course orientation reduces the cognitive load of navigating new environments and schedules. Many instructors publish a course orientation module a week or more before a semester, building interest and allowing students to work at their own pace to engage with the course.

While many students are accustomed to navigating a range of digital tools and environments for various purposes, the Canvas environment is distinct as an instructional space. It is, therefore, an essential practice of equity and inclusion to treat your course’s structure and its particular use of Canvas or other technologies as something students will need to learn, together with course-specific content and skills. A course orientation module offers a low-pressure opportunity for students to practice critical Canvas skills, such as completing a quiz, posting to a discussion board, or submitting a (zero points) assignment.

What follows will outline what to consider including in a course orientation, whether it is housed in the syllabus or a Canvas Module or Canvas Page linked to the Home page of your Canvas site. Existing templates and resources are outlined, so you don’t have to start from scratch.

Conceptualizing the course orientation

When conceptualizing a course orientation, it can help to start with the fundamental questions of “Why, What, When, Where, and How?”

• Why should students care about the course topic and learning outcomes? Why might these be important and valuable to them?
• What does the course ask students to do? 
• When will they do this? (What is the rhythm of activities and due dates?)
• Where will they access the information and tools needed to do this? (For example, where do you log on for any synchronous sessions or virtual office hours?)
• How will they do this? (What technology tools or study strategies do they need to know how to use?)

A course orientation can be an expanded syllabus that includes the commentary you might introduce if you talk to students face-to-face about your course and syllabus.

What elements to include in a course orientation module

A course orientation module organizes introductory materials in your Canvas course: where to ask questions, how to get help, when to expect communication from the instructor, what format the course takes, when major assignments are due, and other essential information. Consider offering a variety of media—text, visuals, videos, activities—to help students engage. For instance, you might include:

• Course overview and welcome. An overview of the course might include a brief introductory text, photos, a short biography, contact information, and welcome videos from the teaching team (See Recommendation 3.1: Welcome Message for what to include in a welcome video or message)
• The syllabus (See the latest version of the UW-Madison course syllabus template). It is often helpful to repeat or elaborate information from the syllabus in the orientation module and other relevant locations on the Canvas site (for example, including directions for assignments in Canvas Assignments). Repetition helps students receive critical messages, even if they may feel redundant to you.
• A schedule or weekly course rhythm map showing recurring due dates and what you expect students to be focused on each day (including attending any synchronous course elements). Here is a template course rhythm map with examples from L&S.
• A walk-through video or demo of how to use the Canvas site. A walk-through video is typically a screen-capture video in which you introduce the course Canvas site and demonstrate how to navigate resources and activities.
• A communication policy that outlines how and when you will communicate with students and interact with them in virtual office hours (See Recommendation 3.2: Expectations for Communication)
• Directions to the course Q&A forum (See Recommendation 3.2: Expectations for Communication on why and how to create a forum for asking and answering course-related questions)
• Instructions for using any course technology. For prefabricated, customizable orientations to campus-supported tools, see Learn@UW’s student tech modules. You can upload these modules to your Canvas course to familiarize students with key technology tools and skills. You might follow your course orientation module with a tech-focused module. (See Recommendation 2.6 Selecting & Explaining Technology)
• A student technology access survey. This sample survey asks students to confirm their access to the necessary course technology and provides an opening for you to initiate communications with students with particular access needs. Communicating with students about technology is critical during periods of disruption. You can continue to use this type of non-graded quiz or survey as your course progresses to continue to assess your students’ evolving situations and ability to participate in the course. 
• Academic and student support services information. (See Recommendation 2.5: Academic & Learning Support)
• A syllabus quiz that highlights the most important information or most frequently asked questions about your syllabus or course. (For sample questions for a syllabus quiz, see “Using a syllabus quiz to reinforce course expectations” from Portland Community College.)
• Community-building activities such as a student self-introduction forum. For broad sample prompts for a self-introduction forum, see this guide to Course Introductions from UNC-Charlotte; a Survey Marketing course at UW-Madison offers a discipline-specific example.
• A course FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on Canvas Discussions or Piazza can include answers to questions such as: Can I switch sections? What is the policy on absences? How many grades do you drop? Can you explain my grade? Can you round my grade up? Add questions as they arise over the semester, and remind students to look for answers.

How to create a course orientation module

Course orientation module materials can be created quickly using Canvas templates. L&S offers a series of templates for creating a home page and a template student orientation module. While L&S created these templates, they are general templates and structures that can be customized to any course/school/college context. Additional Canvas templates from DoIT and the Division of Continuing Studies include additional home page design, module layouts, and a variety of discussion, quiz, and rubric templates. Before using these templates, check with your School/College; they may have others they recommend you use.

Additional Resources

• The Division of Continuing Studies offers additional templates, including “Start Here” Course Orientation Module Template pages. To access, self-enroll in this Canvas site and go to Modules to find the Orientation module: https://canvas.wisc.edu/enroll/Y9JR7N 
• Wisconsin School of Business
• School of Education
• College of Letters and Science