In Teaching & Learning Technologies’ most recent Canvas student satisfaction survey conducted in Spring 2022, we included questions about what students prefer to see in faculty usage of Canvas. We wanted to get feedback on what’s helpful to students and how faculty can best spend their time when setting up a Canvas site for a course. With 800 respondents, these results offer meaningful insight into student sentiments regarding Canvas.

Survey Results

Specifically, students were asked: “We often hear that students want their instructors to organize their Canvas sites consistently. Which of these elements do you feel would help with that organization?”

Ranked from most to least helpful, here is how students responded:

MOST HELPFUL

(% of Respondents Rating Action “Very Helpful”)

1. Posting grades in Canvas (89%)
2. Organizing course materials by week or topic (88%)
3. Posting course materials in pages or modules (84%)
4. Adding assignment due dates so that assignments appear in the syllabus (83%) 
5. Having a downloadable version of the syllabus (77%) 
6. Posting comments/feedback on assignments in Canvas (76%)
7. Using Announcements to post course information and updates (72%)
8. Filling in the top area of the Canvas syllabus page (67%)
9. Organizing course materials by type [all assignments, all readings, etc.] (60%)
10. Reducing the number of items in the left-hand course navigation (52%)

Students have seen the power of Canvas as an organizational and pedagogical tool. As they juggle the assignments and deadlines of their multiple courses in addition to their other commitments, Canvas can be a valuable tool for staying on top of their academic work. Time spent building an organized, robust Canvas course will pay dividends over time. Since instructors can import content from one course to another, and even send content to colleagues in cases of collaborations or changed teaching assignments, the investment in building course content in Canvas benefits you and your students now and in the future.

The Teaching & Learning Technologies team is available to consult with instructors on their Canvas courses. Whether you are starting from the beginning of your building process or needing help with the final details, we can help you build a Canvas course that students will enjoy using. Request a consultation.