Enhancing Student Experience: The Importance of Streamlining Course Navigation in Canvas

January 16, 2025 / Tech Notes & Training

Streamlining course navigation in Canvas is essential for improving the student experience. A clear, organized layout reduces confusion and helps students easily find materials, assignments and resources. Simplified navigation supports better engagement, encourages time management, and ensures students can focus on learning without being overwhelmed by complex course structures.

What to Keep
Keep the core elements for your course. Push all your content into Modules and eliminate the redundancy of keeping content in your course navigation.  

  • NOVA Recommended: 
    • Announcements
    • Syllabus
    • Modules
    • Grades
    • NOVA Policies
    • 24/7 Tutoring
    • Library Resources
    • Career Connection
    • NOVA All Access
    • Course Materials will link to Barnes and Noble course textbook interface if setup
  • Optional (if you use these):  
    • Lockdown Browser
    • Qwickly Attendance
    • Zoom
    • Discussions
    • Publisher Textbook if applicable 
  • Highly Discouraged:
    Files

Why it’s Important
To help students navigate your course more easily, it’s important to clean up what they have access to in your Course Navigation. 

Here are some key reasons:

  • Reduces clutter and confusion
  • Enhances student focus
  • Improves course consistency
  • Minimizes student confusion
  • Optimizes course design 
  • Improves overall course organization
  • Creates a more user-friendly experience 

How to streamline
Customize the left-side navigation menu by reordering and hiding specific navigation options that might clutter the view for students.

Here’s a quick reminder on how it’s done:

  • In Course Settings, select the Navigation Tab
  • Drag and Drop the desired items to the top of your Navigation area that you wish for students to see
  • Place Navigation items in the order you desire
  • Select Save

Submitted by:
Johnna Denny, CETSS, JDenny@nvcc.edu