Although each CGS Online course is different, there are some common structural elements:
My Course Homepage welcomes you and tells you what to do next.
Faculty Information lists your instructor's contact information and office hours for consultation.
Syllabus and a Course Summary contains course goals, requirements, expectations, grading, schedules, and policies within the Canvas course.
Modules are units used by CGS online instructors to organize the content of their courses in logical and chronological order (by topic, week, or cluster). A typical module structure includes:
a) a module overview and objectives;
b) readings, lecture notes, videos, or powerpoint presentations;
c) assignments and activities, and
d) additional optional and required resources.
Assignments and Quizzes are Canvas tools used by instructors to create and administer various types of activities and assessments such as homework assignments, practice quizzes, exams, and more. You may be asked to submit class work to your instructor electronically via these assignment features in Canvas or in person at a required workshop. CGS online courses may also require tests proctored at the University's Testing Center.
Discussions are commonly used in web and hybrid courses as are other collaboration tools such as wikis, blogs, and journals. Students are often asked to address a question posed by the instructor and reply to classmates’ discussion board posts – instructions will make this clear. Discussions can be graded or ungraded and are used to foster engagement and a sense of community among students and their teacher.
Zoom or Canvas Conferences are video conferencing tools used for live synchronous meetings in web-based and hybrid classes.
My Grades allows you to keep track of your progress and grades in the class.
Consult your course syllabus in Canvas for specific course requirements, and take a look at this video to explore the top 8 navigation features commonly found in CGS online courses.