Modules

You can’t prevent a student from accessing a module unless you set a prerequisite for that module *and* you set requirements for a previous module. 

Set the requirements and prerequisites in this order:

Repeat these steps for the rest of the modules.

Make sure you tell students how you've setup module requirements and prerequisites.

Tell your students if they need help understanding how to access items in a module, read the Canvas Student Guide How do I view Modules as a student? (Tell students to look at the sections titled, "View Requirements" and "View Progression Icons.")

Mark As Done - If you set “Mark as Done” as a requirement, be sure to tell students they need to click the “Mark as done” button on the page. In your instructions, include the link to the Canvas Student Guide How do I mark a content page as done for a module requirement? Links to an external site.

Be prepared to make adjustments if a student misses work. Consider the situation below. 

What if a student didn’t post to a required discussion and the discussion is closed?
Now the student is locked out of all the other modules in your course!

To fix this, you have two options.

Option 1: Extend Date

Extend the discussion close date for just that one student. See the Canvas Instructor Guide: How do I assign a graded discussion to an individual student? Links to an external site.

Option 2: Trick Canvas

Trick Canvas Grades into thinking the student submitted work. Here's how:

1. In Grades, go to the the one assignment for that student and type in ex and press Enter. "Excused" will appear in place of the grade.
   
   1. An "Excused" in Grades will excuse the student from the assignment (no points).
   2. Canvas treats the assignment as completed (just as it relates to module requirements).
2. After "Excused" appears in Grades, change it to a 0 (zero).
   • This will still keep the assignment unlocked, but the student will see a 0 (zero) in their Grades.
   • If you leave the grade as Excused, the assignment that the student missed won’t be counted towards the total points possible for their final grade.

For more information about this workaround, go to Bypassing Requirements/Prerequisites. Links to an external site.

When you are setting the requirements for a module, you have the option to require that students complete the tasks in a specific order (sequential) that you define. If you specify sequential order for the requirements, keep the following in mind:

• Students won’t be able to browse through a module. They are forced to go to each item in sequential order.
• All the succeeding items in a module will be locked until the student completes the required task for that item.

Sample Scenario

Let’s say the requirement in the orientation module is to complete all items in sequential order (as shown in the image below). This is what could happen:

• On the first day of the course, students won’t be able to jump to the page that has the textbook information until they’ve completed all the preceding requirements.
• If students have technical issues taking the Student Learning Contract, they are "locked" out of the rest of the module. If technical help and your contact information are in the subsequent pages, students won't know where to get help.

 I don’t recommend requiring sequential order unless it is essential that students go through module items in an exact order.

Below is a list of Canvas Guides and videos where you can get more information about Module requirements and prerequisites.

Video: Tricks to Modules Links to an external site.

How do I add requirements to a module? Links to an external site.

How do I add prerequisites to a module? Links to an external site.

How do I use modules to view the progress of students in a course? Links to an external site.

Video: Modules: Creation and Management (Instructors) Links to an external site. – Start viewing at 2 min. 30 secs. to see an overview of how to add requirements and prerequisites.

How do I lock a module? Links to an external site. – You can lock a module so that it opens on a specific date.  Be aware that if you use this, students will not be able to work ahead.