A Quick Overview of Content Types

There are several different ways to present content to your students in a Canvas course. The typology below breaks these down using the terms and tools that you'll see.

Files

Files are created elsewhere and uploaded to Canvas. The simple distinction between Files and Pages is that Pages are created within Canvas, Files are created outside of Canvas. Files are a great way to handle:

  • Items you expect students to print or save separately, such as class handouts, worksheets, templates for assignments, etc.,
  • Readings and material not available from the library databases or other online sources (and for which you have copyright permission to use), and
  • Specialized files for class, e.g. spreadsheets and code snippets.

It's also possible to include video, audio, Camtasia presentations, and other media, but these may be better delivered in different ways.

Pages

Pages are created within Canvas, using the Pages tool. Again, the simple distinction between Files and Pages is that Pages are created within Canvas, Files are created outside of Canvas. 

If you are adding text content to a course, a good rule of thumb is to use Files when you want the students to download and print the text (such as a group activity worksheet), but use Pages for conveying content. Using Pages enables students to get to the content more easily, and view it easily on a wider array of devices.

Some good uses of pages include:

  • Collect a list of links for student to use in a particular assignment or activity; for instance, presenting all the links to journal articles and readings for the week. The Modules page will be less crowded, and you can provide some context or reading prompts for the links. 
  • Linking to project files uploaded into the Canvas Files area. You can provide instructions and context for each of the project files in one coherent space. 
  • Presenting video and other embedded materials (e.g. SlideShare, etc.). By embedding the video in a page, you can include study questions and prompts to focus students. 

Embedded Content

This is a common use of Pages.

Videos from YouTube, Vimeo, TED, and other sources can be embedded in a page, along with some explanatory text, viewing prompts, or other context. PDF files can also be embedded, as can Google Docs and other sources of content. Some of these resources are available from the toolbar of the text editor in Canvas.

Pages are often the best way to present videos and other media to students. You can see this in action in this course; some of the Canvas how-to guides and videos are embedded in Pages.

Links

These are links from Canvas to other, external resources for use in your class. For instance, you might link to an online reference source, to the IRIS Information Literacy tutorial at the library, or directly to a reading from the library's journal databases.

Links are often best included within a Page, as described above, but can also be added directly to modules in Canvas.