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Does Your Canvas Course Design Support Meaning-Making?

person learning using videos, text lists, bar charts and more on a computer screen

“For meaningful learning to occur…students need to organize the multiple representations [of information] into a coherent mental model and integrate [it] with their prior knowledge.” (Moreno & Mayer, 2007).

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines emphasize that “Learners differ in the ways they perceive and make meaning of information. For example, those with sensory disabilities (e.g., blindness or deafness), learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia), and those representing diverse or non-dominant cultures and/or languages all approach content differently” (CAST, 2024). Given this variance, what’s a course designer to do? UDL principles suggest providing multiple means of content representation!

Decades of research in multimedia learning and cognitive science show that when learners encounter concepts through varied representations, they build richer mental models, make more connections, and retain concepts more effectively. Plus, providing multiple representations can make learning more accessible and reduce barriers for all learners.

But translating that principle into practice within Canvas isn’t as simple as adding more media; best intentions quickly turn into cognitive overload through jam-packed modules or content pages full of otherwise helpful images, videos, linked resources, and more.

Instead, the real opportunity lies not just in offering variety, but in designing coordinated, purposeful representations that support understanding without overwhelming learners. Let’s explore a few tips for how to build multiple means of representation into Canvas and some tools that make it easy:

Create it in Canvas!

Files are often the least accessible content in your courses. Since “[it] is relatively easy to make content accessible when you enter it directly into the pages of a learning management system” (Burgstahler, 2021), creating content in Canvas from the start is a great way to provide multimodal learning that may be more accessible to students. Plus, many learners use Canvas-integrated or other browser supports, such as immersive reader, to further customize the content representation experience to meet their needs.
Slideshow design in Canvas using vertical tabs style with previous and next buttons enabled on the tabs
Did you know you can build a slideshow experience right inside Canvas using DesignPLUS vertical tabs? Check out the fun example "slideshow" from one of our Accessibility Matters webinars.

Layer Meaning, Not Cognitive Load

Universal design principles remind us that not all learners interpret language, symbols, and visuals the same way (CAST, 2024), and thus champion combinations of images, definitions, and contextual information to support learners’ understanding. Yet an abundance of representations can lead to cognitive overload (Castro-Alonso et al., 2021; Sweller et al., 2019). Some complementary pairings use little design real estate and working memory—like an icon with a text heading, captions with every video, or an image with a short explanation. For other supplemental content, consider using select-to-reveal designs (such as tooltips, dialog boxes, or linked resources) to embed support where it’s needed without cluttering the content.
Canvas page showing image of poppy flowers with an overlaid caption and an interactive popover definition for a domain-specific term
DesignPLUS features easy-to-use tools for layering meaning in Canvas, such as Tooltips, Popovers, Dialog Boxes, Image Captions, and more.

Structure Knowledge Building

Course designers can help learners organize and store new concepts in long-term memory by arranging content into relevant visual structures. Research here indicates that visual structures reduce cognitive load and improve concept retention (Jung et al., 2022), as well as boost future assessment performance (Jitendra et al., 2009). Are you asking learners to compare multiple items? Lay them out in columns! Need to depict concept relationships? Consider borders to group information and icons to clarify the relationship.
It’s easy to create visually appealing and mental-model supporting structures in Canvas using DesignPLUS and its Columns, Cards, Accordions, and Tabs tools–no coding required. You can even apply pre-designed content blocks and find new templates in the DesignPLUS Library!

Companion Webinar

We bring these tips to life and do a deeper dive into the research in our Building Universal Design in Canvas webinar: Supportive Representation. 

Watch the On Demand Webinar

“DesignPlus has streamlined the process of creating engaging and accessible course content. I can’t imagine course design without it!”

– Abi Fuller, Instructional Designer, Indiana Institute of Technology

Citations:

Burgstahler, S. (2021). What Higher Education Learned About the Accessibility of Online Opportunities During a Pandemic. Journal of Higher Education Theory & Practice, 21(7).

CAST (2024). CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0.

Castro-Alonso, J.C., de Koning, B.B., Fiorella, L. et al. Five Strategies for Optimizing Instructional Materials: Instructor- and Learner-Managed Cognitive Load. Educ Psychol Rev 33, 1379–1407 (2021).

Jitendra, A.K.; Star, J.R.; Starosta, K.; Leh, J.M.; Sood, S.; Caskie, G.; Hughes, C.L.; Mack, T.R. Improving seventh grade students’ learning of ratio and proportion: The role of schema-based instruction. Contemp. Educ. Psychol. 2009, 34, 250–264.

Jung, E.; Lim, R.; Kim, D. A Schema-Based Instructional Design Model for Self-Paced Learning Environments. Educ. Sci. 2022, 12, 271.

Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. (2007). Interactive multimodal learning environments: Special issue on interactive learning environments: Contemporary issues and trends. Educational Psychology Review, 19(3), 309–326.

Sweller, J., van Merriënboer, J.J.G. & Paas, F. Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design: 20 Years Later. Educ Psychol Rev 31, 261–292 (2019).

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