Design Matters Digest

15 Research-Backed Strategies for
Better Canvas Course Design

Design Matters Digest Cover

What You’ll Learn

The Design Matters Digest combines educational research with practical course design strategies to help you create better learning experiences in Canvas. Inside, you’ll find actionable insights on:

  • Creating intuitive course navigation
  • Organizing content for improved learner success
  • Reducing cognitive load
  • Designing visually engaging course experiences
  • Supporting learner belonging and student success
  • Scaling design best practices across programs and institutions
  • Building consistency through templates and standards
  • Using interactivity to increase learner engagement

Across 40 pages, you’ll find supporting research, practical recommendations, and real-world examples that show how institutions are putting these course design principles into practice.

The Design Matters Digest is available in two accessible versions – a flipbook and a PDF. You receive both versions when you download!

Why Download Design Matters Digest?

Whether you’re an instructional designer, Canvas administrator, faculty member, or eLearning leader, the Design Matters Digest provides guidance you can use to improve course quality without starting from scratch.

You’ll walk away with:

  • Research-backed course design principles
  • Actionable tips you can apply immediately
  • Examples of effective Canvas course design
  • Insights from instructional design experts
  • Ideas for improving engagement, accessibility, and consistency at scale

Download Your Copy:

For more than a decade, Cidi Labs has partnered with over 700 higher education and K-12 institutions to improve instructional design quality, streamline course creation, and advance digital accessibility. Our tools help institutions deliver better learning experiences at scale.

Quotation Mark Graphic

The Design Matters Digest is the only newsletter I look forward to and read in its entirety each month. From helpful tidbits, product features, or training opportunities, it’s chock full of knowledge.

Jessica Tiblin
Academic Operations Coordinator
Northeastern University

Quotation Mark Graphic

Cidi Labs has improved our course design in so many ways. It’s like having our own dedicated team for instructional design improvements. I always look forward to each new release for the next feature we can use.

Rob Caldwell
Instructional & Information Designer
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

Get the complete Design Matters Digest and learn practical ways to create engaging, accessible, and effective Canvas learning experiences.

Name

Position

Description