Quercus (Canvas) Pages allow instructors to create and share course content, including text, images, videos, links, files, and other learning materials. Pages can be used for lesson overviews, topic summaries, assignment guidance, course resources, and collaborative activities.
Pages and Modules serve different but complementary purposes in Quercus. Pages allow instructors to present information and learning materials in a flexible format, while Modules organize Pages and other course activities into a structured learning pathway. Pages can be used independently or added to Modules.
Creating and Editing Pages
Pages provide a flexible way to present course materials in one place. Instructors can combine text, media, links, and supporting resources using the Quercus Rich Content Editor.
Creating a Page
To create a Page:
- Open your Quercus course.
- Select Pages from the course navigation menu.
- If a Front Page is displayed, select View All Pages to access the Pages index.
- Select + Page.
- Enter a descriptive title for your Page.
- Use the Rich Content Editor to add and format text, images, links, videos, files, and other content.
- Review the available Page settings.
- Select Save to keep the Page unpublished, or Save & Publish to publish it.
You can return to an existing Page and select Edit to revise its content.
For detailed instructions and screenshots, consult Canvas’s How do I create a new page in a course?
Organizing Pages
Use clear, descriptive, and consistent Page titles to help students identify and locate course materials. This is particularly important when students access content directly through the Pages index rather than through Modules.
For example, instructors might use titles such as:
- Week 1: Course Introduction
- Week 2: Required Readings
- Week 3: Visual Analysis Activity
- Research Resources and Citation Guides
When organizing a course primarily through Pages, consider how students will navigate between them. You can provide links to related Pages or create an overview Page that directs students to important materials and activities.
Instructors can also organize Pages within Modules, allowing students to access content through a sequence of learning materials and activities.
The Pages index does not provide the same hierarchical organization as Modules. Instructors should consider whether students need direct access to the Pages index or whether a Home Page or Modules-based structure would provide clearer navigation.
For additional guidance, consult Quercus (Canvas) Course Navigation.
Managing Page Settings
When creating or editing a Page, instructors can manage publishing, access, editing permissions, and notifications.
Publishing and Scheduling Pages
Pages can be saved as drafts or published for students.
- Save: Saves the Page without publishing it.
- Save & Publish: Saves and publishes the Page.
- Publish At: Allows instructors to schedule publication of an unpublished Page.
Publishing a Page does not necessarily mean every student can access it immediately. Availability may also depend on course publication, Page assignment settings, and any Modules containing the Page.
Review these settings before directing students to the content.
For detailed instructions, consult Canvas’s How do I publish or unpublish a page as an instructor?
Assigning Pages to Students or Sections
Instructors can assign Pages to specific students or course sections and, where supported, configure availability periods.
To manage Page access:
- Open the Page and select Edit.
- Locate the Assign Access settings.
- Review the students or sections assigned to the Page.
- If needed, use Assign To to select particular students or sections.
- Review any availability settings.
- Save your changes.
By default, Pages are generally available to everyone in the course when published, subject to other course and module access settings.
When assigning Pages to particular students or sections, review how those settings affect access through Modules and other course links.
For detailed instructions and screenshots, consult Canvas’s How do I create a new page in a course?
Student To Do Lists and Notifications
Instructors can use Page settings to help students identify important course materials.
- Add to student to-do: Adds a Page to students’ To Do lists, where supported. This can be useful for important readings, instructions, or preparation activities.
- Notify users that this content has changed: Allows instructors to notify students when a Page is updated.
Notifications depend on students’ individual Quercus notification preferences. Selecting the notification option does not guarantee that every student will receive an immediate alert.
For important updates, consider using an Announcement in addition to updating the Page.
For more information, consult Quercus (Canvas) Notifications and Quercus (Canvas) Class Lists and Communication.
Using Pages for Collaborative Activities
Instructors can allow students to edit a Page, creating a shared space for collecting ideas, developing resources, or contributing to course content. This functionality is sometimes referred to as a wiki Page.
Student-editable Pages can support activities such as:
- Collaborative glossaries or collections of key terms.
- Shared reading notes or resource lists.
- Group summaries of course concepts.
- Collective brainstorming or synthesis activities.
Allowing Students to Edit a Page
To create a student-editable Page:
- Open an existing Page or create a new one.
- Select Edit.
- Locate Users allowed to edit this page.
- Choose the appropriate editing permissions:
- Only teachers: Limits editing to instructors and authorized teaching staff.
- Teachers and students: Allows students to edit the Page.
- Anyone: Allows editing by users with the relevant course access and permissions.
- Save and publish the Page as appropriate.
Before enabling student editing, consider whether the activity requires contributions from the whole class or whether separate Pages or group workspaces would be more appropriate.
Collaborative Editing Considerations
Important: Quercus Pages do not support real-time collaborative editing. If multiple users edit the same Page simultaneously, one person’s saved changes may overwrite another’s work.
When using student-editable Pages:
- Provide clear instructions about what students should contribute and where.
- Establish expectations for attribution, respectful editing, and revising others’ contributions.
- Encourage students to draft longer contributions before entering them into Quercus.
- Avoid having multiple students edit the same Page simultaneously.
- Review the Page history if changes need to be examined or restored.
Contributions to a shared Page are not anonymous in the same way as an anonymous survey. Instructors should explain how contributions and revisions may be attributed.
For activities requiring simultaneous editing, consider a collaborative document in Microsoft 365, such as Microsoft Word, rather than a Quercus Page.
Using a Page as the Course Home Page
Instructors can designate a Page as the Front Page and use it as the course Home Page. This allows them to create a customized starting point with course information, important links, and guidance for students.
To set a Page as the course Home Page:
- Open Pages in your Quercus course.
- Create or locate the Page you want to use.
- Ensure the Page is published.
- From the Page options menu, select Use as Front Page.
- Select Home from the course navigation menu.
- Select Choose Home Page.
- Choose Pages Front Page and select Save.
A Front Page can help students orient themselves when entering a course, but its design should support clear navigation rather than duplicate all course materials.
For guidance on designing an effective course Home Page, explore Quercus Home Page Foundations (QHPF), CTSI’s self-paced learning program.
For detailed technical instructions, consult Canvas’s How do I set a Front Page in a course? and How do I change the Course Home Page?
Designing Accessible and Usable Pages
Pages can support accessible and flexible learning experiences when instructors consider how students will locate, read, and interact with course materials.
When designing Pages, consider:
- Clear organization: Use descriptive Page titles, meaningful headings, and a consistent structure to help students locate information.
- Accessible content: Use descriptive links, alternative text for informative images, sufficient colour contrast, and accessible tables where needed.
- Manageable content: Organize longer Pages with headings and sections so students can locate relevant information without unnecessary scrolling.
- Multiple ways to engage: Combine text with images, videos, or other materials when they support the learning purpose. Provide accessible alternatives where needed.
- Consistent navigation: Use predictable labels and links to help students move between related Pages and activities.
- Student perspective: Use Student View to check how Pages appear to students and whether they can access the intended content.
Quercus includes an Accessibility Checker within the Rich Content Editor to help instructors identify and address common accessibility issues. In addition, Microsoft Immersive Reader allows students to customize how they read supported Page content, including listening to text and adjusting its appearance.