Design Tools for Canvas: Add a Module List to the Homepage

This article covers how to add a Module List block using Design Tools. A Module List block creates a listing of course modules with links to each module that students can access from the course homepage. This article is one of a series of articles in the self-help guide Design Tools for Canvas: Create a Course Homepage Using a Design Tools Template.

Before adding a Modules List block, have all of your modules built with the titles you want to use, and place them in the order you plan to use them in your course site. There is a Reset List button in Design Tools that you can use to refresh information if you make changes to modules, but it is a better workflow to add this piece to your homepage after the modules have been built.

Adding a Module List to a homepage

  1. Be in Edit mode for the homepage you are building.
    • Click Pages in the course navigation menu.
    • If you already have pages in this course site, you will see a "front page." Click View all Pages above the page in the top left corner to get to the area where there is a list of all course pages.
    • Click on the title of the homepage you are building.
    • Click Edit in the top right corner of the page to be in Edit mode.
  2. Click the Design Tools Rocket Ship icon to launch the Design Tools toolbar.
  3. Click the Design Tools Settings icon.
    arrow pointing to the Design Tools settings icon
  4. The Design Tools Settings box will open up to the left of the Design Tools toolbar. Click the Advanced Comfort Level button. 
    arrow pointing to the Advanced Comfort Level button
    The Add Advanced Elements menu will appear in the main Design Tools menu on the right.
  5. Close the Design Tools Settings menu by clicking on the X in the top right corner of the box.
  6. Click Add Advanced Elements; a menu appears below it. Click Module List.
    Add Advanced Elements menu expanded with an arrow pointing to the Module list option
  7. Click the toggle button under Add and Configure Module List so that a green check mark appears; the Module List menu will appear below.
    Module List's add and configure module list turned on
  8. Click + Add all Modules; any modules you have in your course will show up in a list on the Canvas page.
    • Any time you update the modules in your course site (title, order, etc.), you will click the Reset List button to refresh the information on the homepage so that it stays up-to-date.
  9. Select how many columns you want your modules links to appear in on the page.
  10. You can change the module icons to either have all modules be the same icon (but different than what is here) or you can change the individual icon of each module.
    • Click on the icon next to the Module titles. A Custom Icons box will slide out on the left side of the Design Tools menu.
      Custom icons box opened up with the search term "maps" in the search area
    • Use the search box to find an icon that you want to use.
    • Click on the icon you want to use to select it. It will automatically appear in the Canvas page rich text editor and the Design Tools Module list title area next to the module title.
    • Click the X in the Custom Icon box to close that box when you are done choosing icons.
  11. Choose which "Browser Only Features" you would like. These features only show up on computers, not on mobile devices:
    • Link To options: Determines whether links will open to that module within the modules page or open the first item within that module.
      • Module Page -- links to the module page showing all items in that module.
      • First Item -- links to the first item placed in the module (i.e. a module overview page)
    • Include Quick Links -- Quick Links display the a list of links to items within a module on the homepage underneath the module title.
      • Current -- This option makes links to modules that you have manually marked as current using the Mark as current icon,  OR you can put in dates in the Design Tools area menu area next to each module title and have the current week's links/module items appear automatically.
      • All -- This option creates a tabbed format with each module title on a separate tab on the homepage. It is important to note that you can't see these tabs from the mobile device.
      • None -- This option creates the list of module titles with links, but there is not list of items within that module linked on the homepage.
  12. Choose to display Date Fields:
    • Show dates/Hide Dates/ Clear
    • Put in dates: show dates/start dates
  13. You can turn off any modules that you don't need linked from the front page by clicking the Toggle Visibility icon toggle visibility icon.

See Design Tools for Canvas: Create a Course Homepage Using a Design Tools Template self-help guide for other content blocks that you can add to a homepage using Design Tools templates. 

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