Update Active Dates for Modules to Display in Canvas

Does your course homepage include a list of modules, that looks something like this?

Module list with no active dates

If so, you can add dates to the modules so that the current module will be highlighted (text will be bold and icon to the left of the title will turn green).

1

Click the Edit button

Edit button highlighted.

 
2

Launch the Design Tools by clicking on the spaceship icon in the top-right corner

Arrow pointing at Design Tools Rocket Ship

 
3

Open the Add Advanced Elements section

If you don't see "Add Advanced Elements" section in the Design Tools, click the gear icon and toggle Module List item on

Arrow pointing at Advanced Elements dropdown.

 
4

Open the Module List section

Arrow pointing at Module List dropdown.

 
5

Click the Show Dates button

If there are already dates showing, click on the Clear button

Show Dates button highlighted.

 
6

Enter the desired start and end date for the first module

Canvas module start and end dates

The rest of the dates will be auto-generated. The tool is designed to follow the pattern that is set on the first module through the end of the module list, as calculated by the number of days for the first module. The most likely scenario is to have a module that lasts for a week. So, on the first module you would set the start date for the first day of the semester and go through the end of the seventh day.

In the instance below, the semester begins on a Tuesday so that is listed as the first day of the module in the module title, but the rest of the modules are going to run from Monday to Sunday. To reduce the number of manual adjustments, I'll begin Unit 1 on Monday, January 18 and have it end on Sunday, January 24. The tool will auto-populate Monday through Sunday for the remainder of the modules. I can then go back and edit the start date of Unit 1 to be Tuesday, January 19, if I want. When I'm finished, it will look something like this:

Canvas module dates

 
 
7

Be sure to click on the Save button before leaving the page

The end result will be that on January 27, students will see the module for Unit 2: Jan. 25–31 in bold and with the green icon.

Canvas module list