Clear navigation and organization reduce extraneous cognitive load, the mental effort students waste figuring out where things are instead of understanding them. When materials, deadlines, and expectations follow a predictable structure, students spend their energy engaging with content rather than searching for it. A well-organized course also builds trust from the very first login and supports persistence across the semester, especially in online and hybrid courses where students cannot rely on hallway conversations to fill in the gaps.
Pick which tool you'll be using to facilitate course material engagement. The university has licenses to:
Choose one organizing logic (we recommend weekly or biweekly modules) and apply it uniformly. Within each module, present items in the same order every time (for example: overview, learning materials, activity, assessment) so students always know what to expect next.
Title modules and content pages so students can tell exactly what they contain at a glance. "Module 3: Supply & Demand" tells a student far more than "Week 3" or "Chapter Notes," and consistent naming makes the Table of Contents much easier to scan.
Title modules and content pages so students can tell exactly what they contain at a glance. "Module 3: Supply & Demand" tells a student far more than "Week 3" or "Chapter Notes," and consistent naming makes the Table of Contents much easier to scan.
If your course meets online or you host virtual office hours, create a dedicated spot for your ZOOM link. We recommend adding a module to the Table of Contents labeled "ZOOM Link," then selecting "Create a Link" from the "Upload/Create" menu within that module and embedding your meeting URL. This gives the link its own page in a consistent location, so students never have to hunt for it when class begins.
Display only the tools your course actually uses, and keep the navbar consistent across your sections. A clean, predictable navigation bar prevents students from clicking into empty or irrelevant tools.
Findability is how quickly a student can locate any given item in your course, and it is the real test of your organization. Keep essential materials within a few clicks of the course homepage, house recurring resources (like the syllabus and ZOOM link) in the same place all term, and preview your course in student view to confirm nothing important is buried.
At the top of each module, add a brief overview listing the learning objectives, the materials students need to read, watch, or listen to, and the assignments due. This gives students a clear roadmap of what they will learn and how to complete the module.
When you copy a course into a new term, audit and update every date before the term opens. Stale or conflicting due dates are one of the most common sources of student confusion in a reused course shell.
If you have and questions or suggestions for additional resources, please reach out by emailing us at celt@stonybrook.edu.
