Best In Canvas Nominations
Summary of Nominated Course Units
Since the launch of Canvas in September 2025 the Faculty eLearning team and the Digital Learning Graduate Interns have made several passes of all course units to ensure we are delivering a consistent level of quality for our students. The consistency of presentation of core unit information was a key piece of feedback from our students, the canvas template has enabled us to deliver on that feedback so that this information is within the same place across all our course unit spaces. As part of this work we asked the Digital Learning Graduate Intern team, as recent graduates, to be on the look out for canvas courses where they felt the course team had gone above and beyond the expectation to deliver a well structured, supportive and inclusive learning space for the students.
FOUN10031 – Academic Skills
Course team: Simon Raw
This course unit presents a structured Canvas design aligned with university guidance, featuring a clear homepage that introduces the unit and directs students to key content. The unit lead presents a candid and welcoming introduction to himself and the unit. It includes a detailed overview of aims, structure, and engagement expectations, alongside transparent learning outcomes, assessment information, and support resources. Weekly materials are presented with a detailed introduction and summary for each week, helping students contextualise content, manage independent study, and reflect on their learning.
AERO31441 & AERO30441 – Vibrations & Aeroelasticity
Course team: Ajay B Harish
These units demonstrate exemplary application of the University Canvas template, with a clearly structured and student‑centred design. Navigation is intuitive, supported by a well‑designed homepage and comprehensive staff profiles. Expectations for engagement are explicitly communicated including a series of Warm up exercise to prepare students and assist them in measuring their prior knowledge. Weekly modules are consistently organised with introductions, summaries, and preparation guidance. There are comprehensive details explaining to students how to engage with each different type of course content. Assessment and feedback information is transparent and detailed, and the unit clearly evidences how student feedback has informed iterative improvements to the course design.
CHEN10081 – Fundamentals of Thermodynamics
Course team: Antonios Anastasiou & Daniel Lee
This unit demonstrates effective scaffolding of student learning through structured weekly progression and clear engagement requirements. A course timetable and explicit assessment deadlines support workload planning. Formative quizzes, progression requirements, and transparent feedback mechanisms encourage active engagement and self‑monitoring of learning. Learning outcomes, reading lists, and assessment are well aligned, reinforcing coherence across the unit.
CIVL20012 – Design 2 (Civil)
Course team: Meini Su
This unit exemplifies good practice through strong alignment with professional engineering standards. Intended learning outcomes are explicitly mapped to AHEP criteria, providing clarity on the competencies students are expected to develop. Assessment information is detailed and transparent, including submission requirements, feedback timelines, and peer assessment processes. Weekly task‑focused modules and visible responsiveness to student feedback support an authentic, well‑structured design‑based learning experience.
COMP15111 – Fundamentals of Computer Architecture
Course team: Pavlos Petoumenos & Luca Peres
This unit demonstrates outstanding communication and student support through Canvas. The language used throughout the space is encouraging, supportive and inclusive. Announcements are used effectively as a central communication channel, and the homepage provides direct access to current learning content. The Canvas space includes clear weekly expectations, detailed assessment guidance, FAQs, and transparent marking processes. Regular quizzes, discussion areas, and explicit responses to student feedback foster engagement, community, and continuous improvement.
EEEN62021 & EEEN42041- Software for Robotics
Unit Lead: Murilo Marinho
These units demonstrate particularly strong expectation‑setting and communication. The “How to Engage” guidance is detailed and clearly distinguishes between mandatory and optional activities, while also setting out staff response times. Assessment information is comprehensive and well structured, including timelines, anonymous Q&A opportunities, and feedback dates. Weekly self‑assessment activities and summaries promote reflection and active learning.
ENGM60050 – Project Management Research
Course team: Jillian Yeow, Sheena Kalayil, Maria Sharmina, Rashid Maqbool, Elika Aminian, Saeed Reza Mohandes
This unit makes effective use of Canvas to support clarity and transparency. Navigation is clear, expectations for engagement are explicitly stated, and staff presence within Canvas is well defined. Assessment information is detailed, with clear marking criteria, submission guidance, and feedback timelines. The inclusion of guidance on plagiarism and AI use further supports student understanding of academic integrity.
MECH12012 – Aerospace and Mechanical Thermodynamics
Course team: Andrey Jivkov & Menqi Bai
This unit highlights clarity and consistency in Canvas design. Students are supported through clear navigation, explicit engagement expectations, and transparent assessment and feedback processes. Effective use of announcements, discussion boards, and structured assessment guidance reduces uncertainty and supports student confidence.
CHEM20212 – Core Physical Chemistry
Course team: Sam Cobb, Harry Morgan and Meagan Oakley
This unit is characterised by clarity, accessibility, and particularly strong assessment guidance. The Canvas space clearly communicates course structure, learning expectations, and staff availability. The Assessment & Feedback section is exemplary, providing detailed explanations of assessment formats, marking criteria, and formative feedback opportunities. Weekly introduction and summary pages, alongside quizzes, support consolidation of learning and student reflection.
EART26001 – Energy & Resources
Course team: Stefan Schroeder
This unit shows strong practice in managing student workload and expectations through clear guidance on preparation, independent study, and engagement with learning materials. Feedback processes are transparent and inclusive, with both informal and formal mechanisms and clear evidence of action taken in response to student input. Weekly modules are consistently structured with introductions, summaries, and targeted reading guidance, supporting coherent learning progression.
MATH39522 – Contingencies 2
Course team: Jon Ferns
This unit demonstrates strong accessibility and transparency. The inclusion of an introductory video supports diverse learner needs, while detailed guidance on engagement, assessment expectations, and feedback turnaround times enables effective planning. Weekly content is consistently structured with clear preparation guidance. The unit also demonstrates an exemplary approach to student feedback, including clear documentation of changes made and explanations where changes were not possible.
MATS61441 – Research Methods
Course team: Stephie Tsai, Claudia Henninger, Victoria Stephens, Lei Zeng, Delia Vasquez
This unit goes beyond standard expectations in its presentation of course aims and support. Learning outcomes are clearly organised in a structured table, improving clarity and usability. The provision of both a reading list and explanatory context for how texts relate to the course enhances academic guidance, while the inclusion of support pathways ensures students are well informed about where to seek help.
MATS69301 – Essential Textile Technology
Course team: Hugh Gong, Xiaogang Chen, Anura Fernando, Jiashen Li
This unit provides a well-organised Canvas space with a homepage offering staff contact details, office locations, and access to the unit handbook. It outlines course structure, assessment, and engagement expectations, including distinctions between lectures and labs. Students are supported through clear guidance, feedback opportunities, and accessible resources. Learning materials follow a consistent format with introduction and summary pages, supporting navigation and reinforcing understanding.
PHYS10362 – Introduction to Programming
Course team: Michaela Queitsch-Maitland & Andrina Nicola
This unit demonstrates effective use of Canvas to support communication, engagement, and formative learning. Teaching staff roles are clearly identified, assessment information is well structured, and students are supported through regular formative opportunities such as quizzes and discussion boards. Weekly summaries reinforce key concepts and encourage reflection on learning.
Congratulations to all the nominees, we are all learning how best to use Canvas to support our students and it’s important to recognise what a great job across the faculty has been made of the Canvas adoption.
