This article is for Students taking courses with Canvas Prerequisites and Requirements.
Article Overview
1. Viewing Modules with Prerequisites, Requirements, and Mastery Paths
In Canvas, instructors may limit how students access course materials. One way they can do this is by adding requirements and prerequisites to course modules. Another way they may do this is by adding Mastery Paths. To access course modules, select the Modules link from the Course Navigation Menu.
1.1. Viewing Modules with Prerequisites and Requirements
Requirements are the tasks that you must finish in order to complete a module. In the image below, Module 1, Module 2, and Module 3 have requirements: This is shown with the "Complete All Items" message in the right-hand corners.
Module 2 and Module 3 also have prerequisites.
- A student cannot access Module 2 before finishing the prerequisite: Module 1.
- A student cannot access Module 3 before finishing the prerequisite: Module 2.
Prerequisites are included to right of a module's name and will include a lock icon.
1.2. Viewing Modules with Mastery Paths
Teachers can also control how students access materials by using Mastery Paths. In a Mastery Path, there is an original assignment, in this example, (1) Module 4 Review Quiz. (2) Subsequent materials will not be available until after the quiz is completed, and the other materials may differ depending on this quiz's score.
2. Completing Module Requirements
2.1. Visiting Modules
On the Modules page, view the modules and their requirements.
Some modules may be visible but the materials will be locked until a student completes the prerequisite module. The available resources have black titles and the unavailable resources have gray titles. Select the first resource (page, assignment, discussion, or quiz) in an available prerequisite module.
2.2. Completing Module Requirements: View, Mark as Done, Submit
Access and complete the tasks in the module, selecting Mark as done when available or Next. In the example below, students will Mark as done to verify that they have read the page.
A green Done box will appear.
In the example below, students do not have the option to Mark as done. Select either Next to move on to the next resource or Modules to view your progress.
Complete assignments, discussions, or quizzes in the module.
Select Modules to view your progress. In the example below, a student has completed the requirements for Module 1. There is a green check mark next to each item. There is also a green check mark on the right side of the module's title; this shows that the requirements have been completed.
In the example below, Module 2 is now available because the requirements for the prerequisite module, Module 1, were completed. The lock has disappeared and links to the module's assignments are active.
2.3. Completing Module Requirements: Score at Least
Some assignments, discussions, and quizzes may have a score requirement. In the image below, the last two tasks, an assignment and a quiz, have score requirements. Students will need to score at least 6 points for Module 3 - Upload Project File and at least 3 on the Unit 3 Vocabulary Quiz to complete Module 3 and move on to Module 4.
In the following example, Module 4 is not available because the requirement for the Unit 3 Vocabulary Quiz has not been completed. Hover over the red circle to see more details: In this case, a student took the quiz but scored below the requirement.
An assignment may show as incomplete even if you have made a submission if it has not been graded by your instructor yet.
3. Viewing Locked Modules
In the following example, Module 3 is locked. A student cannot access its materials fully until the prerequisites have been met. Note: Assignment due dates are visible.
Assignments with due dates will appear in your course To-do list even if they are in a locked module. In the image below, Module 3 Discussion is in the To-do list.
3.1. Viewing a Locked Discussion
When the link for Module 3 Discussion is selected, the directions for the discussion will be visible, but the reply button is hidden. This is because it is part of Module 3, which will remain locked until Module 2 (its prerequisite) is completed.
You might also not be able to see the Reply button if you are required to complete an individual assignment or complete module tasks in sequential order.
Once the prerequisites have been completed, the discussion's reply button will become available.
3.2. Viewing Locked Assignments and Quizzes
If you access an assignment or quiz that is part of a locked module, you may see the following message: This is part of the module (Module 3) and hasn't been unlocked yet. You will not be able to make a submission until after completing the prerequisite's requirements.
If an instructor has enabled the Done button, a required page or assignment will stay incomplete unless the button is selected. In the example below, a student needs to visit the Module 3 Instructions page, read the instructions, and select the Done button.
The quiz or assignment will become available and the prerequisite message will not appear once the prerequisite has been completed.
3.3. Viewing a Locked Module with Mastery Paths
A third way that instructors may limit how students access course materials is by using Mastery Paths. In In the example below, some materials are locked until after the Module 4 Review Quiz is graded.
In this example, the Module 4 Project is no longer locked and hidden because the student took and got a high enough score to move to the second task.
Materials that are part of a mastery path do not show up in the course to-do list until the original assignment (in this case, Module 4 Review Quiz) has been completed. The names of the mastery path assignment do not show up in a module until the original assignment is completed, but the message, "Locked until [the original assignment] is graded" shows that there will be more tasks in this module.
Clarise Sky-Johnson
Say for example Module 1 is a prerequisite for Module 2. If a student is not assigned the assignment in Module 1, can they see Module 2 automatically, or can they never see Module 2 without completing Module 1? I want to see if I need to manually mark certain groups complete for an assignment or if they can skip it by not being assigned. Thanks!