Why TidyUP?
Managing course materials can often be a time-consuming and frustrating task for instructors. Over time, courses may accumulate unused or outdated files, pages, and other resources, making navigating or maintaining consistency difficult. Additionally, having extra files in a course makes it challenging to ensure all materials are accessible to students. For students, a cluttered course can lead to confusion and impact their ability to focus on what matters most: learning.
The TidyUP tool addresses these challenges by providing an efficient way to clean up courses. By identifying unused content and offering bulk management options, TidyUP helps ensure courses are organized, accessible, and easy to maintain.
Goals for the Pilot Program
During the pilot, our primary objectives are to:
- Assess the effectiveness of TidyUP in reducing unused and duplicate content in courses.
- Measure how it impacts instructor workload during course clean-up processes.
- Gather feedback from participating instructors to inform potential wider adoption.
The pilot is open to all instructors. You can access the tool by enabling it from the Navigation tab in your course settings.
Key Features of TidyUP
TidyUP is seamlessly integrated into Canvas, making it a user-friendly solution for instructors. Some of its standout features include:
- Identifying Unused Content: TidyUP scans your course to locate unused files, pages, and other resources.
- Bulk Management: Perform actions like deleting or archiving multiple items simultaneously, saving significant time.
- Preview Capabilities: Preview items before deletion to ensure accuracy.
- Improved Navigation: By reducing clutter, instructors can create easier courses for students to navigate.
What We Hope to Achieve
We aim to support instructors in delivering high-quality courses with a clear and organized structure. A streamlined course enhances the student experience and aligns with our institutional commitment to accessibility and user-friendly design.
How You Can Stay Involved
We’ll share updates throughout the pilot program, including participant feedback and lessons learned. If you’re interested in learning more about TidyUP or would like to get involved in future implementation phases, please don’t hesitate to contact teachingtools@umsystem.edu.
Stay tuned for more insights as we explore how TidyUP can help transform how we manage course content.