Canvas Course Audit

Perform a comprehensive audit of a Canvas course against the Four Learning Design Pillars, generating actionable recommendations based on evidence-based instructional design principles.

Skill Purpose

This skill systematically evaluates a Canvas course against 50+ learning design principles organized into four pillars:

1. Clear, Purposeful Structure – Organization, consistency, learning path clarity
2. Active, Engaging Learning Content – Multimedia, interactivity, relevance
3. Continuous Practice & Feedback – Assessment variety, feedback quality, metacognition
4. Simple, Intuitive User Experience – Navigation, accessibility, media controls

Usage

/canvas-course-audit <course_id_or_code>

Examples:

• /canvas-course-audit 12345
• /canvas-course-audit EDUC-101-F24
• “Audit my Canvas course 67890”
• “Review course quality for PSY 200”

Prerequisites

• canvas-mcp server must be configured and running
• User must have access to the target course (instructor/TA/admin role)
• Principles file at: {SKILL_DIR}/../principles/learning-design-pillars.yaml

Workflow

Step 1: Initialize Audit

1. Parse the course identifier from user input
2. Load the learning design pillars from the YAML file:

   {SKILL_DIR}/../principles/learning-design-pillars.yaml
   

3. Confirm course access with canvas-mcp

Step 2: Fetch Course Data

Use canvas-mcp tools to gather comprehensive course data:

# Core course information
canvas_mcp.get_course_details(course_id)

# Content structure
canvas_mcp.list_modules(course_id)
canvas_mcp.list_pages(course_id)

# Assessments
canvas_mcp.list_assignments(course_id)
canvas_mcp.list_quizzes(course_id)

# Engagement elements
canvas_mcp.list_discussions(course_id)

# Files and media
canvas_mcp.list_files(course_id)

Step 3: Analyze Against Each Pillar

For each pillar, evaluate the course against specific criteria:

Pillar 1: Clear, Purposeful Structure

Check:

• Modules have 5-10 items each (not overloaded)
• Consistent naming pattern (e.g., “Week 1:”, “Module 1:”)
• Each module has overview/summary pages
• Learning objectives visible in module descriptions
• Prerequisite settings used appropriately
• Logical progression from foundational to advanced

Pillar 2: Active, Engaging Learning Content

Check:

• Videos embedded (not just linked)
• Video count > 0 per content module
• Pages use headings (H1, H2, H3 hierarchy)
• Images have alt text
• Content uses conversational tone
• Key terms are bolded/highlighted
• Discussions exist beyond announcements

Pillar 3: Continuous Practice & Feedback

Check:

• Practice quizzes exist (ungraded/unlimited attempts)
• Assignment types vary (papers, projects, presentations)
• Rubrics attached to assignments
• Peer review enabled on at least one assignment
• Discussions require substantive responses
• Feedback turnaround expectations stated

Pillar 4: Simple, Intuitive User Experience

Check:

• Unused navigation items hidden
• Home page provides clear starting point
• Module requirements enable progress tracking
• External links clearly marked
• Time estimates provided for activities
• Mobile-friendly content (responsive embeds)

Step 4: Calculate Pillar Scores

Score each pillar on a 1-5 scale:

Scoring Formula:

Pillar Score = (criteria_met / total_criteria) * 5

Step 5: Generate Audit Report

Produce a structured report with these sections:

# Canvas Course Audit Report

**Course:** [Course Name] ([Course Code])
**Audit Date:** [Date]
**Overall Score:** [Average of 4 pillars] / 5

## Executive Summary

[2-3 sentence overview of course strengths and primary improvement areas]

## Pillar Scores

| Pillar | Score | Status |
|--------|-------|--------|
| 1. Clear Structure | X.X/5 | [Emoji indicator] |
| 2. Active Content | X.X/5 | [Emoji indicator] |
| 3. Practice & Feedback | X.X/5 | [Emoji indicator] |
| 4. Intuitive UX | X.X/5 | [Emoji indicator] |

## Detailed Findings

### Pillar 1: Clear, Purposeful Structure

**Score: X.X/5**

**Strengths:**
- [Finding citing principle ID, e.g., "Consistent module naming (1.2.1)"]

**Gaps:**
- [Finding citing principle ID, e.g., "No learning objectives visible (1.3.1)"]

[Repeat for each pillar]

## Recommendations

### Quick Wins (< 1 hour each)
1. [Action] - Addresses [Principle ID]
2. [Action] - Addresses [Principle ID]

### Medium Effort (1-4 hours)
1. [Action] - Addresses [Principle IDs]

### Major Redesigns (Course revision needed)
1. [Action] - Addresses [Principle IDs]

## Appendix: Audit Checklist

[Full checklist with pass/fail for each item]

Canvas MCP Integration

Required MCP Tools

MCP Call Sequence

// 1. Verify course access
course = await canvas_mcp.get_course_details(course_id);

// 2. Fetch structural elements
modules = await canvas_mcp.list_modules(course_id);

// 3. Fetch assessments
assignments = await canvas_mcp.list_assignments(course_id);
quizzes = await canvas_mcp.list_quizzes(course_id);

// 4. Fetch engagement elements
discussions = await canvas_mcp.list_discussions(course_id);

// 5. Fetch content
pages = await canvas_mcp.list_pages(course_id);

// 6. Fetch media inventory
files = await canvas_mcp.list_files(course_id);

Handling MCP Limitations

• If a tool is unavailable, note it in the report and skip that analysis
• For large courses (>100 items), paginate requests
• Cache results for multi-pass analysis

Audit Criteria

For complete audit criteria tables with Canvas-specific checks and weights for each pillar, see: references/audit-criteria.md

Key high-weight criteria to prioritize:

• Pillar 1: Learning objectives visible (1.3.1), rubrics attached (1.3.4), consistent naming (1.2.1)
• Pillar 2: Videos embedded (2.2.1), interactive elements (2.2.2), inclusivity (2.4.3)
• Pillar 3: Practice quizzes (3.1.6), varied practice (3.1.1), peer review (3.3.4)
• Pillar 4: Progress tracking (4.1.2), minimalist design (4.2.5), time estimates (4.3.2)

Example Output

# Canvas Course Audit Report

**Course:** Introduction to Psychology (PSY-101-F24)
**Audit Date:** 2024-12-27
**Overall Score:** 3.4 / 5

## Executive Summary

PSY-101 demonstrates strong content organization and navigation design but lacks sufficient practice opportunities and multimedia engagement. Priority improvements should focus on adding practice quizzes and embedding video content.

## Pillar Scores

| Pillar | Score | Status |
|--------|-------|--------|
| 1. Clear Structure | 4.2/5 | Strong |
| 2. Active Content | 2.8/5 | Developing |
| 3. Practice & Feedback | 2.5/5 | Developing |
| 4. Intuitive UX | 4.1/5 | Strong |

## Detailed Findings

### Pillar 1: Clear, Purposeful Structure

**Score: 4.2/5**

**Strengths:**
- Consistent "Week X: Topic" naming convention (1.2.1)
- Each module contains 5-8 items, well-segmented (1.1.1)
- Clear prerequisite chain for foundational modules (1.1.3)
- Comprehensive syllabus with course policies (1.3.5)

**Gaps:**
- Learning objectives not visible in module descriptions (1.3.1)
- No module overview/summary pages (1.3.2)
- Rubrics missing from 3 of 8 assignments (1.3.4)

### Pillar 2: Active, Engaging Learning Content

**Score: 2.8/5**

**Strengths:**
- Pages use heading hierarchy appropriately (1.1.4)
- Key terms bolded throughout (2.3.8)
- Additional reading resources provided (2.4.1)

**Gaps:**
- Only 2 videos across 15 modules (2.2.1)
- No interactive elements (H5P, embedded activities) (2.2.2)
- Most content is text-heavy without visuals (2.1.2)
- No discussion forums for engagement (2.2.2)

### Pillar 3: Continuous Practice & Feedback

**Score: 2.5/5**

**Strengths:**
- Varied assignment types: essays, short answers, projects (3.1.1)
- Clear instructions in assignment descriptions (3.2.5)

**Gaps:**
- Zero practice quizzes - all quizzes are graded (3.1.6)
- No peer review assignments (3.3.4)
- No reflection prompts (3.3.3)
- Feedback limited to letter grades, no rubric feedback (3.2.1)

### Pillar 4: Simple, Intuitive User Experience

**Score: 4.1/5**

**Strengths:**
- Unused nav items hidden (Home, Modules, Assignments, Grades only) (4.2.5)
- Module requirements enable progress tracking (4.1.2)
- Clean home page with welcome message (4.2.5)

**Gaps:**
- No time estimates for readings/videos (4.3.2)
- External links not clearly marked (4.1.4)

## Recommendations

### Quick Wins (< 1 hour each)
1. Add learning objectives to each module description - (1.3.1)
2. Enable peer review on one major assignment - (3.3.4)
3. Add time estimates to module headers - (4.3.2)
4. Mark external links with "[External]" label - (4.1.4)

### Medium Effort (1-4 hours)
1. Create practice quiz for each unit using question banks - (3.1.6)
2. Add module overview page template to each module - (1.3.2)
3. Attach detailed rubrics to all assignments - (1.3.4, 3.2.1)
4. Create one discussion forum per unit - (2.2.2, 3.3.4)

### Major Redesigns (Course revision needed)
1. Develop or curate 1-2 short videos per module - (2.2.1, 2.2.3)
2. Add interactive elements (H5P knowledge checks) - (2.2.2)
3. Redesign assessments to include reflection components - (3.3.3)

Notes

• Some criteria require manual review (e.g., tone, video quality)
• Report indicates where automated checks were not possible
• Recommend running audit at start of semester for maximum improvement time
• Pair with instructional designer review for comprehensive evaluation