Mastery Paths
Mastery Paths allow instructors to customize the learning experiences of each student based on their performance on a particular assessment.
It is similar to differentiated assignments, which already exists in Canvas, but also includes providing different types of instructional materials to help them learn and master content at their own pace.
There are several steps to setting up Mastery Paths. All assessments and conditional content should be created before publishing the content to students. Everything should be set up in Modules.
1) Create the Assessment in a Module
First, you must create the assessment that the learning paths are based off of. You can create a graded quiz Links to an external site., graded assignment Links to an external site., or graded discussion Links to an external site. as your Mastery Path assessment. Graded quizzes work best for this because they are graded automatically, allowing students to move through the Mastery Path right away. If using a graded assignment or discussion, you will need to post the grades in the Gradebook before students can move through the Mastery Path.
Make sure that the assessment is added to a Module.
2) Create the Conditional Content in the Module.
Next, you should create the content that you wish students to access once they take the assessment. For example, if you want students to watch a video and submit a paper if they scored low on the assessment, then you need to create two pieces of conditional content: a page with the video embedded in it and an assignment where they can submit the paper.
Conditional content can be a quiz, assignment, discussion, or page. Pages allow you to provide multiple types of content, including text, embedded videos or audio, links to files, images, etc.
Make sure that every piece of conditional content is located in the Modules section directly under your initial assessment before moving to the next step.
3) Allow Conditional Content to be used in the Mastery Path
If you are using any Pages as conditional content Links to an external site., you must edit the Page and click on the box next "Allow in Mastery Paths".
If you are using assignments as conditional content Links to an external site., edit the Assignment and under "Assign To", delete "Everyone" by clicking on the X next to it. Click on the (now blank) box, and Choose "Mastery Paths". This will ensure that only students who score a certain percentage (which you will set up in the next step) will see it.
3) Set up the Mastery Path Links to an external site.
Once you have everything added to a Module, select the three dots (1) next to the assessment and choose Mastery Paths [2].
The total points of your assessment [1] will show as the highest point range of your Mastery Path [2]. The Mastery Path will automatically split up your point ranges into three fairly equal ranges.
You can change the point ranges by clicking on the box where the number is and typing in the preferred number.
To add the conditional content, click on the + icon in one of the point ranges.
Search for the conditional content [1] or choose the type of item (e.g. Page) you would like to add in the drop-down [2].
Check the box next to the item(s) you wish to add [1] and choose Add Items [2].
Continue adding content to the other sections if you wish. You can leave sections blank (for example, you may not want to require students who score in the higher percentage to complete anything).
If you have more than one item in a point range, you can choose to require students to complete both (the default) or click on the "&" sign [1] and change it to OR [2]. In the OR case, students will be allowed to choose which content they view or which assignment they complete.
You can move items around and delete them by clicking on the ... icon.
When you are finished creating the Mastery Path, select the Save button at the bottom.
To professors, the Mastery Path will look similar to the screenshot below. Make sure to publish the Module and the items when you are ready for students to see them.
Students will only see the assessment in the Module. Once they complete the assessment and it is graded, the conditional items will appear in the Module. You can go to Settings > Student View to see what students see.
4) How can I view Student Progress in the Mastery Path? Links to an external site.
Click on the assessment in the Module.
On the right-hand side, you will see a breakdown of the number of students who scored within a certain point range. For more information, click on the number of students (e.g. 2 out of 3 students).
You will see a list of students under each point range [1]. Click on the student's name [2] for more information.
Guides
What is Mastery Paths and how do I use it? Links to an external site.
How do I use Mastery Paths (overview)? Links to an external site.