Academic Advising Canvas

Overview

With only two advisors supporting more than 700 graduate students across the University of Michigan School of Information's residential master's programs, advising appointments were often spent answering the same foundational questions about degree requirements, course planning, and university resources.

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I identified an opportunity to redesign the advising experience by applying a flipped classroom approach to academic advising. I created centralized Canvas learning hubs where students could independently access foundational information before and after advising appointments. Rather than relying solely on one-on-one meetings to deliver basic information, students could engage with current resources on their own time, allowing advising conversations to focus on individualized guidance, decision-making, and long-term academic planning. This shift transformed advising sessions from information delivery into higher-value coaching conversations while giving students continuous access to resources whenever they needed them.

Design Insight

The goal was not to replace advising appointments, but to redesign the advising experience.​ By shifting foundational learning outside of advising appointments, students arrived better prepared, advisors spent less time repeating information, and conversations became more personalized and meaningful.

The Challenge

Students frequently relied on outdated resources because program information was dispersed across multiple websites, emails, and documents. They often scheduled advising appointments simply to locate information or clarify degree requirements.

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With limited appointment availability and a growing student population, the challenge was to create a scalable solution that empowered students to independently find accurate information while preserving advising appointments for discussions that required individualized support.

My Role

I independently designed and developed two Canvas advising hubs—one for the Master of Science in Information (MSI) program and one for the Master of Health Informatics (MHI) program.

My responsibilities included:

• Designing the information architecture

• Creating page layouts and navigation

• Developing graphics and visual assets

• Writing and organizing content

• Building pages using Canvas HTML and tables

• Collaborating with my co-advisor throughout development

• Refining the experience through stakeholder feedback

Design Approach

Rather than organizing information around university offices or administrative structures, I organized the experience around students' most common questions and tasks.

The advising hubs included:

• Degree requirements

• Specialization tracks

• Course planning resources

• Dual degree information

• Graduate certificate information

• Student support services

• Advising policies and procedures

• Frequently used campus resources

Throughout the design process, I intentionally focused on reducing cognitive load by organizing information into manageable sections, establishing a clear visual hierarchy, and presenting content in ways that encouraged independent exploration without overwhelming learners.

Although I was still developing my technical skills within Canvas, I worked within the platform's constraints to create a cohesive experience using custom graphics, tables, university branding, and accessibility considerations such as color contrast, consistent navigation, and responsive layouts.

Impact

The advising hubs became a central resource for incoming and current graduate students while also supporting advisors and campus partners.

The project helped:

• Create a centralized source of accurate program information.

• Reduce repetitive advising questions.

• Increase student autonomy by supporting self-directed learning and planning.

• Allow advising appointments to focus on individualized guidance, academic planning, and career conversations.

• Improve consistency across advising communications.

• Inform improvements to advising resources beyond my own program through collaboration with the other teams.

Looking Back

While I now build more sophisticated Canvas experiences using stronger HTML, accessibility practices, and contemporary learning design strategies, revisiting this project reminds me that the principles guiding my work today were already taking shape.

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Looking back, I would approach the technical implementation differently, but I would make many of the same design decisions. This project reinforced that meaningful learning experiences are not limited to courses. By redesigning how students accessed information, I was able to create a more scalable advising model that reduced barriers, supported learner autonomy, and created space for richer, more personalized conversations.

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Although my technical skills have continued to evolve, the principles that guided this project remain central to my work today: designing around people's needs, reducing unnecessary complexity, organizing information with intention, and creating experiences that help people move forward with clarity and confidence.