Are Pages, Content Page and Wiki Pages all the same thing?

[mschneider]

Are Pages, Content Page and Wiki Pages all the same thing?

[kona · Accepted solution]

 @mschneider , yes, they are. For more information on this I suggest reviewing the following guide - What are Pages for instructors?

[mschneider]

Hi

Thank you for your quick response.

Do you know the rational that Canvas used to set things up like this?

Mike

[kona]

Honestly I'm not sure other than the way Pages are configured in Canvas allows for use in multiple ways - pages, wiki, and content. Deactivated user​, do you have any insight into the rationale that Canvas uses to set things up like Pages?

[mschneider]

I was asking because when you go to Pages you can create a page (+PAGE).

When you want to add that page to a Module its called a Content Page.

When you export to another course or course shell its called Wiki Pages.

They are all the same thing then why call them different.

[kona]

Thanks for the clarification and I'm not sure why the same thing is called different things in different places - I can definitely see where that can get confusing. I included Jordan on my last response and he should be able to answer this question.

[scottdennis]

You might also ask why Sub-Accounts are referred to as "Departments" in Course Settings. 

I wasn't around yet when the pages/wiki pages/content pages terminology coalesced in the interface but I suspect it was simply an oversight.

[jordan]

That's a great question  @mschneider ​ and  @kona ​ is exactly right. Yes, they're all the same thing. Here's some further explanation and an action item for you!

When I began working at Instructure a few years ago (around the time Richland CC rolled out Canvas ) we almost always referred to content pages as "wiki pages." the interface also reflected this, as far as I can remember.  Over the years as we've developed different parts of Canvas we have noticed that some terminology has gotten out of sync. I think this comes as a result of different developers working on different projects that have some related pieces. Our #documentation team has done a great job keeping track of these inconsistencies and are consistently working with our #product team to get these discrepancies resolved. But  @scottdennis ​ nailed it by pointing out that this is one of several terminology issues we have.

While instructors continue to use course wiki's, the functionality of pages is so flexible that it has become the standard for course design whenever one wants to present learning material or content that is not some form of assessment (assignment/discussion/quiz). I've had the opportunity to train many many Canvas instructors and have noticed that a majority of them use these as plain ol' "content pages." The "front page" term came in to play for those who are using Pages as a wiki tool so they can have a home/front page for their wiki. It has morphed to be synonymous as page that can be set as the "home page" for your course.

All this ambiguity around content pages/wiki pages has lead to confusion for some Canvas users and I've created a feature idea to clarify some of these things. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts and ideas to consider as this becomes a greater priority.

[macaulayl]

I'll also add that I posted this in the Feature Ideas section, and it will be up for voting in early June.

We are new to Canvas and this naming difference is driving everyone nuts!

[scottdennis]

Thank you, Linda!