Thoughtful course design plays a critical role in shaping the student learning experience, regardless of whether a class is taught online or in person. Fully online asynchronous courses typically have an intense, front-loaded design process to ensure that they are accessible, easy to navigate, and designed in a comprehensive manner.
These courses often come with instructional design support as well. For instructors delivering synchronous courses, by the time they have constructed their syllabus, designed their assessments, created lectures, and determined what strategies will be used in class to encourage student engagement, designing and building their Canvas course sites may understandably be at the bottom of the list.