Get the Most Out of Canvas

Getting Started in Canvas

Icon chart (page, discussion, assignment, quiz, link)

If this is your first time using Canvas, you may want to become a little more familiar with how the system works before you dive into taking a class! To help you learn about your virtual classroom I've provided you with this short set of tutorials to teach you about Canvas. It's important to start off on the right foot, and these short video tutorials will help you learn how to get the most from this online environment, from reading content to posting discussions and submitting assignments. The tutorial videos can be viewed in any order.

Please know that in Canvas, there is an icon next to each reading or assignment that lets you know if it's a page to read, a quiz, an assignment, etc. Check out what the icons mean if you're not familiar with them!

Navigation

Navigating Canvas for the first time might be challenging. Here are a few walk-thru guides and video tutorials to help get you started:

Notifications

Canvas pushes Announcements and other information to your student email, so it's important that you configured your Canvas Notifications to receive alerts quickly. You can also change you Canvas Profile to push notifications to your personal email and cell phone.

Watch these video tutorials to set up your Profile and reconfigure your Notification settings:

Announcements

Your instructor may use the built-in Announcements tool to communicate important course information. You may find the most recent Announcements at the top of the Home page. Additionally, the Announcements page will have all the announcements sent throughout the semester so that you can refer to them as needed.

Need a bit more information? Read this walk-thru guide:

How do I view Announcements as a student?

Modules

Canvas Modules can be used by instructors to organize course content and assignments. Modules might be named for the current week or the current chapter. You can move through the modules by clicking NEXT at the bottom of each module page and assignment.

Inside the modules, your instructor may have content pages, assignments, discussions, and quizzes. When looking at the module on the Module Index page, these pages and assignments can be viewed by clicking on the name or by moving through the module using the NEXT buttons. Also, your instructor might have added a link to a file, presentation, external URL, or video as a part of the module.

Canvas Pages allow instructors to put course content directly on the page. They can also embed hyperlinks and files. These files can be downloaded to your device or previewed in Canvas. Click on the icon after the hyperlink and select download or preview.

Need a bit more information? Read these walk-thru guides and watch these video tutorials:

Groups

Your instructor might use Groups to give you and your classmates a chance to work in small groups to complete discussions, assignments, and projects. The assignments that are group-assigned will have a link to your Group's space at the top of the assignment or discussion. Additionally, you can enter your Group space to collaborate with your group members at your convenience by clicking on the Group icon (looks like the silhouette of two people) in the global navigation menu.

Need more info? Watch this video tutorial:

205 - Groups Overview from Instructure Canvas Community on Vimeo.

Inbox

Inbox allows instructors and students to send messages inside Canvas. It will be important for you to check your Inbox regularly. It is recommended that you modify your Notification preferences if you want Inbox messages to be forwarded to your personal email or cell phone.

Need a bit more information? Read this walk-thru guide and watch the video tutorial below:

Discussions

During this course, you may use Canvas Discussions to interact with your instructor and classmates. This is similar to small group and whole class discussions you might have during an in-person class. In an online discussion, there are two steps to having a conversation with your classmates:

Initial post -- your initial response to the assignment question and content
Replies -- your responses to two things: 1) your classmates' initial posts and 2) their replies to your initial post

Need a bit more information? Read these walk-thru guides and watch the video tutorial below:

How do I view Discussions as a student?
How do I view and sort discussion replies as a student?
How do I reply to a discussion as a student?

Get Canvas Help

You are being supported by the developers at Canvas. If Canvas misbehaves, tell them about it. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. This is a great way to problem solve when the instructor may not be readily available to help with a technical issue.

Canvas HelpLinks to an external site. Canvas Live ChatLinks to an external site.

Canvas Support by Phone - 1-844-600-4953

Also, check that you have the correct technical requirements to ensure you can access Canvas successfully.

Additional Learning Resources

Additional resources are great to use to help yourself use Canvas, especially when the instructor is not readily available.

The Canvas Student Guide is a comprehensive way to find solutions for Canvas issues.
You can also find solutions accessing the "Help" button/icon in our Canvas course.