This guide is for instructors using Canvas for the first time. We’ll walk you through the Canvas interface, how to setup your courses, and how to manage your personal Canvas account.
First, watch these brief videos so you know how to use the Canvas Dashboard, locate your courses, and locate important system-level tools.
00:07: How do I use the dashboard as an instructor? 00:10: In global navigation. Click the dashboard link. 00:14: The dashboard is your landing page in canvas, depending on your institution, 00:18: your dashboard, May default to one of two views, cardview or 00:22: recent activity View, Card view, displays course 00:27: cards for quick access to all your favorite courses. 00:29: The same courses display in the course, is linked from the global navigation 00:33: menu, recent activity, view displays, all recent activity 00:37: for all courses. 00:40: In the cardview dashboard and the recent activity dashboard. 00:42: The sidebar contains a to-do lists and other sections that help. 00:46: You know what assignments and events are coming up in all of your courses. 00:51: The dashboard may also include Global announcements which are announcements created 00:55: by your Institution. To remove the announcement from your dashboard, click 01:00: the remove icon, 01:03: If you dismiss a global announcement, you can view dismissed announcements on the global 01:07: announcements page. 01:09: To change your dashboard view, click the options menu, you can view the 01:13: dashboard in cardview or recent activity, View. 01:17: If canvas for elementary has been enabled in your institution, you can also 01:21: view the dashboard in homeroom View. 01:25: This guide covered how to use the dashboard as an instructor.
00:07: How do I use the global navigation menu, as a student? 00:11: Have you your user information? Click the account link a menu will expand 00:15: in display links to access your user settings, notification settings, 00:19: personal files and e-portfolios. 00:22: If enabled if your institution has enabled profiles you 00:26: can access your profile. You can also use the account linked 00:31: to log out of canvas. 00:33: The dashboard is the landing page after you login to Canvas the 00:37: dashboard can be toggled to a course view list for you or recent activity, 00:41: View and shows notifications, for all current, canvas course, 00:46: To view your courses. Click the course, is link. 00:48: The course, is menu displays a list of your favorite courses. 00:51: Or if you haven't selected any favorite courses, the 00:56: menu displays current courses where you are enrolled, 01:00: For each course, you can view the course name turn details and 01:04: section enrollment details to view a course. 01:07: Click the course name link 01:10: To customize your courses list or view, all your canvas courses, click the 01:14: all courses link. 01:16: If you are enrolled in groups, view your groups in the group's link and 01:20: then you will expand and display all groups in current courses where you are enrolled. 01:26: To view a group. Click the name of the group to view, all your groups, 01:30: click, the all groups link. 01:33: To view your calendar. Click the calendar link. 01:36: To view your conversations inbox, click the inbox, link conversations 01:40: is the Candace messaging system where you can communicate with other users in your courses. 01:44: The number of new messages are shown as part of the inbox icon. 01:50: To view your recent canvas course, page view history, click the history, link 01:54: recent history, displays up to three weeks of your canvas course, page 01:58: view history. 02:00: To get help with canvas, click the help link Celexa help option 02:04: that is relevant to your needs. 02:07: To collapse the global navigation, then you click the arrow icon. 02:12: To expand the global navigation, then you click the arrow icon. 02:16: The global navigation menu will be automatically kill apps for tablet screens. 02:22: This guy covered how to use the global navigation than you as a student.
00:07: How do I use the course, navigation, menu as an instructor? 00:11: To open a course from the global navigation menu, click the courses link. 00:16: Then click a course, link. 00:19: Or to view all courses, click the all courses link. 00:23: View the course navigation menu. 00:26: The currently active link is highlighted with different color, text and align indicator. 00:31: This highlight helps you quickly identify the feature area. 00:34: You are currently viewing in canvas. 00:38: Links that are hidden to students are indicated by the visibility icon. 00:42: A link may be hidden to students because the feature area has no content or 00:46: because the link is disabled, By default new courses Show links 00:51: leading to the index Pages for the following areas. 00:53: Home announcements, assignments, discussions 00:57: grades, people Pages files, syllabus 01:02: outcomes, quizzes modules conferences, 01:06: collaborations settings, and Lucid whiteboard. 01:12: To open a feature area in canvas, click the name of a course navigation 01:16: link. 01:18: To collapse the course, navigation menu, click the menu icon. 01:23: When the course navigation menu is collapsed. 01:25: It is not visible. To expand and view. 01:28: The course navigation menu, click the menu icon. 01:33: This guide covered how to use the course, navigation, menu as an instructor.
How to Setup Your Canvas Course
Now that you’ve learned how to navigate Canvas, you should learn about Canvas courses, how to create course content, and how to share it with your students. Canvas courses are built around pages and activities, organized by module, and created using the Rich Content Editor.
00:07: What are pages? 00:09: In a course, instructors can create a new page with text images 00:13: media links, and, or other files. 00:17: The options icon allows instructors to edit the title of a page. 00:21: Delete a page, use it as the front page. 00:24: Duplicate the page send a copy of the page to another instructor 00:28: at their institution or copy the page to one of their other courses. 00:33: The delete button allows instructors to delete selected pages. 00:38: Students can view pages in courses. 00:40: However, instructors can allow students to edit and contribute to 00:44: course pages. Students can always create pages and their 00:48: student group. In groups students can view the same page layout 00:52: with the name of the page creation dates, and edit dates. 00:58: They can also add new pages in a group. 01:01: In the options icon, they can edit delete or use a page as the 01:05: front page for a group. 01:08: Students can use the delete button to delete selected Pages for a group. 01:13: This guide covered pages.
00:07: What are modules? 00:09: Instructors can add all course materials and modules, even if they are assigned 00:13: to specific students sections or groups, Use 00:17: modules to. Create prerequisite activities that students 00:21: must complete before moving on in the course, track student progress through 00:25: a sequence of learning activities, organize course content. 00:29: By unit day, week topic or outcome. 00:34: Students only view module content that has been published and assigned to them. 00:38: Each module can contain files, discussions, assignments, quizzes, 00:43: and other learning materials. Modules can be expanded and 00:47: collapsed. 00:49: This guide covered modules.
00:07: What is the rich content editor? 00:11: The rich content editor includes the content area, the menu bar and 00:15: the toolbar, You can add in preview content in the content area. 00:20: To format the page content, use the menu bar options. 00:29: You can use the toolbar options to format text. 00:31: Insert links, images media, recordings documents, 00:36: or icons access. 00:38: The lucida do Suite, open external tools format paragraphs. 00:42: Clear formatting. Add tables insert 00:46: math, using the equation editor and embed media. 00:51: The rich content editor also provides General content management features you 00:55: can View the HTML format code being used 01:00: in, selected text, open a list of keyboard shortcuts open, 01:04: an accessibility Checker view, a total word count View and 01:08: edit the content in HTML. Open the rich content Editor 01:12: to full screen and change the size of the content area by clicking 01:16: and dragging the resize icon. 01:20: You can use keyboard navigation in the rich content, Editor to view the 01:24: keyboard shortcuts menu. Click the keyboard icon or press the shift 01:28: + question, mark key simultaneously. 01:31: You can also open the menu by pressing. 01:33: The alt plus, f8 Keys, PC, keyboard, or option, 01:37: plus f8 Keys, Mac keyboard simultaneously. 01:48: View keyboard shortcuts that are supported in the rich content editor. 02:48: This guide covered the rich content editor.
Now that you’ve learned how to create pages and organize them in course modules, you can start creating Canvas assignments, discussions, and quizzes:
00:07: What are assignments? 00:09: Any assignment created and published in the assignments page will automatically show 00:13: up in the grades calendar and syllabus features. 00:16: So students can view them. Additionally any assignments created 00:20: in the calendar will automatically show up in the grades assignments and 00:24: syllabus features. 00:27: Assignments can also be organized in modules. 00:31: Assignments can be used to Assess how well students are 00:35: achieving course outcomes set up online submissions that can be quickly 00:39: graded in the speed grader great online as well as student work submitted 00:43: on paper create differentiated assignments for sections set 00:48: up pure reviews grade discussions, either by the whole class 00:52: or student groups open quizzes for a limited amount of time record 00:56: attendance create ungraded activities that align with course outcomes 01:01: assess submissions with moderated grading and multiple reviewers. 01:06: Any assignment created by an instructor in the assignments page will automatically show 01:10: up in the grades calendar and syllabus features. 01:14: To access an assignment click the name of the assignment. 01:19: This guide covered assignments
00:09: Focused discussions are relatively short-lived interactions that tend to disappear 00:13: as the course progresses such as a weekly forum for questions related to that 00:17: week's activities. Use a focused discussion for single posts 00:21: and related comments. One discussion leader typically posts a 00:25: message and multiple Learners comment on it. Participants may leave a 00:30: side comment to reply, but cannot develop the conversation Beyond two 00:34: layers of nesting. Focused discussions might also be used to answer 00:38: a single question share resources amongst peers collect 00:43: results from a simple research, activity share solutions to a 00:47: single problem. Correct misconceptions, clarify course, 00:51: policies get feedback on a work in progress, share 00:55: insights about a single reading. 00:58: Fred had discussions include infinite layers of response, nesting allowing 01:02: commenters to continue responding on a single nested thread. 01:06: Threaded discussions, lend themselves to the refining of complex ideas, responses 01:11: and different lines of inquiry can be quickly navigated due to its hierarchical 01:15: structure. Threaded discussions, may be long-standing spaces for 01:19: thoughts that persist throughout an entire course. 01:22: Use a threaded discussion for multiple posts and related comments, one 01:26: or more discussion leaders post a message and multiple Learners comment on it with 01:30: the freedom to create any number of related discussion topics and common. 01:35: Threaded discussions might also be used to host, an answer multiple related 01:39: or unrelated questions. Organized results from a complex research 01:43: activity share and iterate upon ideas shared by each student in 01:47: the course debate, the pros and cons of a single issue or multiple 01:51: issues, ask multiple questions of a single discussion leader. 01:55: Refine ideas between multiple discussion leaders and multiple Learners, 01:59: facilitate group discussions around. 02:02: Multiple topics, facilitate discussions around a discussion Fishbowl 02:07: conversations, explore at length, the feasibility of different solutions 02:11: to a complex problem. 02:14: As an instructor within discussions, you can create edit 02:18: and delete discussion topics. You can also reply to edit 02:22: and delete individual student discussion posts create threaded 02:26: or focused discussions within your course. Create discussions with varied 02:31: due dates for different sections within your course. 02:33: Create a group discussion is an assignment. 02:35: Create a graded discussion for everyone individual students 02:40: course sections, or course groups When a discussion 02:44: is marked as a graded assignment, the canvas speedgrader isolates each 02:48: student's comments from the thread and combines them into one easily readable view 02:52: for grading. Subscribe to a discussion and be notified of replies 02:56: enable podcast feeds within your discussions. 02:59: Embed or attach files images and YouTube videos. 03:03: Add course, content directly from your course delay, discussion 03:07: posts until a defined date, pin discussion threads, that you want your 03:11: students to see at the top of the discussions page. 03:15: As a student within discussions, you can create edit 03:19: and delete discussion topics reply to individual student replies. 03:23: Unless your instructor has disallowed threaded replies, subscribe 03:28: to a discussion and be notified of replies. 03:31: Subscribe to podcast feeds within discussions embed or attach 03:35: files images and YouTube videos. 03:39: As an observer within discussions, you can view your students course 03:43: discussions, subscribe to a discussion and be notified of replies.
00:07: What are quizzes? 00:15: You can use quizzes to. Create new quizzes with individual 00:19: questions and question groups set up question Banks, import 00:23: external quizzes show one, quiz question at a time, or create 00:28: quizzes for all students individual students or course sections. 00:34: You can use quizzes to. Test your knowledge of course, material 00:38: view all available quizzes in your course, submit quizzes 00:42: in your course view quiz questions, one at a time or all at once, depending 00:47: on instructor preference and review quiz results. 00:52: The guide covered quizzes.
Classic Quizzes vs New Quizzes
When you create a Canvas quiz, you can choose between Classic Quizzes and New Quizzes. Select Classic Quizzes.
If you’d like to learn more about New Quizzes and why we recommend instructors utilize Classic Quizzes instead, please reach out to the UW-Superior Canvas team.
How to Manage Your Canvas Account and Settings
Once you’ve setup your course, you should fill out your Canvas profile, review your account settings, and setup your Canvas notification preferences. Watch this short video about Canvas User Settings:
You should also familiarize yourself with the My Media tool (supported by Kaltura). You can use My Media to store audio and video content and easily share it with students in your courses.
We also recommend instructors review our Frequently Asked Questions guide for students, so you know how to answer some common questions students ask about Canvas. If students have questions about how to use Canvas, please direct them to Canvas Support in the Canvas Help menu.
