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In this article, you will find some priceless tips on getting started with Canvas. From customizing your Canvas Dashboard to using Student View, we wanted to share some of these great features.
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Organizing the courses listed on the dashboardOrganizing your course site navigationPublishing your course siteUsing the "Student View"Announcements vs. Inbox Conversations Uploading files to your Canvas course site and setting permissionsLinking your course's lecture recordings to your Canvas SiteHiding student grade distribution graphs & summariesFor further information and assistance
Organizing the courses listed on the dashboard
All courses are listed when you click the Courses >> All Courses link from your Canvas dashboard. If you want them to be accessible directly from your dashboard, make sure to check the Star icon next to the name in your course list (it should turn yellow). Refer to: How do I customize my Courses list as an instructor? For how to add/remove courses from your dashboard.
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Organizing your course site navigation
By default, Canvas automatically includes several tools and features in your site's navigation menu. To simplify things for you and your students, we recommend removing anything from your navigation menu that you will not use in your course. Refer to: How do I manage Course Navigation links?.
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Publishing your course site
By default, all Canvas course sites are created in an Unpublished state, meaning instructors can log in and view the website. Students will not be able to see the site until it is Published. Refer to: How do I publish a course?.
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Using the "Student View"
As an Instructor, you see all options available in your Canvas course, including any pages or files you have hidden. It can sometimes help you view what a student in your class sees to ensure you have the site configured exactly how you want. Refer to: How do I view a course as a test student using Student View?.
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Announcements vs. Inbox Conversations
As a general rule, Announcements share time-sensitive, essential information that does not necessarily require a response (e.g., a class cancellation, or a new Assignment posting). Still, they should be received by every student/member of the Canvas course site. Conversation (or Inbox) messages, however, can be used for lengthier, sustained exchanges between instructors and students (e.g., questions about a class discussion, or something that should only be shared individually).
If your course is not published, students will not receive a notification of an announcement or any other messages from Canvas.
Students who have not accepted their course invitations will not receive any notifications from Canvas.
Even if the course is published and students have accepted their course invitations, they will only receive notifications according to how they have set their notification preferences in their settings.
Refer to:
How do I add an announcement in a course?
How do I use the Inbox as an instructor?
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Uploading files to your Canvas course site and setting permissions
Individual files or groups of files & folders can also be uploaded in a compressed .zip file. When uploading a .zip file, Canvas will ask if you just want to add the compressed file itself, or if you want to unpack and save the files/folders individually as they were compressed. Refer to: How do I use Files as an instructor?.
Instructors can edit permissions for files, including setting the state of the file (published or unpublished), make files available to students who have the link (link restriction), or schedule availability dates (student availability date restriction) for the files. Refer to: How do I restrict files and folders to students in Canvas?.
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Linking your course's lecture recordings to your Canvas Site
To link to your lecture recordings in Canvas, you will need to be an instructor for the course and have a corresponding recording site in Canvas's lecture capture system.
Refer to:
How do I record media using the Rich Content Editor as an instructor?
How do I upload and embed media from an external source in the Rich Content Editor as an instructor?
How do I upload and embed a media file from my computer in the Rich Content Editor as an instructor?
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Hiding student grade distribution graphs & summaries
Did you know that the total course grades and grade distribution graphs are ON by default in Canvas? If you do not want your students to see this data, these options must be manually turned OFF. Refer to: How do I hide totals in my students' grade summaries?
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For further information and assistance
- Register for a Canvas Workshop in the Teaching & Learning Center
- Contact Canvas support 24 hours a day seven days a week by clicking on the Help link from the Canvas global navigation bar.
- Online help and documentation:
Information was modified from the source (University of Michigan).
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