This article is for newly-hired staff who would like to start developing their Canvas course but do not yet have FSU login credentials.
Unfortunately, you cannot access FSU's Canvas instance without login credentials. However, there are several ways that you can begin learning, practicing and even developing content for your Canvas course while you wait.
Learn about Canvas and View Examples
1. Check out Growing With Canvas - a training course developed in Canvas by ETO. It is a public course, which means that it can be accessed without login credentials. This course will give you a sense of the look and feel of Canvas course, and you will learn about how to develop your own course and what elements can be added.
2. View recordings of past workshops offered by ETO or register for an upcoming workshop.
3. Attention chairs and coordinators: It is possible for a current instructor to make one of their courses public (How to do this) and share the URL with the new hire. When a course is made public, no information about students is visible, and this can always be adjusted back later. Keep in mind, instructors will only be able to do this for a current course, not one that has already concluded.
Free Canvas Account
If you truly want hands-on practice building a Canvas course, it is possible to create a free Canvas account that is separate from the one that will be associated with your FSU account.
Visit: https://www.instructure.com/canvas/try-canvas and set up an account using a personal email address. Canvas may prompt you to "see if your school is already using Canvas" - ignore these prompts because you do not yet have FSU login credentials, that is why you are doing this.
When you have this account set up, you will access it by visiting https://canvas.instructure.com. Later, when you have your FSU credentials, you will access FSU's Canvas at https://framingham.instructure.com/ (notice that "framingham" is in the URL). Make sure you pay attention to the 2 different URLs for the 2 different accounts and do not mix them up.
It is important that you use this "Free canvas" account for practice only. You can begin building the course there, or even build it in its entirety, but then you must export the course content you have built when you are ready to start using Canvas at FSU. Once you have access to FSU's Canvas instance, it is important that you stop using this practice account in order to avoid confusion. Do not attempt to share the URL to your practice course with students.