Your First Steps in Canvas (Instructor)

Introduction

The following is intended to serve as a guide for new Canvas Users (Instructors) who are exploring the platform for the first time. The items listed here encompass the most fundamental features that all Instructors should be aware of. All hyperlinks will lead to relevant Canvas Guides about the features. These guides all include screenshots and many include video demonstrations.

Dashboard

When you first log in to Canvas, you will be taken by default to the Dashboard. The default view of the Dashboard is "Card View," which displays a card for up to 20 currently active courses. There are several ways to customize the appearance of your Dashboard, including indicating which courses are visible (by using the Favorite Courses Feature). If there is a course that is not visible on your Dashboard, you can locate it by clicking on Courses>All Courses in the Global Navigation menu.

Global Navigation Menu

The Global Navigation Menu (Global Nav) is always visible on the far left side of every page in Canvas. Global Nav links provide quick access to frequently used Canvas features, listed below. If you are a sub-account admin, you will also see a link for "Admin" (shield icon) in this menu. Unless stated otherwise, the links below will be found on the Global Nav Menu for both teachers and students.

  1. Account (User Account Settings): This area allows you to manage your individual Canvas user account, including settings that will be applied to you everywhere in Canvas, not just a specific course. Some of the things you can view and configure in the Account menu
    1. Notifications: indicate which types of Canvas activity you'd like to be notified about (due dates, announcements, etc), and how frequently. You can have different notification configurations for each email address you add, and for each different class.
    2. Profile: there are a small number of optional fields you can complete here, such as Name Pronunciation (written pronunciation guide only) and Biography (short blurb). These will be visible to other users if you fill in these fields.
    3. Settings: You can make changes to: pronouns, language, time zone. You can also add additional email addresses if you would like Canvas notifications sent to other email addresses. You can change your profile picture either through Settings or Profile.
    4. See this Canvas Guide for more information about other menu items listed in the user Account menu. Most can be ignored. In addition to the items listed there, you may see links to 3rd-party integrations that are specific to FSU such as Explorance and ThinkingStorm Online Tutoring 
  2. Dashboard
  3. Courses - by default, this menu item will list your current active courses. Click "All Courses" at the top of this menu to see all courses including concluded courses from previous terms.
  4. Groups - you will see Groups in your Global Navigation menu only if you are enrolled in any groups. Teachers are unlikely to be enrolled in groups, even if they use groups in their classes.
  5. Calendar
  6. Inbox
  7. History
  8. Canvas Commons (Instructors only)
  9. Help and Information - links to several options for Canvas Support including 24/7 live chat and phone support (provided by Instructure, not FSU ITS)

Into a Course

When you navigate into a course, either by clicking on the course tile on the dashboard, or from the Courses List, you will be taken into a course site. The URL will look something like this: https://framingham.instructure.com/courses/00000, where instead of 00000, you will see a unique numerical identifier for your course. This number is internal to Canvas and is not the same as the CRN/Banner ID.

In a course site, you will see another menu, just to the right of the Global Nav Menu: the Course Navigation Menu. If the course navigation is not visible, you may need to click the "Hamburger Icon" (three horizontal lines) at the top left of the page to reveal it. You can customize what is visible (to you and/or your students) in the Course Navigation Menu (see  Settings below)

The following are the most important course features to view and/or set up before your course begins:

  1. Homepage
  2. Course Settings: most course settings do not need to be adjusted, except possibly Navigation.
  3. Announcements: be aware that students will not receive notifications about announcements until the course is published.
  4. Modules
  5. Add Page
  6. Add Assignment
  7. People
  8. Grades

Next Steps

If your course is starting soon, Publish your course as soon as you possible. Students will be looking for it. The course doesn't need to be fully built out. You can leave individual items (modules, modules items, etc) unpublished even if the course itself is published. After you are comfortable with Pages and Assignments, the next Canvas features you may want to investigate are Discussion Boards and Quizzes. There are several avenues for extending your learning:

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