Where do I go for help?
- Canvas Faculty Resources is where you will find many helpful guides.
- Contact your school’s teaching and learning center for training and consultations.
- After logging in to Canvas, scroll to the bottom of the left-side menu, and click on Help.
Which browser should I use?
- We recommend using an updated version of Firefox or Chrome.
- The vendor provides an In-depth Guide on Supported Browsers.
- We recommend enabling third-party cookies on your browser for the best experience using Canvas.
How do I log in to Canvas?
- For new faculty, we recommend making sure you have already set up your KU email account prior to accessing Canvas to make sure you receive vital notifications.
- You can access Canvas using your KU ID and password through the Canvas at KU main page.
- If you need additional help logging in, contact the IT help desk: Report a problem online or call (908) 737-6000.
How do I navigate in Canvas?
- Start here to learn about the Global Navigation menu.
- In-depth Global Navigation Guide
- Video: Global Navigation.
- The Global Navigation Menu is located at the left side of the screen and is visible from all pages. It contains links to your Account, Dashboard, Courses, Calendar, Inbox, History, and Help. Depending on your role in Canvas you may see additional links on this menu.
- The Course Navigation Menu is a series of links on the left side of your course that help you and your students access different course areas, such as Syllabus, Modules, Announcements, and Assignments. The Course Navigation Menu is always visible on its respective pages.
How do I publish my course?
- In order for students to view and access your course, you must publish it. You may also unpublish a course if you want to hide it from students. Once your course contains a graded submission, you can no longer unpublish your course. Follow this guide to Publishing a Course.
How do I add my profile picture?
- Images should be square in size to prevent your picture from being resized or distorted. Files can be any type (.jpg, .png, .gif) or size as long as you have room in your personal files to store the file. Canvas recommends that your profile picture be as small as possible.
- Follow the Profile Picture Guide to update your profile picture.
- Video: Uploading a Profile Picture.
How do I adjust my notifications?
Canvas includes a set of default notification settings you can receive for your courses. However, you can change the default settings by customizing your own notification settings. These settings only apply to you; they are not used to control how course updates are sent to other users, including students.
- Notifications from Canvas come from notifications@instructure.com, and they often show up in the “other” or “updates” area of your inbox.
- Follow the Notifications Guide to update your settings.
All Canvas notifications are sent from notifications@instructure.com.
Canvas Mobile Access for Faculty
- Instructors and students may access Canvas from a mobile device, and while Canvas can be accessed via a mobile web browser, it is not officially supported. For the best user experience, we recommend using the free Canvas Teacher or Canvas Student apps, available for iOS and Android.
Important
- The Canvas App allows instructors to manage their courses on mobile devices. It provides access to the SpeedGrader tool as well as the Gradebook.
Warning: When using a mobile device, it is vital to use the app to access a wider range of features. Using the website through a mobile browser allows limited viewing access on mobile devices but will not allow for some grading, quizzing, and other features to work properly.
How to use – Canvas instructions
Guides
Set-up steps
- Log in to Canvas on your web browser on your computer.
- Click Account > “QR for Mobile Users”.
- Follow the Canvas app download directions to install the app on your device.
- Open the downloaded app.
- Select “QR Login”.
- Press “Next”.
- Press “OK” to allow access to your camera.
- Scan the QR code on your web browser with your device.
- Access your account on the app.
- Here is additional information on logging into the Canvas Teacher App.
Troubleshooting from the Students’ View
Why can’t my students see my course (or module, assignment, etc.)
- In order for students to view and access your course, you must publish it. You may also unpublish a course if you want to hide it from students. Follow this guide to Publishing a Course.
- We highly recommend using Student View to see your course from a student’s perspective. It will show you if the content is published, locked, or otherwise made unavailable to students.
How can I see my course from the student’s point of view?
We highly recommend using Student View to see your course from a student’s perspective. It will show you if the content is published, locked, or otherwise made unavailable to students. Follow this guide to view the course in Student View.
Adding and Editing Content including Assignments
How do I add content to Canvas?
- Create a Module – Modules are used to organize course content by weeks, units, or whatever organizational structure works for your course. With Modules, you are essentially creating a one-directional linear flow of what you would like your students to do.
- You can add different types of content to a Module. You can add new or existing items to a Module, like files, assignments, external links, and quizzes.
- It is possible to add the same item to multiple Modules. Items can easily be dragged and dropped between Modules.
Managing Your Module Settings
- You must publish a Module if you want students to be able to view the content within it. The status of the Module overrides the status of the content items that have been added to it.
- You can set a release date for the Module to be published (also called locking).
- You can add requirements to a Module for students to complete in any order, or in sequential order.
How do I create an assignment?
- Assignments are a category of items that are graded, including quizzes, graded discussions, as well as online submissions (files, images, etc.). Assignments can be assigned to everyone in a course, certain sections/groups, or specific users who may need accommodations.
- Assignments have availability dates, which is the window of time they are available to students, as well as a due date, which indicates if an assignment was submitted late or not.
Grading: What is the gradebook? What is SpeedGrader?
- View a Quick tour of Grades and SpeedGrader.
- Grades are weighted based on assignment groups. There are no custom-calculated columns in the Canvas Gradebook.
- All grades and comments are shown to students immediately by default, but it is possible to hide grades from students.
- Manual columns – Columns in the Gradebook are only created by adding an assignment in Canvas and cannot be manually created. If you need a column in the Gradebook to use for manual grading, you can create a No Submission or On Paper assignment.
Personalizing Your Course
How do I add an image for my course in the Dashboard?
- You can upload an image to display behind the course card in the Canvas Dashboard. Accepted images include JPG, JPEG, GIF, and PNG files. For best practice, images should be approximately 262 pixels wide by 146 pixels high.
- Review this dashboard customization guide for instructions.
Communicating with Students including Inbox and Discussions
How do I create a class discussion in Canvas?
- View a Quick tour of Discussions.
- Discussions can be graded. You can also subscribe to Discussions and be notified of replies.
How do I email my students?
Inbox (also called Conversations) can be used as an in-Canvas email system. Inbox is a two-way messaging tool used instead of email to communicate with members of a course, a group, or an individual user. You can communicate with people in your course at any time. View the Inbox guide