Canvas Basics
Make your next steps easier by knowing the basics
Canvas Basics introduces the tools everyone uses most often: the Dashboard, the Rich Content Editor, user and notification settings, Inbox, Calendar, and the Canvas app. Knowing how to use these makes it easier to find information in courses, communicate effectively, and keep track of tasks and deadlines, whether you are studying, teaching, or supporting other users.
These basics also provide a foundation for using other tools in a course. For example, the Rich Content Editor is used to create announcements, design pages, add links to course content, record short videos, set up online meetings, and share media.
Dashboard Options
The Dashboard shows the courses that are currently active and in which the user is enrolled as a teacher or a student.
If a course has not been published to students, it appears to the teacher in the lower section of the Dashboard.
Rich Content Editor
The Rich Content Editor in Canvas is one of the tools teachers use most often. Becoming familiar with its features can save time. It is used, for example, in announcements, when designing pages, writing assignment descriptions and the syllabus, and in discussions and quizzes.
In addition to standard functions such as formatting text and inserting images, the editor can also be used to record short videos, publish recordings from Panopto (for teachers) or Studio, and set up online meetings. It also allows teachers to quickly create links to course content such as files, assignments, or the syllabus.
It is important to create content with digital accessibility in mind so that everyone has equal access. See also:
Creating content with accessibility in mind.
Profile and User Settings
In your personal settings, you can, among other things:
choose which personal pronoun you would like to be used about you
set the language in which Canvas is displayed
add an additional email address
Courses with the default language setting are shown in the user’s preferred language, while courses that have been set to a specific language are displayed to everyone in that language.
Some user information is imported from Ugla and can only be updated there. This applies, for example, to the user’s profile picture and password.
Notification Settings
Canvas sends users automatic notifications in various situations. In the notification settings, you can choose which notifications Canvas sends and how often, for example, immediately, daily, weekly, or not at all. For example, a teacher can choose to receive an email notification every time a student submits an assignment or posts in a discussion, or instead receive a weekly summary.
To access these settings, open Account in the top Canvas menu and select Notifications. You can choose notification settings for all of your courses by selecting Account from the dropdown menu at the top of the settings page. If you select a specific course, the settings will apply only to that course.
Inbox
The Inbox tool can be used to communicate with participants in a course. It allows you to message an entire course, individual students, or groups of students. Teachers often prefer that students use the Canvas Inbox to contact them rather than regular email.
Whether email notifications are sent from the Inbox depends on the user’s notification settings.
Calendar
The Calendar link is located in the Canvas menu (the blue navigation bar on the left). There, users can create events and view the course calendars for all their courses in one place.
This can give students a useful overview of busy periods and make it easier to plan their studies ahead. It is worth noting, however, that not all teachers use the course calendar by default.
Canvas app
The Canvas app gives users quick access to their courses and allows them, for example, to view assignment submissions or reply to discussion posts.
A user survey of students (2021) showed that students make extensive use of Canvas on their phones. Course sites look different on a computer and a smartphone, so it is important to view the course in the app while designing it. For example, a custom course home page does not appear in the app.
More detailed guidance is available on the Instructure website: