Help and FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions by Students
When you log in to Ugla at ugla.hi.is, you are also logged in to Canvas. In Ugla, click your course on the front page and it will open in Canvas. You can tell from the browser address bar whether you are in Canvas or Ugla. If the address begins with haskoliislands.instructure.com, you are in Canvas.
Your courses usually appear on your Dashboard in Canvas. If a course is missing, it may not have been published yet, the course may not have started, or your registration may still be updating.
Open Courses in the global menu and then select All Courses. Courses that do not appear on the Dashboard can often still be found there, including courses that have ended.
Open the assignment in your course and follow the submission instructions shown there. Depending on the setup, you may need to upload a file, enter text directly in Canvas, submit a URL, annotate a file, or record/upload audio or video. The teacher decides which submission types are allowed.
After uploading or adding your work, make sure you also click the Submit button if it appears. In some assignments, your file or text may be saved as a draft first, and students sometimes mistake this for a finished submission. After final submission, Canvas normally shows a submission confirmation and submission details, for example the submission time, submission status, and the file, text, link, or media you submitted.
For a group assignment, the final submission is made through the assignment in the course, not in the group area. Usually, one group member submits on behalf of the group, depending on how the teacher has set up the assignment. Before submitting, make sure that all the correct students are already in the group. If students join the group only after the assignment has been submitted, it can cause problems with feedback, grading, and access to the submission.
If self-sign-up groups are available, open People in the course, find the Groups area, and join an available group there. You can also access groups through the Groups link in Global Navigation.
A common reason is that the item itself may be published, but it is inside a module that has not been published yet. In that case, students may see a locked message saying that the content is part of an unpublished module and is not available. This can also happen if the item is restricted until a certain date, or if there is a browser or access issue. If you see this message, contact your teacher first.
A quiz may close because the time limit ran out, the availability window ended, or the due date passed. Teachers can also use settings that lock questions or limit access in different ways. If a quiz closes unexpectedly, contact your teacher right away.
Teachers usually use Panopto or Canvas Studio to share recordings in Canvas. If you cannot play a recording, it may be because the video link comes from an older course and the recording was not copied into the new one. It may also be caused by a browser, access, sign-in, cookie, or connection issue. Try refreshing the page, using another browser, and clearing your browser cache and cookies. If the recording still does not play, contact your teacher first.
Open your course and select Grades in the course menu. There you can see scores, status, and available feedback. To see more detailed feedback, click the assignment title and open Submission Details. Feedback may include written comments, rubric results, annotations, attached files, or media comments.
Yes. Canvas can be used on a mobile device through the Canvas Student app. Canvas is optimized for mobile use, although some features may still open in a browser. For more information, see the instructions for the Canvas app.
Install the Canvas Student app, then search for your institution and log in with your school account. Canvas also supports logging in by QR code if you are already logged in on the web.
No, not always. Many common student tasks work in the app, but some features are limited or open in a browser instead. Canvas notes that some pages and tools are not fully supported in the app.
You can record video or audio in places where the Rich Content Editor is used, such as assignments, discussions, pages, and some quiz areas. In the editor, choose the media option to record or upload media. At HÍ, Canvas Studio is also available to all users and may be used for recording or submitting media.
If something is not working, first contact your teacher if the issue is about course content, deadlines, or assignment settings. For technical problems related to your studies, contact the University of Iceland Service Desk. Canvas also provides a Help menu with guides and support options.
Use an up-to-date, supported browser. If something does not work correctly, try another supported browser such as Chrome or Firefox. Browser choice can affect login, media, assignments, and other Canvas features.