Using Canvas Tools
GETTING STARTED
Canvas Instructor Guide Table of Contents
Canvas Table of Contents for Video Guides
Enabling and Hiding Tools
You can choose which tools are visible to students in the left navigation menu.
- Click Settings at the bottom of the menu.
- Click Navigation along the top.
- Drag items between the upper and lower lists to hide (disable) or make them visible (enable) to students.
- IMPORTANT: Click Save. You may need to scroll down to see the Save button.
Navigation links in blue text are displayed to students. Navigation links in gray text are hidden from students.
You can also change a feature’s position within the menu: click an icon to the right of a feature and then use the “Move” up-down arrow. Then click Save.
More about reordering and hiding tools
Groups
Groups are like a smaller version of a Canvas course site. They're used as a collaborative tool for students working together on group projects and assignments.
Creating Student Groups and adding students
Publish each Module, Quiz, Assignment, Page, File, and Discussion, as well as your course site
In Canvas, you will publish your course site to make it visible to students, and you must also publish any modules, quizzes, pages, assignments, files, and discussions in your course site. To publish these items, click the little gray circle icon to toggle it to green.
Rich Content Editor
The Rich Content Editor allows you to create new content (assignments, announcements, discussions, blogs, etc.) within Canvas. It supports embedding any video content, math formulas, and other rich media.
- About the Rich Content Editor
- Editing content in the HTML view in the Rich Content Editor
- Embedding images from the web into the Rich Content Editor
Student View
The Student View allows instructors to see the course as a student views it.
CANVAS COURSE ORGANIZATION
Files
The Files feature is where you upload course files, syllabi, readings, or other documents. Instructors can lock folders so students cannot access the files.
Modules
Modules allow you to organize your content to help control the flow of your course.
Pages
Pages are where you can put content and educational resources that are part of your course but don't necessarily belong in an assignment, or that you want to refer to in multiple assignments.
Syllabus
The Syllabus has three parts: description, calendar and table.
ASSESSMENTS & GRADING
Assignments
Assignment creation sequence: add an assignment group, create an assignment shell, edit the assignment details, and add content.
DocViewer
Doc Viewer is a tool in the Speedgrader that allows the instructor and peer review annotations on online assignment submissions.
Grades and the Gradebook
The Gradebook stores all information about student progress in the course, measuring both letter grades and course outcomes.
Quizzes
With Quizzes, you can create a graded or ungraded quiz, exam, homework assignment, or survey.
- About the different types of Quizzes
- Options that are available for Quizzes
- Creating a new Quiz with individual Questions
- Learn about Quiz settings to maximize security
Rubrics
Rubrics are a way to set up custom or outcome-based assessment criteria for scoring.
SpeedGrader
SpeedGrader allows you to quickly access and efficiently grade student work. You can view, annotate, comment on, and grade submissions without downloading and re-uploading files, all from a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Anything graded in SpeedGrader is automatically recorded in the grade book.
CANVAS COMMUNICATION
Announcements
Announcements allow you to communicate with your students about course activities and post course-related topics.
Calendar
The Calendar automatically syncs with other features in Canvas, such as Assignments, Syllabus, and Grades.
- About the Canvas Calendar
- Accessing my course Calendar
- Using the Canvas Calendar with your Google Calendar
Chat
The Chat tool allows students and teachers to interact in real time.
Conferences
Conferences are used for virtual lectures, virtual office hours, and student groups.
Discussions
Canvas provides an integrated system for class discussions.
LECTURE CAPTURE (with Studio)
- View the Panopto-Canvas Studio training session (one hour)
- What is Canvas Studio?
- Read the Canvas Guides for Studio
- Uploading Media in Studio
WEB CONFERENCING (with ZOOM)
Zoom is now available inside Canvas for use in all course sections. If you are choosing between Adobe Connect and Zoom, we recommend you use Zoom.
- How do I create a conference in a course?
- Zoom Help Center