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📌 Canvas: Student Overview
👥 Audience
🖥️ Applies To
The article provides students with the basic layout and functionality of the Canvas platform. Keep in mind that the student dashboard can be customized, and the layout of the course pages can be changed by the faculty. Even though the pages may appear different, the functionality described is the same.
The most common questions from students include the following:
Q: THE SEMESTER WILL BE STARTING SOON. WHY DO I NOT SEE ANY OF MY CLASSES?
A: In general, courses will not appear on your dashboard until the official first day of classes. However, professors reserve the right to ask for preparation for the first day of class. In this situation, the professor will contact you with instructions.
Q: HOW DO I FORMAT MY ASSIGNMENTS FOR SUBMISSION?
A: All instructions regarding submissions, quiz and exam taking, and other course requirements, will be provided by your professor. There is no fixed format for submissions, but common formats do include: PDF, WORD, PPT for PowerPoint. There are multimedia options available as well. Depending on the file size of the submission, this may include instructions for sharing a link from your OneDrive. Also, you can record video and organize multimedia content from Canvas Studio. A link is provided in the left most column of the site.
DASHBOARD
- Note: the arrangement of the dashboard can be change through the settings accessed by the three dots in the upper right-hand corner.
A. COURSE TILE - It is highly recommended that all curricular develop exist locally on your own computer.- B. TO DO - This section compiles the assignments from all of your courses in chronological order. This will assist you in making sure that you do not miss assignment deadlines.
- C. NAVIGATIONAL MENU - These are the primary links that include communications, e.g. mail, courses, history, and Studio where you can record and edit computer-based presentations and store media files.
HOME PAGE
The course homepage varies based-on the preferences of the professor. It may appear a syllabus, as imaged above, or modules which break the academic term up into weekly or daily sessions. What stays the same are the side columns.
- A. THE COURSE MENU - You will find that this menu receives the most usage. It allows you to navigate between different views of the course content. The items of the menu may also include more or less menu items because the professor has discretion as to which items are viewable or not. Some frequently trafficked links include: Modules, Assignments, Grades, and Syllabus.
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- B. ACTION ITEMS - This column provides you with items that are either time sensitive, like upcoming due dates for assignments or notifications for course communications. Links are provided to a calendar view and other course-related information. The view may differ slightly based-on your viewer preferences and the nature of the course's material.