• First time logging into Canvas
• In-person and online training opportunities
• Modules
• Syllabus
• Grading
• Common Canvas File Extensions
• Communication
• Calendar
• Managing People
• Badges
• Mobile Apps
• Online Course Accessibility
• Google and Canvas
• Course and Content Copying

• Setting up your Profile
  • Your profile in Canvas gives you a place to add a biography, contact information, and most importantly, a profile picture that will be seen throughout Canvas.
• Setting up your Notifications
  • Canvas can send you notifications in a variety of different ways that keep you up-to-date with what's happening in your courses. You can receive notifications in real-time or ask for a daily summary.
• Global Navigation Bar
  • The global navigation bar appears on the far left of your screen in Canvas and never changes no matter what screen you're on in Canvas. In this video, learn more about what you'll find and what you can do from the global navigation bar.​
• The new Rich Content Editor is the heart of adding content to Canvas. It can be found from Announcements to Quiz questions and everywhere in between.

Canvas offers live online webinars almost every day. You will need to register for webinars in advance. When signing up for the webinar website make sure to use your GCC email address.

• Canvas training webinars
• Here are some the webinars that we recommend:
  • First Look - agenda
  • Course Basics - agenda
  • Leveraging Modules - agenda
  • Grade Book and SpeedGrader - agenda
  • Assignments - agenda

You can complete the "Growing with Canvas" course. This is a Canvas course that will not only teach you how to use Canvas but will also give you first-hand experience on using Canvas as a student.

Please see the Workshop Schedule for in-person training opportunities.

Modules are the cornerstone of course design within Canvas. Modules will contain all of your content, including presentations, discussions, assignments, and tests.

Not sure how to best implement Modules? Don't get mad at Modules, get "Mad about Modules"! The "Mad about Modules" video explains many different ways you can design your course using Modules.

• How to create a Module
• How to add content to a Module
• VIDEO:  Module Tutorial

• Syllabus Overview
• How to save your Syllabus as a PDF file in Google Chrome

In the Grades area of Canvas you will see a spreadsheet few of your students and graded items. You can type directly into the Grades area or use the SpeedGrader to see more information about what the students have submitted to you.

Gradebook overview video

• Comprehensive Gradebook tutorial
• How to add columns for in-class assignments
• How to access the SpeedGrader
• Comprehensive SpeedGrader tutorial
• Overview of the DocViewer used for viewing student submissions in the SpeedGrader
• How to download all student submissions from the SpeedGrader
• How to add extra credit
• How to weight grades

You can communicate in Canvas through Discussions, Chat, and the Inbox.

• What are Discussions and how you might use them
• How to create a Discussion
• How to use the Chat tool

The Calendar in Canvas shows all of the due dates for your courses and allows you add events and to-do dates that can be used as reminders for your students and yourself. You can also set up scheduling blocks for appointments that your students can reserve.

• Adding an Event to the Calendar
• Adding a Scheduling Block

• Overview of the People area in your course
• You will be allowed to add users as Teachers and Teaching Assistants to your sandbox courses but not to your normal live courses. You cannot add users to any course as a Student.
  • How to add another user to your sandbox course

Badges allow you to award your students when they complete certain items or reach certain thresholds in your course.

• How to set up Badges (video, document)

Canvas offers both a Student and an Instructor app. These apps are available for Apple iOS (version 10+) and Google Android

• iOS Canvas Student
• iOS Canvas Teacher
• Android Canvas Student
• Android Canvas Teacher

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VCCS Accessibility Guidelines

VCCS Course Accessibility Checklist

Canvas Accessibility within Specific Features

Several areas within Canvas have been specifically improved for accessibility. Other features may be limited at this time. This section highlights several feature areas and accessibility behaviors.

Rich Content Editor

The Rich Content Editor includes an accessibility tool that checks common accessibility errors within the editor. Learn how to use the Accessibility Checker in Canvas.

• Math equations should be added using  Math Editor in Canvas.
• Alt text should be added when embedding external images. Learn how to embed images from the web in the Rich Content Editor.
• Headings for table columns and rows can be changed in either the Rich Content Editor or the HTML Editor view. Learn how to create accessible tables in the Rich Content editor.

Canvas Studio

Canvas Studio is a communication tool that allows instructors and students to actively collaborate through video and audio media. Learn how to add closed captions to Canvas Studio videos.

Create Collaborations:

Google Docs collaboration

Google Drive collaboration

Link and Embed G Suite Apps

How do I view my Google Drive files in Canvas as an instructor?

How do I connect to Google Drive as a web service in Canvas as an instructor?

How do I create a hyperlink or embed a file from Google Drive into the Rich Content Editor as an instructor?

Create an assignment in Canvas using Google

How do I create a cloud assignment with a Google Drive file?

Course Link Validation

Before you copy a course, verify all external links throughout your course to ensure they are valid. You can check these links using the course link validator, which searches through course content and returns invalid or unresponsive external links in both published and unpublished content. 

Course Copy

You can copy course content such as assignments, modules, pages, and discussions from previous Canvas courses into existing courses. You will be able to select specific content areas such as assignments, settings, and files so that you don't import the entire course.

Zoom is an online web conferencing tool for online meetings and webinars.

Getting started, Training and Support, and FAQ documentation​

Accessing Zoom on your mobile device

How to prevent "Zoombombing"

Guidelines for recording a Zoom meeting

Add Zoom recordings to Canvas Studio

COVID-19: Academic Preparedness with Zoom and Canvas

Read-only Course

Setting a start and end date allows instructors to make their course read-only to students. Students can only participate in the course between the course dates, and the course will be in a read-only state outside the course dates.

Restricted Course

Setting a start and end date allows instructors to make their course restricted to students. Students can only participate in the course between the course dates, and the course will not be visible to students outside the course dates.