After you login to Canvas, you will land in the customizable Canvas dashboard.
The Dashboard defaults to the "Card View" but you are able to change to the view if you wish. On the far left, you will find the Global Navigation bar in black. On the right sidebar, you will find a To Do section, a Coming Up section, and a Recent Feedback section.
You will be taken into a Canvas course when you click on a Canvas course card from your personal Dashboard. The Canvas course interface consists of three main elements: 1) the collapsible Course Navigation menu on the left, 2) the Content Area in the main body of the page, and 3) the Sidebar on the right hand side of the page (or, if you are using a smaller screen, the side bar may appear at the bottom of the page instead).
The course navigation menu and content area may look slightly different in different courses, as they are customizable by your instructor. The sidebar has the same functions as on the Dashboard but only shows To Do and Coming Up items for the specific course.
Canvas is built using web standards and runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, or any other device with an up-to-date web browser. Canvas supports the latest two versions of every browser release and plugin. It is highly recommended that all users update to the newest version of their preferred internet browser and plug-ins.
*Due to some performance and display issues, Safari is not currently recommended, but Canvas engineers are working on a solution.
Tip: For more information and links to download the latest internet browsers, please see the Canvas help guide on browser support.
Canvas requires the following browser plug-ins for certain actions:
*Adobe Flash Player is integrated with the Chrome browser and enabled by default
**If you have trouble installing the Java file for screen sharing in Conferences, you may need to update Java to the most recent version.
Depending on your use of Canvas, some files and media may require downloading and viewing with free external software:
Canvas requirements mostly impact your internet browser version and plug-ins. In fact, any operating system capable of supporting the most recent versions of common internet browsers should meet minimum Canvas requirements:
Note: 800x600 pixels is the average size of a notebook computer. If you want to view Canvas on a device with a smaller screen, Canvas recommends you use the free Canvas mobile app.
Professors often find that incorporating rich media interactions into their course can increase student engagement. Canvas supports web conferencing, media-rich discussion threads and media assignment submissions. The following hardware is recommended to take advantage of these engaging tools:
Students are responsible for obtaining their own hardware if needed. Multimedia hardware is often available in classrooms where there are workstations present.
By default, Canvas will use your legal name as recorded in the Student Information System and your Campus ID image as your Canvas Profile Image. Canvas allows you to update your Display Name and Profile Image.
Students may find Canvas Display Name updates sufficient for minor changes; however, Canvas use of Display Names is inconsistent and in many places the legal name will still be visible such as course roster used by your instructor.
Instead, students may choose Preferred Names that differ from their legal names by contacting the Registrar’s Office to request use of a Preferred Name. The Preferred Name will then replace the name visible in all areas of Canvas.
Students may also add biographical information including links to personal websites to their profile.
Note: Canvas display names, bio information and profile pictures should reflect student personal accountability and responsibility as described in the SU Code of Student Conduct.
Control how, when and where Canvas communicates with you. By default, Canvas sends emails to professor and student SU email addresses (user@seattleu.edu) with important updates, announcements and messages.
Note: Double-check your Notifications preferences to receive email messages from Canvas in a timely manner. Not seeing Canvas messages in your SU email inbox? Please see the Help Clutter learn your preferences faster section of this help guide.
You are able to edit your Canvas profile to include your pronouns so that your pronouns display alongside your name in multiple areas within Canvas.
When viewing pages and assignments in Canvas, you will now find a button at the top right-hand corner of the page to access Microsoft’s Immersive Reader, a useful accessibility feature that allows you to listen to your page content read aloud, adjust how the text appears, and more. Check out CDLI's guide on using Immersive Reader in Canvas for more details.
There are various options for turning in your work to Canvas assignments including file uploads, text entry, website URLs, and even media recordings from your webcam.
Tips: Having trouble keeping track of when assignments are due in Canvas? Please see the Assignments Overview video.
You can submit papers directly from your SU Office 365 OneDrive account to Canvas assignments. Please see the Office 365 guide for information on Microsoft tools provided to all SU students.
Discussions allow students to communicate asynchronously (not in real time) with the class. The video and guides below will give you a general understanding of how they work.
Note: You'll need to upload images into your personal files area in Canvas before embedding them into a Discussion reply. Please see the Canvas guides How do I upload files to my personal Files? and How do I embed images from Canvas into the Rich Content Editor? for instructions.
Note: The Canvas Studio button in the far left navigation contains videos specific to you and can't been seen by anyone else. Please see instructions below for sharing your videos with professors and classmates.
Please contact the Canvas Support Team to report technical issues using videos in Canvas:
Canvas Quizzes can be used by professors to check your understanding of course material. The quiz tool can also be used as an ungraded survey, including the option for anonymous responses. Quiz question can be multiple choice, true/false, and essay responses, among others. Your professor may program automated feedback for you to review upon submitting the quiz or survey.
Professors may create student peer review assignments, so you can leave feedback on your classmates' work.
Note: If you do not see Assignment submissions made by other students for you to review even though you know your professor is using peer reviews, it may be because your professor has selected the option that requires you to submit your Assignment before your peer reviews are assigned.
Canvas Groups provide a collaborative workspace for you and your fellow classmates where you can share files, work together on papers, hold video conferences, send announcements, and start discussions. Your professor may create a group assignment, where one group member submits your work on behalf of the group.
Note: Your professor has access to all group workspaces in a course.
Here's a video showing how groups are administered, and how to create your own group workspace if your professor has allowed that option.
Canvas makes it easy to check your grades and feedback posted by professors. By default, notifications of new grades and feedback from professors are sent to student SU email accounts with a quick-link to log into Canvas for viewing.
Note: It is highly recommended that you double-check your personal Notifications preferences to make sure you receive important messages from professors in a timely manner.
Professors send Canvas announcements to the entire class, which you will also receive in your SU email. In the example below you see that the Canvas announcement email subject line includes the announcement title and course name [1], the email is sent from the name of your course [2], and the announcement message is included in the email [3]:
You can also view a list of all course announcements by clicking the Announcements tab in the course navigation [1]. Click the title of an announcement to view the message [2]:
Note: It is highly recommended that you double-check your personal Notifications preferences to make sure you receive important messages from professors in a timely manner
Both students and professors use the Canvas Conversations Inbox tool to send messages to one or more recipients. You (and anyone you send a message to) will receive Canvas personal messages in your SU email account by default.
Note: It is highly recommended that you double-check your personal Notifications preferences to make sure you receive important messages from professors in a timely manner
Note: Canvas is accessible through Chrome and Firefox mobile web browsers. However, mobile browsers are not supported, and features may not function as expected compared to viewing Canvas in a fully supported desktop browser.
Note: Any quizzes that do not contain supported question types will be redirected to the unofficially supported mobile web version of Canvas. Additionally, the app does not currently support one-question-at-a-time quizzes, quizzes with passcode restrictions, or quizzes with IP address restrictions.
Note: Canvas is accessible through Chrome and Firefox mobile web browsers. However, mobile browsers are not supported, and features may not function as expected compared to viewing Canvas in a fully supported desktop browser.
Note: Any quizzes that do not contain supported question types will be redirected to the unofficially supported mobile web version of Canvas. Additionally, the app does not currently support one-question-at-a-time quizzes, quizzes with passcode restrictions, or quizzes with IP address restrictions.
Watermark Course Evaluations is the system used to collect course evaluations from students. You will see course evaluation reminders from Watermark Course Evaluations after logging into Canvas.
You can find how-to guides by entering a Canvas course and clicking the Student Course Evaluations link in the course navigation. You will find the Help button on the upper-right corner of the screen.
Tip: you will be reminded of incomplete course evaluations by a pop-up window upon logging into Canvas, here is what the pop-up will look like:
Support for Watermark Course Evaluations is provided by the Evaluation Administrators for each school or college. If you are having questions or are experiencing a problem with Watermark Course Evaluations, please contact the appropriate administrator below:
Liz Wick
(206) 296-5698
wickl@seattleu.edu
Renee Yiu
wyiu@seattleu.edu
Beth Armitage
(206) 296-6170
armitagb@seattleu.edu
Emma Adkins
Graduate Student Contact
(206) 296-6986
adkinsemma@seattleu.edu
Maiya Mosteller
Undergraduate Student Contact
(206) 296-6985
mmosteller@seattleu.edu
Chandra Catron
(206) 296-2452
catronc@seattleu.edu
Deann Ketchum
(206) 398-4302
ketchumd@seattleu.edu
Lizzie Young
(206) 296-5312
lizzie@seattleu.edu
Get answers fast from the Canvas Student support team
Student 24/7 Canvas Support Hotline:
1-844-668-0893
Email:
support@instructure.com
