Need-to-know

Canvas is intended to create a consistent and transparent experience for students.  Some ways that it aims at this goal are:

• Each course's navigation menu contains the same links.  The links all point to different functions, features, or tools of Canvas.  Instructors may hide them, but they cannot be renamed.
• The Files tool contains all documents instructors upload in the course.  The Files tool in a Canvas course is open to students by default.  You may restrict specific contents in the Files tool or disable its link for students in the Navigation tab in course settings.
• The Modules tool lets you set the order in which students view content, including date restrictions and prerequisites. However, Modules cannot contain modules within them. Canvas favors breadth over depth, aiming to make it simpler for students to find content.

Canvas is designed to let instructors create assignments easily and to let students find them in a variety of ways.  Several tools offer alternative views.  The hope is that this makes the content more flexible for more users.