Emory Canvas Quick Start
Where do I go?
You may access Canvas from http://classes.emory.edu. You can also access Canvas through http://canvas.emory.edu
Where is my course? Links to an external site.
The first thing you will see after logging into Canvas is The Dashboard.
The Dashboard shows active and ‘favorite’ Courses in the form of "Course Cards," upcoming events and tasks on the right and the Canvas navigation bar on the far left. This is true for both faculty and students.
*TIP: If you don’t see your course on the dashboard go to "Courses" on the left navigation bar and select the “All Courses” link. You can favorite courses and add them to your dashboard from the all courses link by clicking the star icon to the left of the course name Links to an external site.. You can also drag and drop the course cards on your dashboard to highlight the ones you want (like current published courses) to the top of your screen.
What are Files? Links to an external site.
Links to an external site.The Files area is where you upload all of your course documents. While you can give students access to this part of your course, Files is intended to be instructor facing, not student-facing. Even if your files menu item is hidden from students, when you link to a file from any Canvas page editor, your student can access it.
Where do I put my course content? Links to an external site.
See Simple Syllabus Course for a quick and functional way to start teaching with Canvas.
Please take a look at the The One Page Guide for Course Building for more detailed course setup regarding modules, etc. The default home page setup on all new Emory courses is to Modules, instructors can change that see Simple Syllabus Course above.
Can I Merge or Combine Course sections? Links to an external site.
Yes, and it should be done before you begin work in any course. Please see the instructions on our Canvas website. Enrollment help
What are Notifications? Links to an external site.
Canvas expands the ways in which students can stay updated on course announcements and news. For example, students may now receive notifications of course activity as a text message or at any email address.
*TIP: By default, Announcements, Calendar Tasks (assignments and events with dates) and Inbox items are set to send an immediate email notification to primary Emory directory address when a course is PUBLISHED. You can select your preferences under "Account" (top left menu bar) then "Notifications."
When can students view my course? Links to an external site.
Publish is the way Canvas allows you to make your course available to students. In addition to publishing your course as a whole, you can choose to Publish and Unpublish, various elements of your course – including Assignments, Pages, Quizzes, etc. – at any point in the semester. *TIP: You cannot Unpublish the entire course once students have submitted work, but you can Unpublish anything within the course.
Is there anything else I need to know? Links to an external site.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when working in Canvas:
-Your OPUS registered course will be created and populated with students for you.
-You may also want to extend your course availability beyond the default semester dates by changing the start and end dates in the Settings to your preferences, students will not be able to participate in a course until or after the start or end date.
-You are able to add TA’s, etc. from the People menu item in the course.
*TIP: If you do not choose a date, Emory defaults are set to approximately 3 weeks before and after the end of classes. It is especially important to EXTEND these dates if you have any students with incomplete work as they will not be able to access your course after the defaults have passed. Please see detailed directions: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-change-the-start-and-end-dates-for-a-course/ta-p/452354
Can I import and export files? Links to an external site.
We recommend that you import your export file of course material, files or images or a zip file of an old course to your Canvas Sandbox first. (All faculty who are listed as teachers on OPUS should have a Canvas Sandbox by default that reads “Your Name – Sandbox”) When you import a zip file to Canvas of a course from another system like Blackboard, the items that were under Blackboard folders and menu headings become Canvas Modules.
If you like the way your content looks and choose to use the modules feature in Canvas, then you can import that same package into your official student enrolled Canvas course or just copy your content from the sandbox in Canvas to your official course.
Where can I go if I need help or want to learn more?
Emory has subscribed to 24/7 support for every Canvas user on campus and online. If you need help using Canvas – either because you want to learn more about a function or a feature is not working like it should – you can:
- Submit a help ticket from Canvas via the Help >Report a Problem,
- Chat online with a support specialist from Help > Chat with Canvas Support
- Or call the 24x7 Emory Canvas Help Line (the number is visible from the Help menu on the left in Canvas)
- If you would like to speak to someone face-to-face about specific issues (i.e., setting up your gradebook), please use our appointment calendar: https://links.emory.edu/canvasappointments
- Please check the Canvas site https://canvas-support.emory.edu/ regularly for upcoming training, hand-outs and tutorials, new feature briefings, and other important Canvas news and information.
*For all Emory-specific issues (i.e., you are unable to login, your course number or name is incorrect), continue using the email classes@emory.edu or calling the Emory Help Desk at 404-727-7777.
This course content is offered under a CC Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike
Links to an external site. license. Content in this course can be considered under this license unless otherwise noted.