Canvas Help

How do I create a course?

Your Canvas courses are automatically created for you each quarter. Course creation is based on course offering information in Axess.

Will I have to manually enroll students ?

No.  Your roster will be added to your Canvas and synched with enrollment updates, so enrolled students will be able to see the course after you publish it. You and your students will login to your Canvas course using your SUNet ID and password.

When will my course be created?

Canvas course shells are created automatically.  Usually about 4-5 weeks into the term before your course is scheduled to be offered. It will automatically appear on your Canvas Dashboard when you login.

Why can't students see a  file I uploaded in an assignment/quiz?

In most cases, the file, or its containing folder has either not been Published, or the copyright restrictions have not been set. See this article on setting usage rights, or watch a quick tutorial on publishing materials in Canvas. 

I can't see my course on the Dashboard anymore. Where did it go?

Unless explicitly set in the Course Settings, courses will conclude at the end of the academic term. Once a course concludes, faculty students and guests still have access to the course. But at this point, the course can be found on Canvas' Courses page. Space on the users Dashboard is reserved for:

• courses being taught/taken in current term 
• courses that have an explicit End Date set in the future (see Changing Start/End Dates for a Course)
• courses marked as a favorite (see Customizing Your Course List)

Can I hide an exam from students until I am ready for them to take it?

You can set "availability dates", which set a window of time students are allowed to take a quiz. Using availabilty dates allows the students to know the date and time of a quiz or exam, but they are restricted from viewing the quiz until the availability window. See more information in this article on setting quiz options.

Can I delay showing students the results of exams until I have them all graded?

"Muting" quizzes allows you to withhold grade information and exam answers until all exams have been taken and scored. The student will be informed that results have been withheld by the faculty, and they will be notified when you release the results. See this artical for information about muting a quiz.

How can I add a TA/guest to my course?

You can use the "+ People" button on the People page of your course to add guests, TAs and Course Admins. At Stanford, users MUST have a SUNetID to be added to a course. See this article on adding users to your course.

I've already added someone to my course. Why can't they find it on their Dashboard?

Courses need to be published before  users with the roles of Student, Guest and Observer can see your course. When you add a user in these roles, Canvas automatically sends an invite once the course has been officially published. See this article on publishing a course. 

Do I have to enroll my students in my course manually?

No. If a student registers through Axess, they will automatically be added to the course in Canvas. Your roster will be added to your Canvas and synched with enrollment updates, so enrolled students will be able to see the course after you publish it. You and your students will login to your Canvas course using your SUNet ID and password.

How can I allow a guest in my course that is not a Stanford employee or student?

Guests and observers to your course MUST have a SUNetID. You can sponsor an individual not affiliated with Stanford here. 

My guests/students can no longer see my course on their Dashboard. Where did it go?

Unless explicitly set in the Course Settings, courses will conclude at the end of the academic term. Once a course concludes, faculty students and guests still have access to the course. But at this point, the course can be found on Canvas' Courses page. Space on the users Dashboard is reserved for:

• courses being taught/taken in current term 
• courses that have an explicit End Date set in the future (see Changing Start/End Dates for a Course)
• courses marked as a favorite (see Customizing Your Course List)

When should I use Announcements vs Discussions?

Announcements are designed to allow instructors to deliver information out to an entire class.  Discussions are designed to allow interactive communication between two or more people within a course. Instructors do have the option to allow replies to Announcements. Also, one person can use a Discussion to communicate information to an entire class. The main distinction between the two is that Announcements are intended for broadcasting information while Discussions are designed for participation in a public conversation. See this short video for more information on using announcements, or this article on creating discussions.

Will students be notified when I make an announcement?

Yes. Canvas automatically notifies students according to their Notification preferences. Make sure your students have Notifications enabled for announcements (located in their personal profile, under Notifications).  See this short video for more information on using announcements.

Can students respond privately to an Announcement?

No. Responses to announcements are made available to the entire course.  Faculty can, delete student responses though.

Why should I use the Inbox tool instead of my email?

Canvas' Inbox tool functions very similar to email but uses Canvas' internal messaging system. It should be used for two-way communication about items related to your course.  Students are alerted to new messages on their dashboard screen upon logging in. They receive conversations via email or texts based on their notification settings. You are notifed of their responses through the Inbox, which can be forwarded to your regular email. One distinct benefit of using the Inbox tool is rapid addressing for individuals or groups.

Where do students submit written assignments in Canvas?

When you create your assignment, use the Assignment Type of "Online", and specify the submission options. The "File Upload"option allows students to submit their assignments, and also allows you to restrict the file types (.docx, pdf, etc.). See this article for more information on creating assignmnets.

 Do I have to download students' submitted assignments to grade them?

No. Canvas uses a tool called the SpeedGrader to easily grade student submissions from assignments and quizzes. Speedgrader allows you to easily page through student submissions, make comments, and assign a grade. See this article for more information on the SpeedGrader. 

What's the difference between Due Dates and Availability Dates?

In addition to setting a due date for an assignment, instructors can specify a specific date range when students can submit the assignment. These dates are called availability dates. These dates are optional and can be set depending how you want to manage the assignment. See this article for more information on Due and Availability Dates.

How can I prevent students from seeing an exam until I am ready for them to take it?

You can set "availability dates", which set a window of time students are allowed to take a quiz. Using availabilty dates allows the students to know the date and time of a quiz or exam, but they are restricted from viewing the quiz until the availability window. See more information in this article on setting quiz options.

Can I delay showing students the results of exams until I have them all graded?

"Muting" quizzes allows you to withhold grade information and exam answers until all exams have been taken and scored. The student will be informed that results have been withheld by the faculty, and they will be notified when you release the results. See this artical for information about muting a quiz.

Can I offer the same exam to two different sections of students, at two different times?

Yes. The "Assign" function in the quiz options allows you to create different due/availability dates for different individuals or groups of students. See this article on assigning multiple due dates.

A student has accidentally submitted an exam. How can I give them another attempt?

The "Moderate Quiz" function allows you to set an extra attempt for individuals or multiple students. See this article on moderating  a quiz. 

I have a student that needs special accomodations. How can I give that student more time to take the exam?

The "Moderate Quiz" function allows you to extend the quiz's time limit for individuals or multiple students. See this article on moderating  a quiz. 

I'm getting too many emails from Canvas. How can I make them stop?

By default, Canvas notifies you automatically when a number of things happen in any active course you have. You can restrict these notifications by category to come once per day or once per week as a digest. Or, you can simply turn then altogether.  See instructure's guide to setting these preferences.