This page is a curated collection of Canvas tutorials for users at the University of Notre Dame, compiled by Notre Dame Learning and the Office of Information Technologies (OIT) Teaching and Learning Technologies unit. These tutorials provide quick directions on how to add content and utilize the tools in your course.  

If you have questions while using Canvas, click the Help icon found in the bottom left corner of Canvas’ global navigation menu to connect with help resources, including ND’s virtual assistant and the OIT Help Desk.

For pedagogical questions and considerations, please contact Notre Dame Learning at learning@nd.edu.

Getting Started with Canvas 

Canvas boasts a robust collection of documentation and resources to support its users. Below are some to consider bookmarking. 

• Canvas Instructor Guide: A collection of tutorials for instructors using Canvas. 

• Canvas Student Guide: We recommend sharing applicable tutorials from this guide with students in your course to help them optimize the user experience from their perspective. 

• Canvas Community for Instructors: A place for Canvas users to ask questions, share, collaborate, and more. 
• Panda Pros Consultations: Sign up to meet with Canvas consultants to discuss course design. 

Video and Other Resources: 

Canvas Instructor Video Guide: A collection of video tutorials for Canvas instructors.  

CanvasLMS on YouTube: Frequently added livestreams, demos, and more. 

Canvas Navigation

Using the global navigation menu

What navigation features will be most useful?	Why would I use that feature?	How do I use the global navigation features?
Account	You may want to edit your user settings (add a profile picture, display name, language, etc.) or change the default notification settings.	Add a profile picture Edit user settings as an instructor Notification preferences
Dashboard	The dashboard is a landing page where users can view their courses, a to-do list, and more.	Use the dashboard
Courses	This tab allows you to see courses without being at the dashboard. You can also customize your course list.	Customize course list Change a course name Publish a course
Calendar	Canvas automatically creates a calendar with due dates, events, etc. Add events to your personal calendar and events to classes like major deadlines, midterm dates, end of term, special events, etc. for students to view. When you create an assignment it will automatically populate on the course calendar.	Use canvas calendar  Add course events Add personal events  Filter calendar view Add Canvas calendar to your Google Calendar
Inbox	See “Communicating with Students in Canvas” section.

Course Navigation 

Edit course navigation to maximize accessibility. Suggested navigation links have already been set up in your course and displayed as they are below. 

What pages are already enabled?	Why have this page?	How do I use it?
Home	This is a landing page for the students in your course to view important contact information, a schedule, etc.	Choose a home page Change a page name Edit a course page
Announcements	Update students with announcements weekly or before or after each class meeting.	See “Announcements” in the “Communicating with Students in Canvas” section below.
Assignments	Students will be able to view all course assignments.	Assignments index page Add or edit assignment details Add or edit point values  Add a rubric Delete assignments How to Post an Assignment in Canvas (Video Resource)
Discussions	Students will be able to view all course discussions.	Discussion index page Create a new discussion Edit a discussion Add a rubric Delay posting a discussion
Grades	All grades are visible here and can be arranged in a few different ways for students to view.	Student grade view  See more on grading in the “View and Grade Student Work” section of this document.
Library Reserves	Access to the university library reserves if applicable for your course. Add the Library Reserves tool to your site for access to the Hesburgh eReserves page.	Hesburgh Library Reserves Instructor FAQ
Modules	Your course can be organized by week, topic, class meeting, etc. for students to work through. Use modules to take advantage of more content release features.	See “Modules Items” in the “Adding Content” section of this document.
People	A list of others enrolled in the course.	Use the people page View student user details  Manually Add a TA
Quizzes	Create and manage all quizzes for your course.  We recommend using Quizzes when possible. Canvas offers a tool called New Quizzes, but it has not reached parity with the current Quizzes tool, particularly in regards to question banks. If you are unsure about which quiz function to use, please contact OIT by emailing oithelp@nd.edu.	Quizzes
Syllabus	Upload or embed your syllabus for students to view and any other helpful resources. Canvas creates a full listing of all course due dates on this page. It is a helpful way for users to stay organized.	Use the syllabus page  Edit the syllabus page

Publish vs. Unpublish 

Not quite done making edits or there’s something you do not want students to see right away? Leave it unpublished. Similarly, remember if you want students to see a page, assignment, discussion, etc. make sure the green “published” button is illuminated. Publish or unpublish with ease. 

Assignment  Entire Course  Course page

Discussion post Module  Quiz

Adding Content

Using the rich content editor 

If you do not find a resource below, you can access more information about the Rich Content Editor using the link below. 

• More RCE Information

What are some elements I can add besides text?	How do I use that feature?
Files	Upload documents and other files from your device  Insert documents and other files from Canvas
Hyperlinks	Create external links Edit or remove links
Images and Videos	Using Zoom and Panopto in Canvas Upload and embed images -we recommend you post videos to Panopto  Upload and embed a media file Upload and embed media from an external source  Insert a YouTube video
Tables	Insert a table

Use the built in Accessibility Checker as a starting point for adhering to accessibility standards. 

Module Items 

Using the Modules Index Page

Once new modules are created you can add to it, edit it, rearrange, etc. Canvas makes it easy to drag and drop entire modules and module elements.  Add module items Edit module items and/or remove modules items  Move or reorder modules in a course Add release dates or “locking” a module  Add prerequisites  Set module requirements
What can I add to a module?	Why would I use that feature?	How do I use that feature?
Assignment	Use assignments when you want students to submit a product to Canvas.	See “Assignments” in the “Course Navigation” section.
Quiz	A built in quiz / testing feature for assessments.	See “Quizzes” in the “Course Navigation” section.
File	Upload and attach files for students to use as resources.  *Files can be disabled from the course navigation so students cannot see a file unless it is in a module.*	Supported media files – use Panopto for videos Upload a file to a course Bulk file upload
Page	Create a page with content for students to view and work through. Great for presentations and videos.	Change a page name Edit a course page Use the rich content editor to add content to a page.
Discussion	Host and facilitate discussion boards.	See “Discussions” in the “Course Navigation” section. .
Text Header	Keep modules organized with additional text headers	Add a text header
External URL	Instead of including a URL in a page, you may want to have a URL on its own. Consider using this for frequently used websites or helpful resources.	Add an external URL as a module item
External Tool	Integrate popular apps like Panopto, Turnitin, Zoom and more.	Configure external tools in course settings Add an external tool as a module item

Communicating with Students in Canvas

Canvas has a few built in ways to stay in touch with your students without cluttering your email inbox. 

Video Resource: How to Use Canvas to Communicate with Students  (35 minute webinar)

• Video Segments Timestamps 
  • Creating an announcement (2:15 – 4:16)
  • Example of users engaging with announcements if commenting is turned on (4:40 – 5:40)
  • Inbox messaging with built in media recorder (6:15 – 9:50) 
  • “Message students who” from Gradebook (11:03 – 13:23) 
  • Authentic feedback with media recorder in SpeedGrader (19:06 – 21:26) 

What communication features are available?	Why would I use that feature?	How do I use that feature?
Announcements	Push announcements out to all users. You can schedule an announcement for a later date by delaying the posting date.  Not ready to post, but want to save what you have? By delaying the posting date you can come back and edit whenever and update the posting time accordingly.	Adding an announcement  Edit an announcement
Inbox	Inbox is a built-in messaging center. If you do not wish for students to communicate with you this way, please make sure that is explicitly stated in your course syllabus so they know to default to your gmail.	Using inbox Send a message to all students in a course Send a message to select students

View and Grade Student Work

Use the Gradebook and SpeedGrader to view student work, provide feedback, and input grades. 

Video Resource: How to Use SpeedGrader (20-minute webinar with some great university examples)

Gradebook	SpeedGrader
Use the gradebook Icons and colors in gradebook View assignments or students individually  Leaving comments  Set a default grade Manually post grades  Curve grades Total column	Access SpeedGrader Use SpeedGrader View submission details Enter and edit grades Use DocViewer to leave annotations on a document Canvas DocViewer supported file types Adding feedback