Getting Started with Canvas

Due No Due Date
Points None
Available after Feb 9, 2021 at 12am

Canvas Orientation
Canvas Settings
Canvas Resources

Canvas Orientation

Canvas is the learning management system (LMS) software designed to make it easy for instructors and students to work in a shared and protected online learning environment. Students are automatically enrolled in the course Canvas (LMS). In this course, we will use the Canvas to help guide and manage classroom instruction. To be successful, students must have a basic understanding of how to navigate, upload, or paste their work onto Canvas.

Find helpful information in the Canvas Student Guides Links to an external site.. The guide is comprehensive and searchable for all the information you need to use Canvas. Go there and bookmark the pages that are of interest so you can access them later.

Additional Tutorials

Communicate With Your Instructor Canvas has a messaging system you can use to send messages to your instructor.
Collapse and Expand Modules Learn how to manage the modules in your course; simplify your view of modules.
Manage Your Personal Files Canvas users get a small amount of storage to store files such as assignment drafts and readings.
How do I drop the course? If you want to drop this course, read this lesson to find out when and how you can do that.

Accessibility Statement

Canvas provides a user experience that is easy, simple, and intuitive. Special attention has been paid to making Canvas screen-readable. The Rich Content Editor encourages users to create accessible content pages (i.e. text formatting is accomplished using styles). Canvas is designed to allow limited customization of colors and schemes to be accessible for all users. The National Federation of the Blind granted Canvas the Gold Level Web Certification in 2010. Find more information by visiting the Canvas Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).

Familiarize yourself with how to log in and learn how to use the Canvas. Use these links to self-enroll in self-study content (and earn digital badges):

Student Self-Orientation to Canvas: https://ilearn.laccd.edu/enroll/A6KREAadge
Digital Literacy and earn the Digital Literacy badge: https://ilearn.laccd.edu/enroll/LFP43A
Quest for Online Success: https://ilearn.laccd.edu/enroll//DCP3TC
Access your campus student email: http://college.lattc.edu/student/about-student-email/ Links to an external site.

During the first week, I suggest the following actions:

Read the entire course Syllabus, so you know the rhythm of the course.

Make sure to look at the course calendar on the course site for assignments and due dates so that you can plan your semester accordingly.
Update Your Profile All new Canvas users should read this information. Click on your name at the top right corner to view your profile at any time.
Update Your Notification Preferences Canvas can send you Notifications about course activities to your email, your phone, or even your Facebook account! Read the information found by clicking the link, then go to Settings in the top right corner to customize your notification preferences.
Be sure to log in daily, interact in discussions as required, keep a schedule, and submit assessments or assignments on time.
All work will be submitted to Canvas using the Assignment submission format. Upload your file as directed.
For problems with Canvas contact me, and I will answer them or direct you to Canvas Support: https://ilearn.laccd.edu/
Complete the Getting Started with Canvas Quiz.
You should regularly log into the Canvas web-page to review the course syllabus, weekly assignments, communicate via email, chat, and virtually interact with classmates, and your instructor.

Screen this video to learn how to navigate the course environment.

Useful Student Tools

Canvas Global Navigation Menu, Dashboard, & Courses

Important: If you need information for LACCD Student IT Support their contact information below:

Email: studenthelp@laccd.edu

Update Your Profile

Profiles give students the ability to add information about themselves (ex: Bio, Website, etc.) that will be visible to the people (students and instructors) in their courses. Please take a minute to update your profile information including a picture or avatar of yourself. You will be participating in numerous discussion forums throughout the course and having a picture along with the post helps build community. Because other people in your courses will be able to see anything you post on your profile page, please be cautious about the personal information you share on your profile.

You can view the profiles of your classmates and instructors on the People page and in Discussions.

More Information

There is also a view overview of the user profile:

Notifications

Notification Preferences allow you to select how and when you want to be notified when various events occur within your courses, such as grades, change in a due date, an updated assignment, or a message sent from within Canvas. Canvas supports notifications through email and SMS text messages. Canvas users can choose to receive notification alerts immediately, daily, weekly, or never.

To change your notification preferences, first, go to your Settings page. Then you can set different preferences for each contact method on the Notifications page. Notice that you can also set notifications by course, which you do on the home page for each course.

More Information

There is also a video overview of Notifications:

Notification Preferences Links to an external site. from Instructure Canvas Community Links to an external site. on Vimeo Links to an external site..

Files

In Canvas each student has a place where they can upload their own personal files. These files are visible only to the student; instructors and other students cannot see them. Students may also use this personal storage space to upload rough drafts of assignments that are not ready to be submitted yet or save extra files that they might want access to at a later time.

Important Note: Each student has a limited about of file space for their personal files in Canvas. If you are trying to upload a file to your Canvas file space (for example, a new profile picture) and have problems, please check to make sure you have not reached your maximum storage.

More Information

There is also a video overview of Files:

Files Overview Links to an external site. from Instructure Canvas Community Links to an external site. on Vimeo Links to an external site..

Course Settings - Home Page

The course home page is the first thing you see when you access a course. Instructors decide what information is provided on the main content area of the home page, but normally it is either the Course Modules or a page designed by the Instructor.

The parts of the Home page include:

Course Navigation links - Instructors customize which links are shown in a course so you will not necessarily see the same links for each of your courses.
Content Area - Instructors customize what is in this area, but normally it is the Course Modules, a page they designed, or the Syllabus.
Sidebar - shows what's coming up or going on in your course. This includes "To Do," "Coming Up," and "Recent Feedback."

The Course Sidebar can be very helpful for seeing what assignments are coming up or due, and recent feedback on your assignments. Yet, do not rely on the sidebar for important course content information. Often Instructors will post important resources, directions, and even videos in the course Modules that you need to review prior to completing an assignment. For this reason, we recommend using the Sidebar as a reminder, but always check the Modules for additional assignment and course information.

More Information

How do I use the Course Home Page as a student? Links to an external site.

Syllabus

The course syllabus link includes the course syllabus and a list of all assignments and due dates for the course.

More Information

How do I use the Syllabus as a student? Links to an external site.

Modules

Modules are a way for Instructors to organize course content and assignments. Instructors customize the way course Module content is arranged (e.g.: Week, Unit, Chapter, etc.), so each course might look a little different. Instructors will sometimes set Modules as the Homepage of a course or have the link to Modules visible on the left.

More Information

How do I view Modules as a student? Links to an external site.

Grades

Grades are where students can view their course grades and related assignment information. You can view your grades from inside a course by clicking on the Grades link in Course Navigation. You can also view your grades by clicking on the View Grades button on your Dashboard.

More Information

There is also an overview video on Grades:

206 - Grades Overview Links to an external site. from Instructure Canvas Community Links to an external site. on Vimeo Links to an external site..

Announcements

Announcements are a way for instructors to let students know about something going on in the course. They are often used for:

instructors to remind students of course activities
leave a message for an entire class
to post important information regarding Canvas or Richland.

You can set your Notifications to update you when Announcements are posted to your Canvas course(s) by going to your Settings page and clicking on "Notifications."

More Information

How do I view Announcements as a student? Links to an external site.

Collaborations

Collaborations allow a group of students to work together on the same document (such as Google Docs) at the same time. Collaborative documents are saved in real-time, meaning a change made by any of its users will be immediately visible to everyone.

More Information

There is also a video overview of Collaborations:

Collaborations Overview Links to an external site. from Instructure Canvas Community Links to an external site. on Vimeo Links to an external site..

Canvas on Your Mobile Devices (Both Android and iOS)

All about the Canvas iPad App Find information about downloading and using the free Canvas iPad app.
All about the Canvas iPhone App Find information about downloading and using the free Canvas iPhone app.
All about the Canvas Android App Find information about downloading and using the free Canvas Android app.

Video Help:

Whether you download the Canvas app to your phone or not, you can set up notifications from Canvas to text your phone. Here are the instructions to receive course notifications by text. Links to an external site.

Remember: If you get stuck or have questions always check out the "Help" button to the left on the Global Navigation Menu, it's an excellent first step!