What Is Canvas? - Big Bend Community College

Canvas – Student Quick Start Guide What is Canvas? Canvas is our learning-management system at Big Bend. Instructors use Canvas to share class materials on the Internet, including course syllabi, assignments, and grades. Even instructors who are teaching face-to-face courses use Canvas for sharing class materials and sending messages. Instructors at Big Bend are not required to use Canvas unless they’re teaching an online or hybrid class. However, instructors in most departments use it at least a little. Understanding how Canvas works is essential to keeping up with most of your classes. It’s important to remember that every instructor uses Canvas slightly differently. Not all courses with a Canvas site will require you to submit assignments online or allow you to access your grades. After familiarizing yourself with this guide, you should be well on your way to understanding how to read a Canvas site and interact with it. If you have any questions, please visit the library in the 1800 building, e-mail elearningadmin@bigbend.edu, or call the eLearning Coordinator at 509-793-2352.

Logging In You can access Canvas through the Big Bend website (http://www.bigbend.edu) or with the direct URL (https://bigbend.instructure.com/). If you’re connecting through the Big Bend website: 1. Click on the Canvas link in the upper right corner. 2. Click on the Canvas banner that says, “Please click here to access your online, hybrid, or web enhanced class.” 3. Fill in your Big Bend network account and password. It’s the same as your Big Bend email address. Your Big Bend email address is your first initial, last name, and the final two digits of your SID# @bigbend.edu . For example: Bruce Wayne’s student ID number is 919123456. His email address is bwayne56@bigbend.edu . Your password was set up at orientation. If you were not at orientation or need to change your password, use the Password Help tool on the Big Bend website. Click on Password Help (https://webapps.bigbend.edu/logon.aspx) in the upper right. From there, enter your Big Bend email address in the Username box and click “Forgot your password.” If the Password Help tool is unable to change your password, please call Big Bend Technology (BBT) at 509-793-2206.

Browser The Canvas software is frequently upgraded. To keep pace with its upgrades, you will need to use an upto-date web browser to access the Internet. Your web browser is the program you use to connect to the Internet. On some computers, your browser may be a copy of Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge that has been renamed “Internet”. You can check what version of a browser you’re using, and learn more about web browsers, by visiting the site https://www.whatsmybrowser.org/. Please check here to see which browsers are currently compatible with Canvas: ich-browsers-does-canvas-support. In general, Chrome and Firefox encounter fewer errors than Internet Explorer. Canvas can also be accessed on mobile devices like phones and tablets. For more information on the Canvas app, please visit the guide for Android (https://guides.instructure.com/m/18555) or iOS (https://guides.instructure.com/m/18561).

Dashboard Once you’re logged in to Canvas, the first page you’ll see is the dashboard. The dashboard has three main parts: 1. Global navigation. This element directs you to your courses, calendar, and Canvas settings. 2. Dashboard. This element displays your Canvas courses, past and present. 3. Sidebar. This element shows recent and upcoming activity on your Canvas account. The dashboard answers the questions, “What is going on in my Canvas courses?” and “What do I need to do next?” Please note this is a summary, not a comprehensive picture. It only shows your class assignments and quizzes that are handled through Canvas. Some instructors use Canvas to track their course assignments, while others do not. Be sure to look at your individual Canvas courses, your syllabus, and your class calendar (depending on your instructor’s plan) for web sites, hyperlinks, videos, and other class material your instructor may have.

Global Navigation Global Navigation controls the areas of Canvas that are not individual classes. Account: For now, the important parts of the Account menu are Profile, Notification, and Files. Profile: From your Profile, you can click on the grayish, lumpy person icon to upload a profile photo from your computer. That way your instructor and classmates can see who you are! Your profile also lists the different ways that Canvas can contact you. The e-mail in the upper-right with a star next to it is your primary e-mail address. You can change it by registering a new e-mail address with the “Add Email Address” button and clicking in the blank space to the left of the address once it appears on your list. You can also link your account to your phone’s text message (SMS) service, Twitter, or your Google Drive from this page. Notifications: The Notifications menu allows you to change how often you receive Canvasrelated e-mail. If you have multiple e-mail addresses linked to your Canvas account, you can also choose which e-mail address receives different types of messages. If you hover your mouse over each of the notification titles, Canvas will give you a description of the notification. Next, hover the mouse over one of the boxes on the right to change how often you receive e-mail. It’s strongly suggested that you receive Announcement notifications as soon as possible to the e-mail address you check most often, since instructors use Announcements to share class emergencies and time-sensitive information. This is the default option, so you shouldn’t need to change anything unless you change e-mail addresses. Files: The Files menu allows you to store important files, like class assignments, online. You can also use pictures stored to your Canvas Files in Canvas Discussions. Click “Upload” to select a file from your computer to share to Canvas. You are the only one who can access files uploaded this way. To submit an assignment to a class, use its assignment page. You can organize your files by creating folders with the “ Folder” button.

Dashboard: Click here to return to the dashboard. Courses: Clicking here once shows a text list of your Canvas courses. To see a complete list of courses, including your past courses, click “All Courses”. If a course is marked “unpublished”, your instructor has decided not to use Canvas for your class. You can change the courses that appear on your dashboard by accessing the complete list of courses. Courses with a yellow star next to them will appear on your dashboard, while courses with a gray star

will not. Click on a star to change its color. Sometimes, all of your courses will be marked with gray stars. If this happens, clicking to turn them yellow will resolve the issue. Calendar: If your instructor is using Canvas to keep track of course assignments, you will be able to see them here. Click on the calendar entries to read a compact version of the assignment; from the compact version, click on the assignment’s title to view the full assignment. Inbox: Canvas allows you to send messages to people in your classes. Some instructors prefer using the Canvas inbox (also called Canvas Messages or Canvas Conversations); others prefer to use e-mail. A colorful number will appear next to your Inbox when you have unread messages. To send a message using the Inbox, click on the box-and-pencil icon. Next, select the name of your course from the “Select Course” menu. Click on the face-and-book icon to select the message’s recipient. After you type the message, be sure to click “Send”. Please note if you’re taking multiple courses from the same instructor, be sure to click the correct course from the “Select Course” menu. Give your instructor as many details as possible about your question, including the specific section of the course you’re in so they can address your messages as quickly and cleanly as possible.

Help: The help menu allows you to search the Canvas guide or report a Canvas problem to us. When reporting a problem, please provide as much detail as possible. Which assignment isn’t working? Which course won’t open? If Canvas gives you an error message, what does it say? If you need help with course content, like an assignment or a due date, please contact your instructor instead of using the help menu. If your question is about how to use Canvas or something appears to be broken, this is the link to use. Dashboard Each colored card on your dashboard is a course site. Click on the course title to go to its site. If you click on the gear in the corner of each card, you can give the course a nickname and change its color. These changes are only visible to you.

Clicking the button in the dashboard’s upper right replaces the course cards with a list of your recent Canvas activity. This list includes Inbox messages, assignment notifications, and recent grades. Sidebar The sidebar contains reminders that link to other parts of Canvas like your grades and assignments. Coming Up: If your instructor uses Canvas for tracking assignments, this section lists upcoming due dates. It’s best to think of this list as a helpful reminder: looking at your calendar or your actual course site will provide more information. Recent Feedback: If an instructor has recently left feedback on a Canvas assignment, it will be listed here. Click on the assignment title to read and respond to your feedback. If you want to look at feedback on an older assignment, it can be accessed through the “View Grades” button, followed by clicking on the name of your course, the specific assignment, and the “View Feedback” button. View Grades: Click this button for an overall view of your grade progress. To see more details for each course, click on the course name. Be aware that these grades are updated at your instructors’ convenience. Moreover, incomplete assignments, which are marked with a score of “-“, are not included in your grade unless the “Calculate based only on graded assignments” box is unchecked.

Inside the Classroom Every instructors designs his or her Canvas course differently. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself early with how your instructor uses Canvas. This information is often on the course’s front page, in the syllabus, or on the first day of class. If you aren’t sure how your instructor plans to use Canvas, ask! The white navigation menu on the left side of the screen allows lists the different parts of your class. Some instructors will chose to have lots of links here, while others will only give you access to what they feel is necessary. Here are some of the most important types of links that appear on the navigation menu. Home: The Home link will take you to the course home page. The specifics vary from instructor to instructor, but it’s often an introduction or list of class expectations. Syllabus: If this link is active, it will display the course syllabus—your instructor’s list of classroom expectations and assignments. Canvas automatically generates a list of the course’s Canvas assignments and their due dates on the bottom of the Syllabus page. Modules: Modules are like folders where your instructor can arrange all of the course material. Some instructors order their course material by week, while others sort it by unit or textbook chapter. Regardless of the organization, your instructor will probably expect you to move through the classroom material in order. Each item in a module has an icon explaining what it is: