You're in the right place. Teaching with Canvas doesn't have to be overwhelming - it can even be fun! In this digital toolkit, we have curated the essential best practices you need to succeed a list of frequently asked questions for common Canvas questions. We invite you to explore these resources and start transforming your digital classroom!
Canvas Resources for K-12 Teachers
Official Support
- Canvas Community from Instructure
- The official hub for all things Canvas, offering detailed guides, support articles, product updates, a vast knowledge base, and more
Engaging Tutorials
- The Canvas Queen YouTube Channel
- Dive into an extensive catalog of fun and engaging videos to make mastering Canvas a breeze
Peer Support & Collaboration
- The "Teachers Using Canvas" Group on Facebook
- Connect with other K-12 educators, share tips and tricks, and find answers to your questions within a lively, supportive community
Expert Guidance
- iLearnNH
- Contact iLearnNH
- Follow us on Instagram
- Explore more of our Canvas resources
- Reach out us directly for individualized support and compassionate encouragement, or just follow along as we share our Canvas wisdom through social media and this website!
Frequently Asked Questions
Getting Started with Canvas
If your school or district has a Canvas instance, go to the provided Canvas URL (typically district.instructure.com). Enter your school email and password. First-time users should check their email for activation instructions.
If your school or district does not have a Canvas instance, you can create a Free-for-Teacher account.
A sandbox course is your own private "playground" in Canvas. It's a safe space to experiment with all of Canvas's features without affecting real students or courses. You can test out new features and practice creating content - then copy whatever works into your actual courses. Think of it as your personal testing lab where it's totally fine to make mistakes and learn as you go.
Modules are containers that organize course content by units, weeks, or themes. Create a module by clicking the "+Module" button. Add content by clicking the "+" on the module.
Adding users to your Canvas course can be done through the "Add People" button on the People page, though your school's system (SIS) may handle this automatically. When you manually add someone, they'll get an invitation once the course is published and must accept it to participate.
You can add users into different roles like Teaching Assistants (who help manage the course), Observers (like parents who track student progress), or Designers (who help build course content). Just note that courses must be published and the term must have started before invitations go out. If you're not sure about adding specific people or roles, check with your Canvas admin.
Course Content
The Rich Content Editor (RCE) is Canvas's built-in text editor. You can use it to create engaging content with formatting, images, videos, and more. It's available whenever you create announcements, assignments, discussions, quizzes, pages, or your syllabus.
Embedding files from your Google Drive into your Canvas courses is easy once you've mastered the (very simple) External App Google LTI 1.3. Learn how to use your Google Drive files in Canvas on our dedicated Google and Canvas page.
Think of Commons as Canvas's free content library where teachers can find, share, and import course materials. You can use it to browse what others have created, grab what you like for your own courses, and share your best content with other teachers!
To create an assignment, click the "+" button in Assignments or Modules, then select "Assignment." Give it a title and add instructions in the Rich Content Editor. Set your points possible, assignment group, and due date. You can also add a rubric, specify submission type (text, file upload, etc.), and adjust availability dates. Don't forget to click "Save & Publish" when you're ready for students to see it!
Classic Quizzes is Canvas's original quiz tool, while New Quizzes is its more recent replacement with enhanced features. While both let you create online assessments, New Quizzes offers more question types, better accessibility, improved quiz statistics, and smoother item banks management. Canvas will eventually phase out Classic Quizzes, so we recommend using New Quizzes for all new assessments.
Canvas discussions are like an online classroom conversation space where teachers and students can share ideas and engage in discussions. You can create them as graded assignments that link to your gradebook, or as casual forums for class conversations. When setting up a discussion, you can choose between focused (simpler, two-level replies) or threaded (allows replies to replies) formats. Students can participate individually or in groups, making it flexible for different types of class conversations.
Communication
Parents and guardians can join Canvas as observers and utilize the Canvas Parent app. They can view their child's courses, assignments, and grades. Make sure to keep your homepage updated with your contact details, use the inbox for easy communication, and show parents how to customize notifications for assignments and grades. With everything organized in one place, they can easily stay in the loop about their child's progress.
The simplest way to directly communicate with students is through the Inbox, where you can send messages to a course, a group, an individual student, or a group of students. You can also communicate with course participants via Announcements and provide assignment feedback through Speedgrader.
Canvas offers a variety of tools to support student collaboration. Through Groups you can create project teams with their own workspace for sharing files and working together. Discussions are a great way to encourage idea-sharing, whether through text, video, or audio. You can also use peer review assignments to promote meaningful interaction and learning between students.
Grading and Feedback
The Gradebook is the Canvas tool that lets you view and input grades in whatever format works best for you - points, percentages, letter grades, or even just complete/incomplete. You'll see all your published graded items here (like assignments, discussions, and quizzes), though ungraded activities won't show up. While you can view all students at once in the main Gradebook, you can also check grades student-by-student using the Individual view.
SpeedGrader is Canvas's grading tool that allows instructors to evaluate student and group assignments seamlessly. You can access it through assignments, quizzes, graded discussions, or the Gradebook to review submissions, apply rubrics, and provide feedback. The system loads all essential components - submissions, grades, rubrics, and comments - at once, enabling smooth transitions between student work without browser refreshing. SpeedGrader displays submissions based on your Gradebook settings, including those from inactive students if specified in your preferences.
We recommend that you track student progress via New Analytics, which provides a comprehensive view of your students' progress through interactive charts and tables. With New Analytics you can monitor grades, submission status, weekly activity, and individual participation all in one place. You can quickly spot trends in course activity, check online attendance patterns, and even send targeted messages to students based on their performance or missing work.
Accessibility and Accommodations
Great question! The main things to keep in mind for course accessibility are maintaining an organized course format, adding captions and subtitles to media, and utilizing the Immersive Reader and the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor.
We cover accessibility in more depth over on the Teaching with Canvas page. Our Graphic Design for Educators information is also valuable for creating accessible content.
Canvas LMS provides powerful tools to support diverse learners by personalizing and enhancing the learning experience. Features like Mastery Paths allow you to differentiate assignments and create tailored learning paths. Quiz settings enable modifications for extra time or attempts to meet individual needs. You can also adjust due dates for specific students or groups, ensuring flexibility and equity.
Multimedia content, interactive apps, and group assignments engage students with varied learning preferences, and discussions promote collaboration and diverse perspectives. Multilingual learners can access content in a different language via the Immersive Reader. By leveraging these tools, you can create an inclusive learning environment that engages every student.
Customization and Advanced Features
The Home Page is your course's first impression - it's what students see when they log in. While Canvas's Home Page settings might feel overwhelming at first, the basics are straightforward: you can choose between a few different layouts that serve different purposes. You might want to display recent announcements and activities, show your course modules (like a table of contents), create your own custom welcome page, or display a course activity stream.
We recommend that you create a custom welcome page where you can add a personal touch with text, images, and important links.
Buttons and banners are visual elements that make your Canvas pages more engaging and easier to navigate. Banners are header images at the top of your page that can showcase your course theme, while buttons are clickable elements that help students quickly find important materials. These design touches make your course feel more organized and help students - especially younger ones - find what they need.
With Mastery Paths, you can assign different content to students based on their performance or let students choose their own learning path. Think of it as creating personalized learning journeys: when a student completes an assignment, they might move to different content based on their score (like additional support if they score below 70%), or they might get to choose between different ways to demonstrate their learning (like picking between a written essay, video presentation, or creative project). This helps ensure each student gets the right level of challenge and support, while also giving them agency in their learning experience.
Outcomes are a way to track and measure student learning based on specific skills or standards. You can use Outcomes to align assignments, quizzes, or rubrics with your curriculum goals and monitor student progress over time using the Learning Mastery Gradebook.
Integrations and Data Management
Yes, Canvas can sync with many Student Information Systems (SIS)! Most popular SIS platforms are compatible, allowing you to easily manage rosters, grades, and other data. Your school or district’s Canvas admin typically handles the setup, so reach out to them to get started. Once connected, Canvas can automatically sync with your SIS to keep everything up to date. If you’re involved in the setup, you can use the "SIS Integration" area in Canvas to configure syncing. Be sure to test the connection, and your IT team or Canvas support can help with any questions!
The best ways to share course content with colleagues is through the "Send To" feature and Canvas Commons.
To copy content from a previous year’s course, go to the new course where you want the content, click "Settings," and choose "Import Course Content." Select "Copy a Canvas Course," then search for the previous course by name. You can choose to copy everything or select specific items like assignments, modules, or quizzes. Be sure to adjust due dates during the import if needed. Once the process is complete, your content will appear in the new course, ready to edit and use!
LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability), or External Apps, in Canvas allows you to seamlessly integrate other educational tools, like Quizlet or Kahoot!, directly within your course. This eliminates the need for students to switch between platforms, making learning more streamlined and engaging.
To get a new LTI added to your course, consult your school's IT department or instructional technology support. They can guide you on approved tools and assist with the integration process.
If you are in the process of adding an LTI and need help setting it up with a Client ID, you may find this video helpful.
Troubleshooting and Support
There are a few possible reasons that students can't see certain content. There may be visibility restrictions (dates, sections, groups) set on the content, unmet prerequisites if you've set those up, or incorrect student group assignments. Most often, though, it's because you've forgotten to publish the content (don't worry, it's happened to all of us).
For technical support with Canvas, we recommend that you first contact your school's IT department or instructional technology support team. You can also contact Canvas Support through the Help menu in the Global Navigation Bar in Canvas.
To share your idea with the people at Instructure (the company that makes Canvas), you need to become part of the online Instructure Community. Once you become an established member of the Community, you can share a product idea.
Have a question that you don't see here? We would LOVE to hear from you!
