Getting Started with Online Teaching in Canvas

Overview

Canvas is Cedar Crest College's learning management system (LMS), providing instructors with tools to organize course materials, communicate with students, manage assignments, assess learning, and provide feedback.

Whether you are teaching an in-person, hybrid, or fully online course, Canvas helps you create a consistent and accessible learning experience for your students.

This guide covers the essential steps for preparing and delivering your course in Canvas, along with resources for learning more about its features.

1. Access Your Canvas Courses

  1. Open a supported web browser, such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, or Safari.
  2. Go to Cedar Crest College Canvas.
  3. Sign in using your Cedar Crest College account.
  4. Select Dashboard to view your courses.
  5. Click the course you want to manage.

If your course does not appear on the Dashboard, select Courses > All Courses to view your available courses.

Note: Course availability depends on course creation, instructor assignments, and enrollment information from the College's student information system.

If an assigned course is missing, submit an IT Support Request.

2. Prepare Your Course

Before publishing your course, review its structure and content.

Update Your Course Home Page

Your Course Home Page is the first page students see when they enter your course.

Consider including:

  • A welcome message and brief course introduction.
  • Instructions for getting started.
  • A link to the course syllabus.
  • Information about how to contact you.
  • Links to important course resources.

To change your Course Home Page:

  1. Open your Canvas course.
  2. Select Home.
  3. Select Choose Home Page from the right sidebar, if available.
  4. Choose your preferred layout.
  5. Select Save.

Canvas provides several Home Page options, including Course Activity Stream, Modules, Assignments List, and a designated Pages Front Page.

Add Your Syllabus

  1. Open your course.
  2. Select Syllabus from the Course Navigation menu.
  3. Select Edit.
  4. Enter your syllabus information or link to your syllabus document.
  5. Select Update Syllabus.

Include important course policies, expectations, assignment information, and contact details.

3. Organize Course Materials Using Modules

Modules allow instructors to organize course content into a structured sequence.

You can organize modules by week, topic, lesson, or unit.

A module may contain:

  • Pages with instructional content.
  • Files and readings.
  • Assignments.
  • Discussions.
  • Quizzes.
  • External links or learning tools.

Create a Module

  1. Open your course.
  2. Select Modules.
  3. Select + Module.
  4. Enter a descriptive module name.
  5. Select Add Module.

Add Content to a Module

  1. Locate the module.
  2. Select the + icon.
  3. Choose the content type you want to add.
  4. Select or create the content.
  5. Select Add Item.

You can rearrange module items to create a logical learning sequence.

Important: Publishing a course does not automatically publish all modules and their content. Review the publication status of individual items before students need access.

4. Add Course Content and Learning Materials

Canvas provides several ways to share instructional materials.

Pages

Use Pages to present information directly within Canvas, such as:

  • Weekly instructions.
  • Lecture notes.
  • Learning objectives.
  • Reading lists.
  • Embedded videos.
  • Links to outside resources.

To create a page:

  1. Select Pages from Course Navigation.
  2. Select + Page.
  3. Enter a title.
  4. Add your content using the Rich Content Editor.
  5. Configure the available page options.
  6. Select Save or Save & Publish.

Files

Use Files to upload documents, presentations, PDFs, and other instructional resources.

  1. Open your course.
  2. Select Files.
  3. Select Upload.
  4. Choose the file from your computer.
  5. Organize files into folders if needed.

You can link uploaded files within Pages, Modules, and Assignments.

Recommendation: Whenever practical, present instructional information directly in Canvas Pages rather than requiring students to download multiple documents.

5. Communicate with Students

Consistent communication is especially important in online and hybrid courses.

Canvas provides several communication tools.

Announcements

Use Announcements to share updates, reminders, and important course information.

  1. Open your course.
  2. Select Announcements.
  3. Select + Announcement.
  4. Enter a title and message.
  5. Configure any available posting or scheduling options.
  6. Select Save or Publish, depending on the available interface.

Students can view announcements within Canvas and may receive notifications based on their notification settings.

Canvas Inbox

Canvas Inbox allows you to send messages to students enrolled in your courses.

  1. Select Inbox from Global Navigation.
  2. Select the Compose icon.
  3. Choose your course.
  4. Select the recipients.
  5. Enter your message.
  6. Select Send.

Discussions

Discussions allow students to participate in asynchronous conversations.

Use discussions for:

  • Introductions and community building.
  • Questions about course content.
  • Reflection activities.
  • Peer interaction.
  • Graded participation.

To create a discussion, open Discussions and select + Discussion.

Recommendation: Establish clear communication expectations, including how frequently students should check Canvas and when they can expect responses.

6. Create Assignments and Assessments

Canvas allows instructors to create and manage a variety of learning activities.

Assignments

Use Assignments to collect student work and provide grades or feedback.

To create an assignment:

  1. Open your course.
  2. Select Assignments.
  3. Select + Assignment.
  4. Enter an assignment name and instructions.
  5. Configure points, assignment group, submission type, and grading options.
  6. Set the due date and availability dates, if applicable.
  7. Select Save & Publish when the assignment is ready.

Quizzes

Canvas Quizzes can be used for assessments, knowledge checks, and practice activities.

To create a quiz:

  1. Select Quizzes from Course Navigation.
  2. Select + Quiz.
  3. Choose a quiz engine if prompted.
  4. Enter the quiz details and instructions.
  5. Add questions and configure the assessment settings.
  6. Review the quiz before publishing.

Quiz features and settings vary depending on whether the course uses Classic Quizzes or New Quizzes.

Discussions

Discussions may be graded or ungraded.

Graded discussions can be included in the Canvas Gradebook.

Recommendation: Before publishing an assessment, review the instructions, availability dates, time limits, accommodations, and grading settings.

7. Grade Assignments and Provide Feedback

Canvas includes tools for reviewing submissions and communicating feedback.

SpeedGrader

SpeedGrader allows instructors to review student submissions, assign grades, and provide comments.

To access SpeedGrader:

  1. Open your course.
  2. Select Assignments.
  3. Open the assignment you want to grade.
  4. Select SpeedGrader.
  5. Review the student submission.
  6. Enter a grade and provide feedback.
  7. Submit comments as appropriate.

Depending on the assignment type, you may be able to annotate documents, use rubrics, or provide other forms of feedback.

Gradebook

The Gradebook provides a central location for reviewing student grades.

To access it:

  1. Open your course.
  2. Select Grades.
  3. Review the assignment columns and student scores.

Important: Review grade posting policies before grading. Depending on your settings, grades may be visible immediately or remain hidden until you post them.

8. Publish Your Course

Students generally cannot access an unpublished Canvas course.

Before publishing, confirm that:

  • Your syllabus is available.
  • Your Course Home Page is ready.
  • Modules and instructional materials are organized.
  • Required assignments and activities are published.
  • Due dates and availability dates are correct.
  • Course navigation is appropriate.
  • Student-facing content is accessible.

Publish Your Course

  1. Open the Canvas course.
  2. Navigate to Home.
  3. Locate the Course Status area.
  4. Select Publish.

Once published, the course becomes available according to its configured course and term access dates.

Important: Publishing your course does not override course participation restrictions or automatically publish every individual module, assignment, page, or quiz.

9. Preview Your Course Using Student View

Before students begin using your course, review it from their perspective.

  1. Open your Canvas course.
  2. Select Student View, which may be available on the course Home Page or under course Settings.
  3. Navigate through the course as a test student.
  4. Review course materials, assignments, and navigation.
  5. Select Leave Student View when finished.

Student View can help identify unpublished content, broken navigation, and confusing instructions.

Some external tools and activities may not function exactly as they would for an enrolled student.

10. Accessibility and Online Teaching Best Practices

Creating accessible, well-organized content helps all students participate successfully.

Course Organization

  • Use a consistent module structure.
  • Clearly identify weekly tasks and expectations.
  • Provide descriptive titles for pages and assignments.
  • Make due dates and instructions easy to find.
  • Avoid unnecessary navigation complexity.

Accessibility

  • Use heading styles to organize content.
  • Provide meaningful alternative text for informative images.
  • Use descriptive hyperlink text.
  • Include captions or transcripts for instructional videos.
  • Ensure sufficient text contrast.
  • Avoid using color alone to communicate important information.
  • Use accessible documents and file formats.

Student Engagement

  • Communicate regularly through Announcements.
  • Provide clear instructions and grading expectations.
  • Use discussions and other activities to encourage interaction.
  • Provide timely and constructive feedback.
  • Offer opportunities for students to ask questions.

Recommendation: Review your Canvas content for accessibility before publishing and whenever significant course materials are updated.

11. Preparing for Unexpected Class Disruptions

Canvas can help instructors maintain instructional continuity when in-person classes are disrupted by weather, emergencies, or other circumstances.

If you need to transition quickly to remote instruction:

  1. Publish your Canvas course if it is not already available.
  2. Post an Announcement explaining how instruction will continue.
  3. Make the syllabus and essential learning materials available.
  4. Organize upcoming coursework into Modules.
  5. Provide assignments and clear submission instructions.
  6. Use Discussions or other approved communication tools to maintain engagement.
  7. Provide instructions for any required virtual meetings.
  8. Communicate deadlines, expectations, and changes to students.

Prioritize essential course activities and clear communication rather than attempting to recreate every element of the in-person classroom immediately.

12. Canvas Instructor Guides and Training Resources

Instructure provides official documentation and tutorials for instructors.

Canvas Instructor Guide

Canvas Instructor Guide

Step-by-step documentation for creating and managing Canvas courses, assignments, discussions, quizzes, grades, and communication tools.

Canvas Video Guides

Canvas Video Guides

Video tutorials demonstrating common Canvas features and workflows.

Canvas Teacher Mobile App

Canvas: Using the Mobile Apps

Learn how to access courses, communicate with students, and review assignments from a mobile device.

Additional Cedar Crest College Resources

13. Getting Help with Canvas

The appropriate support resource depends on the type of assistance needed.

Type of Assistance Recommended Resource
Canvas login or technical access problems Cedar Crest College IT Support
Missing or incorrectly assigned Canvas courses Cedar Crest College IT Support
Technical errors with Canvas features Cedar Crest College IT Support
Questions about Canvas course design or instructional strategies Instructional Design
Guidance on creating effective online learning activities Instructional Design
Canvas feature instructions and tutorials Canvas Instructor Guide

Request Technical Assistance

For Canvas technical issues, submit an IT Support Request.

Include the course name, a description of the issue, and any relevant screenshots or error messages.

For instructional design questions, contact Matthew Kile at mkile@cedarcrest.edu.

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