Planting with Canvas

TILLING THE SOIL

The Dashboard is the first thing you will see when you log into Canvas.

The Dashboard helps you see what is happening in all your current courses.

You can return to your User Dashboard at any time by clicking the Dashboard link in the Global Navigation Menu on the far left side of the screen.

PLANTING AND PRUNING

The Dashboard is truly the place where you can start off your day in Canvas! Everything is at your fingertips from here. Things you'll see on your Dashboard include:

Course Cards: All current courses represented by tiles
Global Announcements: Can be used for institution wide communication
To Do List: Students see a list of up to 25 items they need to do in their courses. Each is a link into the course. Teachers' To Dos are items they need to grade. The number next to each is how many need to be graded. Teachers' To Dos are live links directly to the SpeedGrader
Coming Up: Look ahead into your Canvas Calendar, showing events and assessments due today and going forward 7 days

Here are some ideas about how you can extend your use of the Dashboard:

Give Course Nicknames: Each Course Tile will show you the official name of the course. Many institutions have pre-assigned course names based on their SIS that are not user friendly or easily searchable. A Course Nickname can assist you to keep track of the courses you choose to keep visible and organized on your dashboard.
Change the color of your Course card: Click the three vertical dots (that's called a kabob selector!) and you'll see a pallet of colors. Whatever color you pick is just for you. Every user can customize his or her own colors. Colors are important and also will represent that course in your Calendar. (Need more colors? Check out color-hex to find just the right color for your course!)
Apply an image to your Course card: Instructors can select an image that will apply to the course cards for all enrolled in that course. This happens in the Course Settings. This makes it very easy for students to pick out which course is yours!
Remove the Color Overlay: Super important if you're using images in your Course cards and you don't want it to look "hazy" because the color is overlaying it. Click the gear icon on your Dashboard and unselect "Color Overlay"

DIGGING DEEPER

Need more information? Check out this Canvas Guide!

Dashboard Guide