Canvas Learning Management System
Description
Canvas is UIC’s learning management system used to support teaching and learning across instructional formats. Canvas may be used to:
- support and enhance face-to-face instruction
- deliver and manage content for blended or hybrid courses
- serve as the primary environment for teaching and assessing online courses
Links to Canvas
Request course shells, copies, cross-listings, and more.
Features, Guides, Tutorials
General Capabilities
- Create or upload text, audio, video, and interactive content for students to access online. Content can be added using Canvas’s native features or using third party software that integrates with Canvas. You should always create content that is accessible to all students
- Communicate, interact, and collaborate with students via course announcements, email, discussion boards, and other collaboration tools.
- Assess concept mastery through the use of quizzes, assignments, and other tools that enable instructors to record and assess students’ work in a variety of ways. Instructors can grade assignments submitted through the platform using Canvas Speedgrader, and manage student grades and progress through the Gradebook.
FAQ
Course Creation and Enrollment
Course Creation
Canvas course sites are created automatically for most CRN-based courses listed in the course catalog. Instructors typically gain access to their Canvas course sites approximately 90 days before the start of the semester.
Course Enrollments
- Instructors are added at the time courses are created, 90 days prior to the start of the term.
- Students are added two weeks prior of the start of the term
Student enrollments and faculty assignments are handled automatically by the system. It may take up to 48 hours for new student enrollments to be reflected in course sites.
Course Availability
Canvas course sites are made unavailable to students by default. Students can see a course when both of the following steps are complete:
- The instructor has published the course. See the tutorial: How do I publish a course?
- The term start date has passed, or the instructor changed participation settings to enable early viewing. See: How to Open a Course to Students Before the Term Start Date in Canvas (3 minute video)
Copying Content into an Empty Canvas Shell
If you worked with an instructional designer during the LMS transition and they gave you a ‘source’ course, or if you have Canvas course content from a previous semester that you’d like to reuse this term, you will need to either copy the content into the new course yourself or fill out the form on the Canvas service offerings page to request a copy. See:
- How to Copy Your Source Course to the Active Term (LTS Quick Guide)
- How to Copy a Course in Canvas (LTS Tutorial Video: 3 Minutes)
- Course Site Copy – Request to copy Canvas content from one course site to another.
Course Retention, Archival Policies, and System Requirements
Course Retention and Archival Policies
Canvas retains course content on an ongoing basis, allowing instructors continued access to past courses for reference, copying, or reuse. Older courses may be subject to institutional data-retention and storage policies, but archived courses remain accessible to instructors for instructional purposes.
System Requirements
Web browsers used with Canvas must have Java and Javascript enabled, cookies and third-party cookies enabled, and pop-up blocker disabled. Firefox and Google Chrome are the recommended web browsers. Use the Canvas Browser Checker to verify whether your browser supports the most recent release of the Canvas LMS.
Special Requests
Instructors can request the following services using the forms in the Canvas service catalog page.
- Course Site Copy – Request to copy Canvas content from one course site to another.
- Course Site Template – Request a template to help you start your Canvas course with built-in best practices in instructional design.
- Course Site Cross-Listing – Cross-list multiple course sites into a single Canvas course.
- Course Quota Increase – Each course site in Canvas is restricted to a size limit of 2 GB for course materials. This quota is necessary to properly manage storage resources and ensure adequate system performance. If more storage space is needed, the quota can be increased in 1 GB increments by submitting a request here. To read more about course storage management in Canvas, check out our Canvas File Storage page.
- Request Ongoing Course Site – Courses with no Course Reference Number (CRN) in Banner.
- Restoration of an Archived Course Site – Under special circumstances, courses older than three years can be restored per instructor request.
- LTI integration – Third-party tools can be integrated to Canvas per request. The approval process for each tool will include reviews for functionality, accessibility, security, FERPA, legal, cost, as well as other factors as explained in the LTI Policy and FAQs document.
Tutorials
Canvas Overview
- How do I use the Dashboard as an instructor?
- How to Manage the Canvas Dashboard (LTS Quick Guide)
- How do I use the Global Navigation Menu?
- How do I view all my Canvas courses?
- How do I use the Course Home Page as an instructor?
- How does Canvas work as a supplement to face-to-face courses?
- How do I manage my Canvas notification settings?
- How do I use the Inbox?
- How do I use the Calendar?
- How do I get help with Canvas?
Canvas Account Settings
- Canvas Profile and Notifications (LTS Quick Guide)
- How do I add a profile picture in my user account?
- How do I add contact methods to receive Canvas notifications?
- How do I add an additional email address as a contact method in Canvas?
- How do I add a text (SMS) contact method in Canvas?
- How do I change my default email address in my user account?
- How do I change my login password in my user account?
- How do I change the settings in my user account?
- How do I edit my profile in my user account?
- How do I change the language preference in my user account?
- How do I manage my Canvas notification settings?
Course Setup
- How to copy course content into the active term (LTS Tutorial Video)
- How to copy course content into the active term (LTS Quick Guide)
- How do I use the Course Setup Checklist?
- How do I use the Canvas course setup tutorial as an instructor?
- How do I set details for a course?
- How do I use course settings?
- How do I publish a course?
Build Content
- How do I use the Course Navigation Menu as an instructor?
- How do I use the Syllabus as an instructor?
- How do I create a discussion as an instructor?
- How do I use Files?
- How do I upload a file to a module? (LTS Tutorial Video)
- How do I add a module?
- How do I create a new page in a course?
- How do I add and modify text in the Rich Content Editor?
Announcements
- Communicating with your students in Canvas (LTS Quick Guide)
- Using course Announcements in Canvas (LTS Quick Guide)
- How do I use the Announcements Index Page?
- How do I view and sort announcement replies as an instructor?
- How do I add an announcement in a course?
- How do I attach a file to an announcement in a course?
- How do I edit an announcement in a course?
- How do I delete an announcement in a course?
Inbox
Assignments & Quizzes
- How do I create an assignment?
- How do I assign an assignment to everyone, individual students, or sections?
- How to Batch Edit Assignment Due Dates (LTS Quick Guide)
- Setting Up Differentiation Tags For Student Accommodations (LTS Quick Guide)
- How to Create a ‘Journal’ Assignment in Canvas (LTS Quick Guide)
- Peer Review Assignment Setup (LTS Quick Guide)
- How do I create a quiz using New Quizzes?
