Start-of-the-Semester Canvas Tips

Victor Hughes Anyomi | Nick Weber | Alejandra Campoy

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How do I customize my Dashboard?

Keeping your Canvas Dashboard organized makes it easier to focus on the courses that matter most each semester. With just a few clicks, you can customize course cards by changing their color, adding nicknames, or uploading an image. You can also rearrange your course cards, so your Dashboard reflects your teaching priorities and is quick to navigate. Read the step-by-step guide: How to Organize Your Canvas Dashboard.

How do I customize Canvas notifications?

Canvas notifications help you and your students stay on top of course activity—but not every update needs to hit your inbox. By customizing your notification settings, you can decide which alerts to receive, how often, and in what format, creating a communication flow that works best for you. Learn how: Customizing Canvas Notifications.

Where are my past courses?

When the semester ends, your courses are archived in Canvas. As an instructor, you may need to revisit past courses to review content, student submissions, or grades. Canvas archives completed courses under the Past Enrollments section, where they remain accessible in read-only mode. This step-by-step guide will help you view your past courses in Canvas: How to View Past Courses in Canvas.

How do I copy content from a previous course into my new Canvas course?

If you want to reuse course materials like modules, assignments, or quizzes in another Canvas course, you can use the Course Import Tool. This saves time and ensures consistency across all your courses. Consult this guide to learn how to efficiently copy content from one course to another: Copy Content From One Canvas Course to Another.

I am teaching two sections of the same course. Can I merge my Canvas courses?

If you’re teaching multiple sections of the same course, yes, we can merge them into a single Canvas site—what we call an Ubersite. An Ubersite lets you manage just one course instead of juggling separate sites, saving you time and effort. You’ll still be able to tailor assignments, announcements, and grading by section using Canvas’s built-in tools. If you’d like an Ubersite set up for your courses, please submit this form: Canvas – Ubersite Request.

What is Student View?

The Student View feature in Canvas allows instructors to preview their course as a student. This feature lets you test the course layout, functionality, and visibility of content to ensure everything is set up properly for your students. Learn more: How to Use Student View in Canvas.

Why can’t my students see my course?

If your students can’t see your Canvas course, it may need to be published. To check on this, open your course in Canvas and look at the top-right corner of the course homepage. If you see a Publish button, your course is unpublished. Click Publish to make the course visible to students. Do note that individual modules or assignments may also need to be published for students to access them.

If that does not solve the issue, please consult this guide to continue troubleshooting: Why can’t my students see my Canvas course?

How do I add or remove people from my course?

Enrolled students are automatically added to your Canvas course. If you need to add additional users, such as a TA or an Auditor, follow these steps: How to Add or Remove Students from a Canvas Course. If you need to add a community auditor, please follow these steps: How to Add an External Auditor to Your Canvas Course.

How do I customize my course navigation menu?

A streamlined Course Navigation menu helps students focus on the essentials and reduces confusion. By customizing which items appear in the menu, you can guide students to engage with the course materials in the way you’ve designed, ensuring a smoother flow through your course content. A simplified navigation also helps students using screen readers find what they need more quickly. Learn how to customize your Course Navigation menu: How to customize your Course Navigation Menu.

How do I add Kaltura Media to my course?

Kaltura is a media management tool integrated into Canvas that allows instructors to upload, manage, and embed audio and video content directly within their courses. Kaltura supports user-uploaded content, such as lecture recordings, tutorials, and other media, that you want to share with your students. To learn how to use Kaltura, check out the Kaltura Basics Guide and How to enable Kaltura for a Canvas course.

To stream film and television content for your course, please consult the library’s offerings: Find Streaming Videos – The Claremont Colleges Library.

How do I set up my Gradebook?

Graded items (Assignments, Quizzes, etc.) are automatically added as a column in your Gradebook when they are created. If you plan to use the Gradebook, it is a good idea to check on your course’s Gradebook settings at the start of the term. Confirming how grades are displayed, whether missing or late policies are applied, and when grades are posted ensures that students see accurate and consistent information from the first day. Learn how to set up your Canvas Gradebook.

How do I set up weighted grades?

If you would like Canvas to calculate students’ overall grades for you, setting up weighted assignment groups is the way to go. By aligning your assignment groups with the grading breakdown in your syllabus, you ensure that Canvas reflects your intended course structure and grading policy. This makes grading more transparent for students and easier to manage for you. Learn how to set up weighted assignment groups in Canvas.

How do I use Canvas on a mobile device?

With the Canvas Teacher Mobile App, you can review assignments, post announcements, and even grade on the go. The mobile app keeps you connected to your courses and students, no matter where you are. Learn how to access Canvas on your mobile devices: Accessing Canvas on Mobile Devices.

Additional Support

Canvas offers a wide range of tools, and you don’t need to master them all at once. By building on what you already know, and using the resources above, you can set up your course with confidence and give students a clear, accessible experience from day one.

For additional support, please be sure to reference Canvas @ Pomona or book a consultation with the Instructional Technology team.