Canvas: Getting StartedClick the tabs at the top of this box to explore resources on getting started with Canvas.
Are you new to Canvas? Or perhaps you feel like it wouldn't hurt to get reacquainted with it? We recommend self-enrolling in the Growing with Canvas course.
The objectives of this training include:This course created by Canvas is an independent study
You may complete as little or as much of the course as you see fit. If you would like technical support, contact Canvas Support. Contact the CCIT Team if you would like help brainstorming ways to use the Canvas functionality with your students to enhance instruction.
Unless otherwise directed by your Chair, Director, or Dean, you should follow the guidelines below:
Before doing anything else, all the material imported into your courses in Canvas should be unpublished. This will allow you to access course material without it being visible to students and without it impacting the grade book or other features of your course. You should stay about two weeks ahead of your students while evaluating content and building the rest of your course out.
You will then continue to review and reflect on the value of the unpublished materials imported into your courses. You will make a purposeful decision about whether or not you want to use what you were provided as-is, change it, or discard it entirely in favor of new content (created by you or pulled in from Canvas Commons, Direct Share, etc.).
When you require one-on-one help using the content as-is or with edits, or if you want to create something new to replace it, or need help finding and vetting material created by others and integrating it into your course, you should contact the CCIT directly for assistance.
Berkeley requires that your Canvas profile include:
A professional image
Short Bio with Berkeley email address listed
Your office hours for the semester
A clean and professional-looking faculty profile section with correct information makes you seem more approachable and professional. It is also an implicit (or explicit) teaching moment about what it means to represent oneself professionally online.
The ‘How do I edit my profile in my user account as an instructor?' Canvas Guide provides detailed step-by-step instructions.
If you have not received your course syllabus, please contact your chair for the most up-to-date version of your Course Syllabus. Then you will need to upload your personalized Syllabus on the Syllabus page located on the Syllabus tab in the course navigation bar.
Getting students to read your syllabus can be a struggle but it’s a critical step for their success. Not only does it provide a road-map for your course, it’s an important way for students to understand what the course entails, and whether they are up for the challenge. If students read it, they will have “agreed” to your terms and conditions. Can using Canvas help students engage with your syllabus? Consider these benefits, and take a look at our recommendations.
Use the Canvas Guide On Uploading Files provides detailed step-by-step instructions on how to upload a file directly into the Syllabus page.
Use the Canvas Guide Upload a File Into Syllabus, Module, or Other Content Area detailed step-by-step instructions into other areas of Canvas.
The video below will help you learn about the Rich Content Editor you will use to edit content in your courses.
The course you receive will most likely have some content pre-loaded into Modules. You will need to review each of your Modules and determine what existing content you want to keep, reorganize, modify, or delete. Confer with your Chair to confirm if there is any course or department-specific content (assignments, quizzes, etc.) that are mandatory for your course.
Modules in Canvas control the flow of online activities and their content, providing students and instructors a clearly organized learning path. It is important to organize and make available to students only the content you choose or that is mandatory for your specific course.
The 'How do I edit module items?' Canvas Guide provides a complete explanation and detailed step-by-step instructions.
The 'How do I remove module items?' Canvas Guide provides a complete explanation and detailed step-by-step instructions.
The 'How do I move or reorder a module item?' Canvas Guide provides a complete explanation and detailed step-by-step instructions.
Assignment Groups allows you to organize the assignments in your course. Student final grades will be calculated (weighted) based on the weight assigned to each assignment group. The course you receive may already have weighted Assignment Groups and graded assignments. You will need to review the Assignment Groups and graded assignments and determine what existing Assignment Groups and graded assignments you want to keep, reorganize, modify, or delete.
The assessment section of the syllabus should guide you on what Assignment Groups and graded assignments you will need. If you have not received your course syllabus, please contact your chair for the most up-to-date version of your Course Syllabus.
Confer with your Chair to confirm if there is any course or department-specific graded assignments (papers, assignments, quizzes, projects, etc.) that are mandatory for your course.
The Building Blocks of Gradebook |
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| Assignment Groups | Gradable Items | Gradebook |
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The way you categorize gradable items in your course and weight the total grade. You have to have at least 1 group. This is similar to "Categories" in Blackboard. More Info: |
The activities you grade your students on. These items will appear as separate columns in your gradebook. More Info:
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The Gradebook helps instructors easily view and enter grades for students. Graded assignments, graded discussions, and graded quizzes, that have been published display in the Gradebook. More Info:
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The following guides provide additional complete explanation and detailed step-by-step instructions on using the gradebook:
Canvas ToolkitDo you want to know more about how the different parts of Canvas work and the tools available to you? Use the tabs at the top of this box to learn more about announcements, assignments, discussions, modules, pages, quizzes, and more!
Berkeley requires that your course have at least 2 announcements in the course at the start of the semester. The template you receive may have announcements already. You can edit these announcements, or delete them and create new announcements.
Announcements, or timely updates, can often go overlooked by students, especially if they don’t make a conscious effort to stay connected to your course. It can be particularly difficult in onsite classes where students often rely less on the LMS as a communication tool for upcoming deadlines or important class activities, but this should encourage its use even more. Getting students into the habit of viewing announcements in the LMS will also foster a greater sense of online community and connection.
View Transcript for this Video
The ‘How do I add an announcement in a course?’ Canvas Guide provides detailed step-by-step instructions.
The ‘How do I edit an announcement in a course?’ Canvas Guide provides detailed step-by-step instructions.
The ‘How do I delete an announcement in a course?’ Canvas Guide provides detailed step-by-step instructions.
Assignments can include Quizzes, graded Discussions, and a way for students to submit different types of files online. You can use them to assess student work using a variety of modalities. When you view the Assignments page, you will see all of the Assignments you have created in your course. You can group them and weight them based on the requirements for your course.
You can assign Assignments to all students in your course, to a specific user, or you can differentiate by section based on needs.
Learn more about assignments by visiting the Canvas Basics Guide on Assignments.
Instructors (and students) can start and participate in discussions together. Discussions offer a method for communicating and interacting with others to discuss concepts, share ideas, offer feedback on peers' work, reflect on learning... Students can contribute to discussions with the whole class or in groups.
Instructors can create graded discussions for the whole class or assign them to groups of students.
Learn more about the basics of Canvas Discussions.
If you are looking for a resource that will help you address questions you have about Discussions, you can learn more in the Canvas Instructor Guide for Discussions.
You can connect Microsoft Flip to your Canvas course to have students share ideas with audio/video responses instead of writing for a nice change of pace. It can be used in a variety of ways. Check out the Flip resources on our CCIT site to get started learning Flip, ways you can use it, and how to connect it to your course!
How do Modules Work?Modules is the primary way to share content with students. The course you receive will most likely have some content (discussions, pages, assignments, quizzes, etc.) preloaded into Modules. The Modules and/or the content within the Modules could be either published or unpublished.
If a Module is published, students will be able to view and access any published content in the Module.
If a Module is NOT published, students will NOT be able to view and access the content within the Module regardless if content is published or unpublished.
Canvas uses the term "Draft State" for unpublished Modules.
The 'How do I use Draft State in Modules?' Canvas Guide provides a complete explanation and detailed step-by-step instructions.
View the transcript for this video.
Direct Link to Modules Overview Video.
The following additional guides provide complete explanation and detailed step-by-step instructions on using advanced module features.
Pages are used to store content and resources with students as part of your course. Pages can stand alone, or you can use them to provide additional information as part of an assignment. As an instructor, you can create pages in your course to share course materials and other helpful information with your students. You can learn more about Pages from the Canvas Basics Guide.
Use the guides below to help:
Make your pages more visually engaging with these design tips from Canvas to level-up your page design!
Canvas Classic Quizzes is a tool that is built into the Canvas interface. It is an excellent tool to use to create quizzes for your students. You can learn about Classic Quizzes by viewing this video:
If you want to explore additional functionality or answer questions you have about how Classic Quizzes works, you can visit the Classic Quizzes Instructor Guide.
Canvas New Quizzes is an external tool that is available in your Canvas Settings if you want to enable it and give it a try. There are new question types in this version of Quizzes but it is still in the development process. 
Watch this video to become familiar with the New Quizzes interface:
323 - New Quizzes Overview (Instructors) from Instructure Canvas Community on Vimeo.
If you want to explore additional functionality or answer questions you have about how New Quizzes works, you can visit the New Quizzes Instructor Guide. Here are some helpful guides to get you started:
Contact the CCIT if you want help thinking of ways to use Quizzes to support learning!