How to Navigate Canvas as an Instructor

Canvas Tutorials How to Navigate Canvas as an Instructor

Instructor Getting Started Module

The Global Dashboard

Use the tabbed windows to see all content on the page. 

Overview

The Dashboard is the first thing you will see when you log into Canvas. The Dashboard will display information from ALL of your courses. Review the video tutorial and Canvas guides in tabbed menu above.  Be sure to review Important Notes listed below for details on the To Do list and course list. View the video below for a brief overview of how to use the global dashboard. 

500 - Canvas Interface Overview Links to an external site. from Canvas LMS Links to an external site. on Vimeo Links to an external site..

How the Course List Works

To view the course list click Courses in the global menu and then select All Courses in the sub-menu that displays.

global menu options for courses

In the course list all courses will display with detailed information. This information includes the following:  the course title, nickname,  term, role in the course, and course status. The course list is maintained by rules applied administratively by IIS staff. Please review the information below.

  1. Active Courses - Active courses will display at the top of the list in alphabetically order. Instructors can mark any active course as a favorite (click the star by the title).  
  2. Past Enrollments – After a semester (term) ends, semester courses are concluded by the term dates. Semester terms are left open one week after grades are due. Once the term end date passes, all the courses in the term will conclude. Concluded courses will be in a read only status for instructors. Once a course concludes students will no longer see the course in their list. For instructors concluded courses will not be removed from the global dashboard; however once an instructor unfavorites a concluded course it cannot be marked as favorite again. Instructors can use the course menu and select All Courses to view concluded courses under past enrollments. 
  3. Future Enrollments – Courses with start date in the future will be listed under future enrollments. Instructors can always access courses with future enrollments; however, students cannot access future courses until the start date passes. If a course is unpublished after the start date, students will still not be able to access the course until it is published. Future enrollment courses can be marked as favorites so they display on the global dashboard as course cards. 

Navigation Tips

Students will see similar options on the dashboard. See the Student Dashboard tutorial to understand what students will see on the dashboard. Canvas courses will become available to students on the first day of the semester unless your course is unpublished. Instructors should make sure Canvas courses are published BEFORE the semester start date!

Starting August 4, 2018 students will have a new dashboard option called the list view. This is basically the To Do list and will automatically display announcements, calendar events, and assignments with due dates. Instructors can add Canvas pages and non-graded discussions to the To Do list. View  How to Add Content to Student List View page for details on how to add the content to the To Do list. 

Instructors will gain access to new upcoming semester course shells at mid-term of the current semester. Once courses become active for instructors they will display on the global dashboard. Please review the Customize course list guide Links to an external site. for details on how to display only the courses you want on your dashboard. 

Canvas Guides

Note: These guides are maintained by the Canvas Documentation Team and are available on the Canvas Community site Links to an external site.. Some of the information in these guides may not apply to the Lake Land College instance of Canvas. If you have a question about a feature mentioned in these guides, please review Getting Help page for details on who to contact at Lake Land College..