Canvas Essentials for Faculty

The Canvas Dashboard is the main landing page in Canvas. It is similar to the My Home area in D2L.

Items you will see on the Dashboard

1. Global Navigation Menu – this menu is located on the left side of every page in Canvas.
2. Course Cards – each card represents a course you have access to. It also has icons that show when there are new course announcements, assignments, or discussions.
   These cards are divided into two categories: Published (live courses) and Unpublished.
3. To-Do List – shows upcoming assignments, discussions, and other activities that require your attention.
4. Coming Up – shows upcoming events and tasks in your courses.
5. View Grades – shows the list of courses you are teaching so you can go directly to the grades for that course.

Global announcements [not pictured] are important messages from the institution that may appear at the top of the dashboard page when posted.

View the video about how to use the dashboard as an instructor.

The Global Navigation Menu is a consistent menu that is accessible throughout the system. The options available are:

Global Navigation Menu Item	Icon	Description
Account		Update your profile image, add a bio, and add links. Select which notifications you would like to receive and how for your account and/or specific courses. Update your account Settings, which include language, time zone, and additional features available. The Canvas system defaults to Central Time, and all dates will be based on this time zone. Learn more about: Editing your profile | Managing notifications | Edit account settings
Dashboard		Goes back to your main dashboard page. Learn more about the Dashboard.
Courses		Shows a list of all courses you have access to. Learn more about the Courses area.
Calendar		Shows all course dates and deadlines. The instructor can drag and drop dates from one place to another, and it will update in the assessment dates. A user can add items to the calendar. You can link the Canvas calendar to Outlook or Google. This option is only one way, from Canvas to Outlook/Google, not from Outlook/Google to Canvas. Learn more about the Calendar.
Inbox		This is the internal email to Canvas. The email will be sent in both Canvas and to your MTSU email. Learn more about the Inbox.
History		Shows the history of where you have visited in the system. Learn more about the History.
Commons		Contains shared templates and courses. Learn more about the Commons.
Studio		An internal video creation and storage software that can be used to create videos by instructors and students. You can attach a quiz to a video for assessment. Learn more about Studio.
Help		You have multiple ways to get help. All are accessible from within Canvas by selecting the Help icon in the global navigation menu. This includes 24/7 chat and phone from Canvas, MTSU Helpdesk, and training resources

You have the ability to personalize your course cards for your own view. You can change the color of the course card and add a nickname for the course that appears to you in your Dashboard and when you look at the Courses menu.

Change the Color

The color chosen for a course is also used in the calendar and To Do list to visually show which course the item is associated with.

• Select the three-dot menu in the upper-right of the course card.
• Select a color from the list or enter a hex color code.
• Click Apply

Reorganize your Course Cards

You can drag and drop your course cards in the order you would like to view them.

Add a Nickname

This option could be helpful if you have multiple sections of the same class and would like to rename them to the days they are offered. These nicknames are only visible to you. The official course name will still appear for students. They can also set a nickname in their course card.
For example: Rename Research and Argumentative Writing – ENGL-1020-001 to MW ENGL 1020.

• Select the three-dot menu in the upper-right of the course card.
• Enter the nickname you would like to use in the Nickname field.
• Click Apply.

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