Canvas Learner Orientation

Canvas is a software platform called a Learning Management System (LMS), which is designed to make it easy for instructors and students to work in a shared and protected online learning environment. Below are tutorial videos, and links to guides to help you prepare to begin your course in Canvas. All new Canvas users should read this information. If you are a returning user, please review the information below to adjust your notifications and profile settings for this course.

You can reference this page throughout the length of the course for information about Canvas functions. Click on the tabs above to review more Canvas information.

Canvas Student Overview

Search Canvas Guides Find helpful information! Canvas Guides provide you with all the information you need to use Canvas.

Watch this overview video of Canvas functions and navigation:

Canvas Overview for Students from Instructure Canvas Community on Vimeo. To view the subtitles for this video, click the CC button in the toolbar. View the transcript for this tutorial.

Get Started with Canvas

Logging Into Canvas

The login URL for this course is bvu.instructure.com. Be sure to bookmark that link for quick reference later. If you use an iPad or other tablet or phone with a mobile app, be sure to login in at bvu.instructure.com.

Supported Browsers

Canvas works best with supported browsers . You can use Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, for this course. As with any online learning management system, if you experience difficulty with any of the supported browsers, it is recommended that try using an alternate browser to see if this resolves the problem.

Global Navigation Bar and Course Navigation Menu

The Global Navigation Bar is located on the left side of every page in Canvas. Global Navigation links provide quick access to frequently used Canvas features. These links provide access to your course. Default links include the Dashboard, Courses, Calendar, Inbox, User Account, and the Help menu.

The Course Navigation Menu next to the global navigation bar contains links that allow you to move among the different parts of the Canvas course, such as the Home Page, Syllabus, and Modules.

Canvas Navigation Menus-1.jpg

Canvas Functions and Settings

Profile Settings

Update Your Profile All new Canvas users should read this information. Click on your name at the top right corner to view your profile at any time!

Notification Settings

Update Your Notification Preferences Canvas can send you Notifications about course activities to your email, your phone or even your Facebook account! Read the information found by clicking the link, then go to Settings in the top right corner to customize your Notification preferences.

Announcements

View Course Announcements You can set your Notifications to update you when Announcements are posted to your Canvas course(s) by going to your Settings page and clicking on "Notifications."

Inbox

The Inbox tab in the in the Global Navigation is how users access the Conversations tool. It works very similar to email, except only people who use Canvas can use the Canvas Inbox. You can send an email to your professor using the inbox. By default your Canvas messages are forwarded to your Buena Vista University Outlook account. However, you can set your Canvas notification preferences to forward your Canvas messages out to another account (like Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail/Outlook, etc.).

How do I send a message to a user in a course in the Inbox as a student?
How do I reply to a message in the Inbox as a student?
How do I attach a file to a message as a student?
How do I find my unread messages in the Inbox as a student?

Modules

Collapse and Expand Modules Learn how to manage the modules in your course; simplify your view of modules. Modules contain course materials, lesson content, assignments, and assessments for each topic covered in the course.

Files

Manage Your Personal Files Canvas users get a small amount of storage to store files such as assignment drafts and readings.