Canvas Student Tutorial Canvas is an online tool used in both our on- campus and online courses for class announcements, syllabi, and specific assignments. Star Academics (SA) on- campus students will find Canvas to be a valuable resource for their courses, and SA online students will use Canvas as the primary platform for coursework. Torrey Academy (TA) online students will use Canvas for class discussions only. This tutorial covers the basic features your canvas course will utilize, including connecting to your new account, navigating the canvas interface, and interacting within your course. Before you begin, please review our computer requirements at http://youth.biola.edu/help CONNECTING First, you will need to create your account. 1. You will receive a canvas course invitation in your BYA assigned gmail account. Click the link at the bottom of the email that says Click here to get started. (fig. 1)* Figure 1 2. Then click Create My Account. If you already have an account, click I have a Canvas Account. 3. Be sure to use your BYA issued gmail to register. Using an incorrect or personal email will result in you not having proper access to your classes. 4. Select your appropriate time zone (Pacific Time if you live in CA) 5. Once you have created your account, accept your BYA course invitation on your Canvas home page. * Note: You must use the Click here to get started link. If you navigate to Canvas in another way, you will be asked for a join code.
Once you have an existing account, login to Canvas by opening your web browser (Firefox, Chrome or Safari) and going to http://canvas.instructure.com/login. (fig. 2) Figure 2 If an error message appears that says, Incorrect username and/or password check that you have entered your email and password correctly (make sure your caps lock key is off). If you don t remember your password click the Don t know your password? link. Enter the BYA issued gmail associated with the canvas account to receive a reset password link in your email. CHANGE PASSWORD: Changing your password can be done through the canvas settings system. Click the Settings link in the top right corner to view your personal Settings. (fig. 3) Figure 3 Click the Edit Settings button located on the right of the page. (fig. 4) Figure 4 Click the Change Password checkbox to create a new password. Don t forget to click the Update Settings button to save your changes.
NAVIGATING The top Global Navigation Bar (fig. 5) lists all courses, all assignments, and all calendar items. By hovering over the Courses option you will have a drop down menu, which allows you to choose your course. You can also click view all courses to see a full list of the courses you are enrolled in. Figure 5 By clicking on a course, you will be taken to the Canvas classroom, where you will find important information pertaining to that course. If your instructor uses Canvas Assignment, Grade and Calendar tools you can find them in the navigation bar. INTERACTING Once in the Canvas classroom, you will be able to browse several menu items from the left hand menu. SA classes will use Home, Announcements, Discussions, and Modules, while TA students should login to their Google account for class information and to get course questions answered. TA and SA online and select SA on- campus classes will use additional Canvas options, such as Conference and Collaboration. > Home (SA only) The Home tab will display the course title and a shortcut to the Modules tab. You can also find a link to the Course Stream in the top right corner, which will list recent discussions, grading updates, private messages between you and other users, etc. > Announcements (SA only) The Announcements tab allows instructors to make course- specific announcements and updates including upcoming assignments, quizzes, projects and events. Depending on your notification settings, you should also receive these announcements as emails. Note, however, if your instructor attaches a file or document in the announcement, you will not be able to open it in the email. You will have to login to Canvas, go to the announcement and then access the file. > Discussions (SA only) - In the Discussion tab, you can ask questions, continue conversations from class, and more. Your instructor will create Forums to help focus your discussion. You can view the purpose of each Forum by reading the Description next to its name.
> Modules (SA only) Modules is the main place where you will interact with course content. Under Modules you will find the Course Syllabus, Policies, Handouts and any online test or quizzes that are assigned. For TA and SA Online and Select SA On- Campus Students CONFERENCE TOOL: Canvas offers a way for instructors, tutors, and students to interact with one another. When you first enter the conference you may be presented with this pop- up (fig. 6). Choose Allow. This allows Flash player to have access to your audio. Next, test you mic and headphones by clicking Test Microphone and Test Speakers. Once your headset is working click Join Audio. (fig. 7) Figure 6 Figure 7
You can click the headset icon in the top left corner on and off to mute audio (fig. 8.1) and you can mute and unmute your mic by clicking the mute button (fig. 8.3). To turn on your web cam click the camera button (fig. 8.2). 1 2 3 4 Figure 5 The Users box (fig. 8.4) displays the users currently in the conference. Your name will be labeled in blue. Your microphone will turn dark grey when you are speaking. If your tutor sets you to presenter, the presentation icon will appear next to your name. Figure 9
To the right you will see a window labeled Chat. This is where users can communicate with one another and the tutor or instructor. You can also create a private chat with another conference user by clicking the Options and selecting a user name. Navigate back to the class by clicking on the Public tab. (fig. 9) Once the tutor or instructor starts the presentation, you will see it in the middle of the screen. You can see where the instructor is pointing by the red dot on the screen. If you are made a presenter you will have the ability to use the selector, pencil, shapes and text tools. (fig. 10) Figure 10 COLLABORATION Collaboration uses apps like Google Docs and Etherpad to allow multiple users to take shared notes and interact with the same document simultaneously. In some online courses, this tool will be used in addition to the Canvas Conference tool. Etherpad Click the top right user icon to add your username. (fig. 11.1) 2 1 Each user is assigned a unique color in the notepad. Users can type and edit text within the notepad. (fig. 11.2) 3
The chat window provides an alternative place to communicate while collaborating on the document. (fig. 11.3) Google Docs Similarly, Google Docs allows multiple users to collaborate on one document, make edits (12.4), chat (12.2), and leave comments (12.3). Like Etherpad, users are assigned a unique color. (12.1) 1 2 3 4 Figure 12 For further technical assistance visit youth.biola.edu/help or call (562) 903-4705