Canvas Guide for Students

No, you do not need to create a Canvas account. Capistrano Valley Christian Schools automatically creates all Canvas accounts for students, parents, and teachers each summer.

1. Make sure that your browser is signed into your school Google Account (ending with “@cvcs.info” or “@cvcs.org”).
2. Click on the “Student Login” button below, or go to http://cvcs.instructure.com/login/saml.
3. We highly recommend creating a bookmark in your browser and manually copying and pasting.

Student Login

The Dashboard is the first thing you will see when you log into Canvas. The Dashboard helps you see what is happening in all your current courses.

1. Open Dashboard

In Global Navigation, click the Dashboard link.

2. View Dashboard

The Dashboard is your landing page in Canvas. Depending on your institution, your Dashboard may default to one of three views: Card View, List View, or Recent Activity View.

• Card View: displays course cards for quick access to all your favorite courses (the same courses display in the Courses link from the Global Navigation Menu)
• List View: displays all course to-do items in an agenda view
• Recent Activity View: displays all recent activity for all courses

3. View Global Announcement

The Dashboard may also include global announcements, which are announcements created by your institution. To remove the announcement from your dashboard, click the Remove icon.

4. Change Dashboard View

To change your Dashboard view, click the Options menu and select your preferred viewing option.

5. View Dashboard Sidebar

When set to Card View or Recent Activity View, the Dashboard also includes a sidebar. The sidebar includes a To Do list, upcoming assignments, links to recent feedback, and buttons for creating a course or viewing grades.

If you are enrolled in a course as a student, the Course Home Page helps you navigate your course and manage your coursework. The Course Navigation Menu is always visible on its respective pages.

1. Open Course

In Global Navigation, click the Courses link [1], then click the name of the course [2].

2. View Course Home Page

The Course Home Page involves Course Navigation [1], the content area [2], and the sidebar [3].

3. View Course Navigation

The Course Home Page is viewed from the Course Navigation Home link [1]. Course Navigation includes links that help you get to specific locations in the course. The active link of the page you are viewing is highlighted with different color text and a line indicator. You may also see course indicators [2] that show updates to your course grades when your instructor grades your assignments.

Collapse Course Navigation Menu

To expand or collapse the Course Navigation Menu, click the Menu icon. When you choose to expand or collapse the Global Navigation menu, your preference is applied to all of your courses.

4. View Sidebar

The sidebar functions the same as the Dashboard sidebar but only shows content for the specific course and includes additional options. If your Course Home Page displays a page other than the Course Activity Stream, you can view the course activity stream by clicking the sidebar View Course Stream button [1]. When the Home Page is set as the Course Activity Stream, this button will not appear. If you have been added to a group in your course, the Course Group section [2] includes links to your course groups.

View Sidebar Sections

The sidebar always shows the To Do section [1], which shows all recent announcements and up to seven assignments that are due in the upcoming weeks, including ungraded quizzes and assignments that do not require a submission. Each item in the To Do list displays the assignment name, the number of points, and the due date for the assignment. Once the due date has passed, items remain in this section for four weeks. The sidebar can also include a variety of other sections, depending on the layout your instructor sets for the Course Home Page. Additional sidebar options include the Assignment list, Calendar and Assignment Groups, and Recent Feedback.

Manage Sidebar Items

Each section item displays an icon [1] to differentiate between assignments and peer review assignments. If a section contains more items than are listed, a link will appear under the list that you can use to view additional items [2]. The To Do section shows up to seven items with due dates in the upcoming weeks. To view more items, you must manually remove items from the list. To remove a To Do item, click the remove icon [3].

Note: Assignments submitted through Canvas disappear automatically from the To Do list; no-submission assignments (submitted on paper/in class) can only be removed from the list manually.

On the Dashboard, the sidebar contains a To Do list and other sections that help you know what assignments and events are coming up in all of your courses. The sidebar is similar to the sidebar that displays in your Course Home Page, but the course sidebar only includes items for the specific course. By contrast, the sidebar on the Dashboard shows items from all of your courses combined.

1. Open Dashboard

In Global Navigation, click the Dashboard link.

2. View Sidebar Course Items

The sidebar shows various action items in all your courses. The name of each course is shown under the title of each assignment [1]. All items from all your active courses display in the sidebar—not just favorited courses in the Dashboard. Course nicknames can be set in place of sidebar course codes that are long or otherwise confusing to remember which courses they represent. If you have created a nickname for a course, the nickname displays in the sidebar instead of the course code [2]. However, the original course code always displays in the course card.

3. View Student Sections

The sidebar helps you see what you need to do next and what feedback you've received across all your courses. However, assignments that are not graded or do not require an online submission only display until the due date.

The To Do section shows up to seven items with due dates or event dates in the upcoming weeks, including ungraded quizzes, assignments that do not require a Canvas submission, and course announcements [1]. Each item in the To Do list displays the assignment name, the course name, the number of points, and the due date for the assignment. Once the due date has passed, items remain in this section for four weeks.

The Recent Feedback section shows assignments with feedback from your instructor or a peer during the last four weeks [2].

The View Grades button links to the Dashboard Grades page and displays grades for all active courses [3].

Manage Sidebar Items

Each section item displays an icon to differentiate between different assignment types and other items in the To Do list [1].

If a section contains more items than can be shown, you can view all to-do items using the Show All link [2]. This link directs you to the List View Dashboard.

To remove a To Do item, click the remove icon [3]. The item(s) remain removed from the list.

Note: Assignments submitted through Canvas disappear automatically from the To Do list; no-submission assignments (submitted on paper/in class) can only be removed from the list manually.

The Calendar is a great way to view everything you have to do for all your courses in one place. You can view calendar events by day, week, month, or agenda list.

1. Open Calendar

In Global Navigation, click the Calendar link.

2. View Calendar

The Calendar spans all courses and displays information for your enrolled courses and groups. In the navigation bar, you can view the calendar in Week, Month, or Agenda view [1]. The view you choose dictates the style of the calendar window [2]. By default, the calendar appears in Month view. The sidebar [3] shows a quick-view calendar, your list of courses and groups, and undated items for your courses and groups.

Add Calendar Items

Each calendar view shows any assignments or events that have been added to the calendar. You can add events, including recurring events, and to-do items to your personal calendar at any time in the navigation bar by clicking the Add button.

View Calendar List

Each personal, course, and group calendar is identified by a separate color that populates the calendar view. Associated calendar items for each course or group are displayed when selected in the calendar view [1]. By default, the first 10 course and group calendars will be selected and appear in the calendar view. To hide a calendar, click the box next to the name of the calendar [2]. Calendars that are not active within the calendar view display as faded text [3].

Note: Canvas will assign an arbitrary color for each calendar unless a custom color is chosen. Colors set in Dashboard course cards are also updated in the calendar.

3. View Calendar by Month

In the Month view, click the arrow buttons [1] to move from month to month. To view events for the current date, click the Today button [2].

To view a specific date, click the month link [3] and enter a date in the date field [4] or select a date from the calendar [5].

View Assignments and Events

Assignments are shown with an icon next to the assignment title. The icon reflects the assignment type: Discussion [1], Assignment [2], Quiz [3], or Events [4]. Non-graded items with a to-do date may be displayed in the calendar for a course. Each item on the calendar is color-coded to match the courses or calendars in the sidebar. To view full details for an assignment or event, hover over the item [5]. Calendar assignments can also be crossed out [6], which is a simple way to keep track of them. Assignments are crossed out once they have been submitted. However, assignments that have been awarded a grade but do not contain an actual submission will not be crossed out.

4. View Calendar by Week

To view the calendar by week, click the Week button. The Week view shows all calendar items by date and time. Note that some assignments may be due at 11:59 pm, which appear at the bottom of the calendar view.

5. View Calendar Agenda

To view all your calendar items in an agenda format, click the Agenda button.

You can submit online assignments in Canvas using several submission types. Instructors can choose what kind of online submissions they want you to use. You may also have the option to resubmit assignments if your instructor allows. This lesson shows how to turn in a standard online assignment using your school laptop. Alternatively, you can also submit  some assignments using your Android or iOS device.

Note that Canvas does not support file uploads larger than 5 GB.

1. Open Assignments

In Course Navigation, click the Assignments link.

2. View Course Assignments

Click the name of an assignment you are ready to submit.

3. Start Assignment

To submit an assignment, click the Start Assignment button. If you cannot see the Start Assignment button, your instructor may not want you to submit your assignment online or the availability date has passed. View the description of the assignment for instructions, or contact your instructor for assistance.

4. Select Submission Type

Your instructor will decide what kinds of submissions are appropriate and available for each Assignment. There are four submission types: upload a file, submit a text entry, enter a website URL, or submit media. You can only select one submission type per submission:

• File Upload: upload a file from your computer or take a photo using your webcam
• Text Entry: submit a block of text that you write on Canvas
• Website URL: submit a link to a website
• Media Recording: record and submit video or audio of yourself in Canvas

5. Submit Assignment

When you are ready to submit your assignment, click the Submit Assignment button.

When a change is made to your course grades, the Grades link in Course Navigation adds a indicator representing the number of changes in a course since your last visit. The Grades page shows the details of your graded assignments. You can also set up notifications to know when your instructor grades an assignment.

1. Open Grades

Inside of one of your courses, click the Grades link.

2. View Assignment Grade

A dot next to the assignment indicates the assignment that has been graded [1]. The indicator disappears when you navigate away or refresh the page. The score column displays the score given to the assignment [2]. On this page, you can also see if the assignment includes scoring details, comments, or rubrics.

3. View Comments/Feedback

If there are comments in your assignment, the assignment displays a Comment icon. To view comments, click the Comment icon [1]. If there are unread comments, an indicator is displayed [2]. Once the comments are read, the indicator disappears. Comments are organized chronologically. If there is feedback besides text comments, such as media comments, click the Feedback icon to open the submission detailsLinks to an external site. and view the other feedback [3]. To close comments, click the Close link [4].

4. View Rubric

An assignment may also include a Rubric icon [1], which means the assignment included a rubric for grading purposes. To view your results, click the icon. View your score based on the rubric [2]. To close the rubric, click the Close Rubric link [3].

The Grades page in a course displays all current grades for all course assignments. You can also view scoring details, comments, and rubrics.

1. Open Course

In Global Navigation, click the Courses link [1], then click the name of the course [2].

1. Open Grades

In Course Navigation, click the Grades link.

2. View Grades

From the grades page you can select the Course for which you want to view grades [1]. By default, grades are sorted chronologically by assignment due date. In the Arrange by menu [2], you can also sort by module, assignment name, or assignment group. To see the specified grades, click the Apply button [3]. Assignments that are not part of a module will be shown at the end of the assignments list in alphabetical order. You can view the name of the assignment [4], the assignment due date [5], the assignment submission date [6] the assignment status [7], the score you earned, and the total point value of the assignment [8]. You may also be able to view whether the assignment includes scoring details, comments, or rubrics [9]. You may see various grade icons in the score column indicating the type of assignment you submitted [10]. These assignments have not been graded by your instructor. Once the assignment is graded, the icon will be replaced by your score.

The grades page also lets you create hypothetical or What-If grades. You can click any score field and approximate your grade for both graded assignments (if want to submit an assignment) and ungraded assignments.

To print your grades, click the Print Grades button [11].

3. View Sidebar

The grade summary shows your total grade [1], allows you to view any saved what-if scores [2], and allows you to show or hide all scoring details, comments, and rubrics shown in the Grades page [3]. Depending on the grade calculation for your course, your total grade may display as a point value or as a percentage.

View Current and Total Grades

The current grade is calculated by adding up the graded assignments according to their weight in the course grading scheme. This grade is calculated with the Calculate based only on graded assignments checkbox [1] selected in the sidebar. The total grade is calculated by adding all the assignments according to their weight in the course grading scheme (both graded and ungraded assignments). To view the total grade, deselect the sidebar checkbox [2]. The grade at the top of the sidebar will reflect your total grade.

Although Canvas has a built-in messenger app (called the “Inbox”), CVCS asks that you email your teachers directly using their school Google accounts (@cvcs.org) to streamline communication at the school. Please visit https://mail.google.com/, compose a new email, and search for the name of your teacher to message them.

If you need to find the email address of any CVCS employee, you can visit the "Our Team" page on the CVCS website.

Canvas includes a set of default notification settings you can receive for your courses. However, you can change the default settings by setting your notification settings.

Notifications are sent as one of four delivery types:

• Notify immediately
• Daily summary
• Weekly summary
• Notifications off

1. Open Notifications

In Global Navigation, click the Account link [1], then click the Notifications link [2].

2. View Account Notification Settings

On the Notification Settings page, you can manage how you receive notifications for your Canvas account and/or manage how you receive notifications for individual courses. A banner describes the settings you are managing [1]. Another banner indicates the times when daily and weekly notifications will be delivered [2]. To dismiss a banner message, click the Close icon [3].

By default, the Settings for drop-down menu displays the Account option [4]. Account-level notification settings apply to all of your Canvas courses, however, any course-specific notification settings override account notification settings.

You can view your current account-level settings [5].

3. View Notification Types and Methods

Account-level notification types are listed by category [1]. There are notifications for course activities, discussions, conversations, groups, scheduling, and conferences.

You can also view your contact methods such as email addresses and push notifications for mobile devices [2].

View Notification Details

To view details for a notification, hover the cursor over the notification name [1]. View details such as the activities that trigger the notification [2].

4. Manage Email Notification Frequency

Each notification is set to a default setting. To change a notification for a contact method, locate the notification and click the icon for the contact method [1].

To receive a notification right away, select the Notify immediately option [2]. These notifications may be delayed by up to one hour in case an instructor makes additional changes, which prevents you from being spammed by multiple notifications in a short amount of time.

To receive a daily notification, select the Daily summary option [3]. The date and time of your daily notifications are posted in a banner at the top of the Notification Settings page.

To receive a weekly notification, select the Weekly summary option [4]. The date and time of your weekly notifications are posted in a banner at the top of the Notification Settings page.

If you do not want to receive a notification, select the Notifications off option [5].

Unsupported notification types display the Unsupported icon [6]. You cannot manage unsupported notifications.
 

5. Set Push Notifications

If you have enabled push notifications in the Canvas Student mobile app on an Android device or on an iOS device, you can manage your settings in the Push Notification column. Push notifications can only be sent to your mobile device right away or not at all. Daily and weekly notification options are not supported. Some categories include limited availability for push notifications. Managing notification settings inside the Canvas Student mobile app will override settings selected in the Notification Settings page of the browser version of Canvas.