Canvas

Remote Sensing - Canvas

This page:

• provides guidance for recommended browsers and computer configuration,
• explains how Canvas is organized,
• explains how to communicate and set your notification preferences in Canvas, and
• explains how to get help with Canvas-related questions.

Supported Browsers and Computer Configuration

The Canvas Help Center provides extensive, up-to-date documentation on making sure your computer is configured properly for Canvas. Failure to follow these recommendations may result in significant issues while viewing materials, taking assessments, and using dropboxes. Use unsupported browsers at your own risk.

Canvas Course Interface

Canvas uses a dashboard interface to organize content. Once you are logged into Canvas, you will see a Global Navigation menu that lists the following headings:

• Account - Clicking on Account allows you to set up your profile, settings, and notification preferences. This is also where you access your Canvas files.
• Courses - Clicking on this heading will allow you to select specific course.
• Groups - Clicking on this heading will allow you to see any groups that you have been assigned to in any of your courses.
• Calendar - The Calendar is the canonical source for all assignments and due dates for all of your Canvas courses. Refer to the linked guide for more information about customizing your calendar view.
• Inbox - Clicking on the Inbox will allow you to use Canvas Conversations, which is the messaging tool used instead of email to communicate with a course instructor, a group, an individual student, or a group of students.

Once you are logged into a course, you will also see a Course Navigation Menu on the left side of the page. The links in the menu allow you to navigate within a course. Not all faculty use all of the links, so what you see may vary by course. However, some common course elements include Syllabus, Announcements, Discussions, Files, and Grades.

Communication in Canvas

Canvas supports several modes of communication, including discussions, conversations, and announcements. This course may use a combination of the options below.

• Discussions are threaded discussion areas within the course. Everyone enrolled in the class can post messages of their own and can read and respond to everyone else's messages. A series of messages that make up a conversation is called a "thread." Discussions can be found in the Course Navigation Menu on the left side of your course page.
  NOTE: You can set Canvas to notify you whenever new messages are posted by "subscribing" to a discussion.  For more information, see 'How do I reply to a discussion as a student?'.
• Announcements are occasional messages from the instructor that appear when you log into your course. It is important to configure your notifications preferences so that you receive announcements where and when you wish to receive them.

Getting Help with Canvas

If you experience any problems with Canvas, especially those occurring during graded assignments, please report them to Technical Support, preferably immediately after they occur. Please contact Penn State's IT Help Portal.

It is in your own best interest to be as specific as you possibly can. Vague descriptions of a problem delay assistance. Try to include information such as:

• the specific course page, quiz question, etc., that was involved;
• what you attempted to do when that failed;
• the exact language of any error message displayed on your screen;
• the date and time when your problem occurred; and
• any other pertinent information (if the problem happens consistently, etc.).

A member of Canvas Support will be in contact with you to assist with the problem.

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To get the most out of Canvas, registered students should configure their Canvas profiles as follows.

Personalize your Canvas profile:

• Within Canvas, click on the 'Account' link in the lower left-hand navigation menu.
• Click on the 'Profile' link.
• Follow the instructions on the Canvas Profile and User Settings page to customize important aspects of your profile, including your preferred email address(es) and text (SMS) contact method for course notifications.

Set your notification preferences:

You have the option to select how, when, and what information you would like to receive notifications for. This can be very helpful when keeping track of items such as discussion posts, assignment due dates, and exams. Visit the Canvas Notification Preference Support page and follow the instructions for setting up your notification preferences.

Subscribe to all course discussion forums. The Canvas Guide provides instructions for how to do this within your Notification Preferences.

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Canvas Tips and Tricks

• Any file (including images) you wish to share in Canvas (via Discussion post, Quiz, etc.) must be uploaded to your Canvas files.
  • Click on 'Account' in the left-hand menu.
  • Click on 'Files'.
  • Click on '+ Folder' (top right) to create a folder. Or double-click the destination folder if you already have a destination folder created.
  • Click 'Upload' to directly upload a file. Select the file from your computer that you wish to upload.
  • You may also click and drag files into folders.
• Adding an image to the body of a discussion forum post.
  • Click on the Embed Image icon in the text editor.
  • Click on the Canvas tab (you need to have already uploaded your files to Canvas as described above).
  • Select the folder/image you wish to embed.
  • Click on the Update button.
  • The image should appear in the body of your post.
• Control the unread/read state of discussion forum posts. It is important to do this. Otherwise, as you just scroll past a discussion post, the blue dot on the left will automatically go hollow, indicating that the post has been read.
  • Use the Discussions link in the menu to open a view of all discussion forums.
  • Click on the gear/cog icon in the upper right to open the 'Edit Discussions Settings' dialog.
  • Check the box for 'manually mark posts as read'. Then click the 'Save Settings' button.
• To attach a file to a discussion forum post.
  • Click on the Attach button in the lower left of the discussion post editor.
  • Click on the Browse button to browse to the file on your computer.
  • Click on the Open button.
  • Finish editing the discussion post text.
  • Click on the Post Reply button.

Questions?

If you have any questions now or at any point during this week, please feel free to post them to the appropriate Discussion Forum in Canvas.