How to navigate a Canvas course

The home page is the first page you will see every time you open this course. In a UNC-branded course you will be able to link to any module from the home page, including the Start Here module that includes a lot of good student information. In some courses, instructors may have the home page open to the course Syllabus, the Assignments index page, or directly to the Modules index. Sometimes instructors will create a custom-based home page that will include instructions about how to proceed.

All course announcements are posted in the Announcements section of the left-hand navigation. In the UNC-branded course, as well as other, you may see the most recent announcements posted to the top of the Home page. You can set up your personal notifications (located in your Account information) so that Canvas will send  announcements notifications to an external email or mobile device.

The Discussions index page provides a list of all discussions in this course. Discussions are either open or closed. If a discussion is closed, you will still be able to read the discussion, but you will no longer be able to contribute. In many classes, you will have a discussion devoted to introductions and/or a discussion for posting general course questions. Use these discussions to connect with your colleagues. When instructors use modules, they usually include links to each discussion where it happens in the flow of the course. You will also see Discussion due dates on your calendar and on your To Do lists.

Canvas course content can be organized and presented in content blocks called Modules. Some instructors may create modules based on weeks, chapters, units, or other themes, but no matter what they are called, if your instructor uses Modules, then the navigation list will allow you to link to Modules. Modules can function as a story-telling tool - a way of organizing and presenting the flow of the course content. In a UNC-branded course, you can access each module directly from the home page. If you see a Next > button on the right bottom corner or a < Previous button on the left bottom corner, then you know you are navigating within a module.

If your instructor is using Zoom, you will see a link to Zoom in your course navigation. When you follow that link, you will see any Zoom meetings that you are invited to attend. If your instructor schedules meetings in Zoom inside of Canvas, these meetings will also appear on your Canvas calendar.

If your instructor is using Panopto, you will likely see a link to Panopto in your course navigation. When you select the link, you will see a list of all of the videos that appear in the course. Your instructor may also embed those videos directly on course pages.

If you see a UNC Library Resources link in your course navigation, it will take you to the UNC Library search page.

It is always important to read through the course syllabus carefully and refer back to it frequently. The syllabus contains everything you need to know to succeed in a course, including learning objectives, assignments and projects, due dates, grading requirements, and course policies. In the UNC-branded course, you can get to your Syllabus from the home page or from the course navigation. In some courses, you may find the Syllabus in a Module, so if you don't see one in the Syllabus section, look for it in a Module.

The Assignments index page provides a list of all the assignments in this course. You can choose to view the list by the type of assignment or by its due date. When instructors use modules, they will include a link to each assignment when it is due in the flow of the course. You will also see Assignment due dates in your Calendar and in your To Do list on the Home page.

If your course includes Quizzes or Exams created in Canvas, you may see a Quizzes index page that lists all quizzes. Canvas offers both practice and graded quizzes, exams, and surveys, and you may also see links to these quizzes on the Assignments index page as well as in a module (if your instructor uses Modules) where they would be placed in context with other course content.

The best practice if you are in a Canvas course is to ALWAYS take any quiz or exam at least on a laptop, preferably on a desktop computer.

Grades takes you to your grade report. In Grades, you will see your assignments, any related status, and your scores. You are also able to see instructor comments and other feedback that becomes available once an assignment has been graded. You can also see both the assignment you submitted and the one that your instructor wrote comments on if your instructor did in-text grading with SpeedGrader. The “What-If” score calculation function lets you calculate how your grade would be affected by upcoming performance scenarios.

You can contact your instructor and your colleagues through their profile links in People. You can also communicate using Canvas' internal email using the Inbox on the blue ribbon global navigation at the far left side of your screen. If you have Groups in your course, you can also find your group by selecting People and then the Groups tab.

Some professors may set their Canvas course navigation up in unique or different ways. If you have questions about a specific course navigation page - ask your professor! Check out the Talking to my professor page if you're unsure how to start or feeling nervous.

Visit each of your course navigation pages and write down where to find important course information such as assignments, quizzes, grades, etc. If you have questions about the pages in the course navigation - talk to your professor!