1.3 - Homepage & Course Settings
Now that you have customized your user account settings and course lists, it is time to start customizing the course itself. To begin, we will start on the home page of the course.
On this page there will be three menus: the dark Canvas navigation menu on the far left, the white course navigation menu just to its right, and the home page options menu on the far right. This is where we will direct our attention.
On this menu there are three important items to remember:
First is the Choose Home Page button. This allows you to customize the first page students see when they enter your class. We recommend that you customize a Page called "Front Page" and use that. (If you use one of the course templates provided by AP or Instructional Technology this will be the default setting.)
The second to last item on this menu will allow you to create a class announcement, which will be covered in more detail later on in the course.
The bottom option on this menu is the "Student View" feature, which allows you to view the course as a student would. (This feature is great for testing out how the class flows, what objects look like to students, etc!)
Now let's take a look at customizing your course settings! To do this, return to the Course menu (white menu next to the grey Canvas menu) and find "Settings" all the way at the bottom.
Once you've entered the settings page you'll see a new menu running across the top of the page. The first tab-- Course Details -- includes course information such as the name of the course, the course code, and time zone. Much of the information in Course Details is automatically generated and is not editable by instructors, however in the middle of the page, beneath the course term, will be a section of date fields.
By default these fields are left blank and will use the standard start and end date for the term. However, should you want to allow students early access to the course so they can become familiar with Canvas, preview the materials, etc. you can choose to enter a custom start date of your own. (Alternatively, you may want to allow students to access the course after the term so they can view comments you may leave for them on their work, such as that given on a final project or test.)
If you choose to extend the term dates in either direction be sure to fill in both start and end date (even if you would only like to change one) and check the box next to "Users can only participate in the course between these dates." (The term dates will not work if you do not check this box!) Finally, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the blue "Update Course Details" button.
Return to the top menu and click on the "Navigation" tab. Using the drag and drop tool pictured below, it is possible to customize the Course menu that students see when they view the course.
As an instructor you may choose the order in which items appear or, if you do not see the value in an item, may drag it to the group of hidden items below, removing it from students' view.
Once you have arranged the menu how you would like it to be displayed, scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click the blue "Save" button.
Items that you have hidden from students will appear shaded on your menu now. (Remember: You can use the Student View feature discussed above to preview exactly what your students will see!)