Canvas

Canvas Overview

How will it help me?

Canvas lets you organize and deliver all of your classroom materials, assignments and grades, and course communications in one location.

In Canvas, you can

  • share course content such as the syllabus, readings, and video,
  • engage students inside and outside of class with online discussions, group projects, and peer review of papers,
  • assess student learning through quizzes and assignments where students submit papers, images, audio, or video, and
  • grade and provide feedback on student’s assignments and quizzes without having to download them.

What are My Next Steps?

  1. Log in to Canvas at canvas.iu.edu using your IU username and passphrase.
  2. Find an event to get acquainted with Canvas.
    The CITL offers workshops and individual consultations throughout the year on how to use Canvas effectively and other instructional technologies for teaching and learning.
    1. View the current list of CITL offerings at the CITL's events page
    2. Schedule an individual consultation.
  3. Discover self-study options.
    Explore the Canvas Instructor QuickStart Guide and the Canvas video guides to get an introduction to Canvas and its many features and to help you set up your course.

How Can I Use This in My Classroom?

The IUB Registrar creates the official Canvas course sites and adds all of the students and the Faculty of Record in advance of each semester (click here to see the schedule for provisioning the courses).

Besides sharing and organizing content, assignments, grading, and communication, Canvas also incorporates many external tools such as PlayPosit (interactive video), Kaltura Media (streaming video), Turnitin (academic integrity and plagiarism),the Google Suite (Google Docs, Slides, etc. for collaboration and sharing), and IU eTexts (electronic textbooks) to name just a few.

To find out about more about these and other Canvas tools you can leverage, please visit the IU ToolFinder.

Helpful Resources