Canvas
Getting Started
Step 1: Logging In
To begin using the Canvas, just click the "Log In to Canvas" button (above). Log in using your SMU ID and password.
Step 2: Access Your Courses
Your list of available courses will be listed under the "Courses" menu in Canvas. Faculty may begin to add content to any or their existing courses or may request a demo course for training purposes, content development, or testing. If you experience any login issues, please contact the IT Help Desk at (214) 768-HELP (4357).
Step 3: Getting Help & Support
There are many ways to get help with Canvas. For most basic "how to" questions, we encourage all of our users to contact IT Help Desk. For additional information about Canvas support, please visit our Canvas Help pages. You can also utilize the Canvas Guides, a site with comprehensive documentation curated by Instructure and the Canvas community. For further assistance and consultation, you can contact your school's Academic Technology Service Director.We recommend using Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox when using Canvas.
How Participants Are Enrolled in Canvas
The process to put participants and courses into Canvas is an automated one; information from my.SMU is automatically exported into Canvas for use by students and faculty. Several designations in my.SMU define how participants are linked to correct courses and correct roles (ie, Instructors, Co-Instructors, TAs, students, etc).
All students, Instructors, secondary instructors, TAs, and supervisory instructors are enrolled in every six hours (3 times a day) throughout the week when my.SMU data flows directly (one-way) into Canvas.
To add or modify participants to your course, like additional Instructors or TA’s, please contact your departmental admin (the same individual that created your course in my.SMU) to add the additional participants to your course, and they will show up in Canvas. (follow the guide below)
| Need | my.smu Designation |
|---|---|
| Main or only instructor (evaluated) | Primary Instructor (PI) |
| Secondary instructor (evaluated) | Secondary Instructor (SI) |
| Co-instructor (evaluated) | Secondary Instructor (SI) |
| Teaching Assistant (not evaluated) | Teaching Assistant (TA) |
| Supervisory Instructor (not evaluated) | Supervisory Instructor (SU) |
| Observing Teacher (not evaluated) | Supervisory Instructor (SU) |
If your “course” is not an official catalog course of record, please contact the IT Help Desk, and we will assist you in adding proper participants into proper roles of your course.
Instructor Support
Canvas New Gradebook
The new Gradebook is now available. Currently, instructors must enable it in the course settings, but it will be turned on campus-wide starting January 2, 2020. The new Gradebook functions very much like the current version and all current operations will be identical. It has a cleaner design to make it more consistent with other Canvas pages.
For more information see Instructure's guide.
Canvas Help Button
If you login to Canvas, you will notice a Help button located on the left side of your browser. If you click this button you will be given several options. There is the ability to search the canvas guides. These guides are maintained by Instructure and are always up-to-date. There is also the ability to report a problem. This is like putting in a ticket with Instructure directly. There is also the ability to chat live with an Canvas expert from Instrucutre. (a live person) Next is the ability to call the Canvas Hotline, this too is a live Canvas expert from Instructure. Lastly, there is the new Training Services Portal, where you can take in webinars, browse by topic and seek training on anything Canvas has to offer.
How Do I Access 24/7 Help @ SMU
SMU has contracted Instructure, the company behind Canvas, to provide 24/7/365 Tier1 support for all SMU faculty, staff, and students for use by fully online, hybrid, and residential student communities.
Instructors can access this 24/7/365 support through the help menu in the lower left corner of the SMU Canvas interface. This Canvas support allows for uninterrupted tech support for all, when the on campus Help Desk is closed.
There are two choices for reaching 24/7/365 support, phone or chat. (The chat option will provide you with the option to have your completed chat session emailed to you in digest form for future reference.)
Student Support
How Do I Access 24/7 Help @ SMU
SMU has contracted Instructure, the company behind Canvas, to provide 24/7/365 Tier1 support for all SMU students, in fully online, hybrid, and residential student communities.
Students can access this 24/7/365 support through the help menu in the lower left corner of the SMU Canvas interface (global navigation). This Canvas support allows for uninterrupted tech support for all students when the on campus Help Desk is closed.
There are two choices for reaching 24/7/365 support, phone or chat.
(The chat option will provide you with the option to have your completed chat session emailed to you in digest form for future reference.)
Documentation and Training
Instructors
Canvas Guides for Instructors:
In-Person Training for Instructors
For in-person training and consultation for the Canvas LMS, contact your school's Academic Technology Service Director (ATSD).
Also available:
- OIT Upcoming On-Campus Training
- Offerings Training from Instructure
Online Training and Tutorials for Instructors
- Canvas Video Guide from Instructure
- Learn Canvas 2019 with Oliver Schinkten
- Canvas: Tips, Tricks, & Techniques with Oliver Schinkten
- Learning to Teach Online with Oliver Schinkten
- Elearning Essentials: Instructional Design with Samantha Calamari
- SMU Training-On-Demand: Canvas: An Introduction & Managing Modules
- SMU Training-On-Demand: Canvas: Adding Essential Course Content
Students
Canvas Guides for Students:
Online Training and Tutorials for Students
- Canvas Video Guide from Intructure
LTI Applications
The Learning Tools Interoperability, or LTI, provides a framework through which a Learning Management System (LMS), such as Canvas, can send some verifiable information about a user to a third party, such as Box.
If you don't see the app you're looking for, please put in a HelpDesk Ticket.