Instructor Resources for the Canvas LMS

How Participants Are Enrolled in Canvas

The process to put participants and courses into Canvas is automated; 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.

Support

Canvas New Gradebook

The new Gradebook is now available and enabled campus-wide. The new Gradebook functions very much like the old version and all current operations are 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 Instructure. Next is the ability to call the Canvas Hotline and speak to a live person 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 at SMU

SMU has contracted Instructure, the company behind Canvas LMS, to provide 24/7/365 Tier 1 support for all SMU faculty, staff, and students for use by fully online, hybrid, and residential student communities.

picture of the help icon found in teh global navigation

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.)

Documentation and Training

Academic Technology's Instructional & Teaching Technology Guides

To accommodate the academic needs put forth by SMU in Four to build upon the use of the Canvas LMS for the teaching of our students, our ATSD's have designed this site to enhance the use of Canvas' main features: Gradebook, Syllabus, and Calendar.

Also available:

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:

More Guides