Canvas is your central digital learning environment for organising courses and supporting students across a module or programme. In a single course space, you can structure materials, connect external tools, set up activities and assignments, collect student work, and share feedback, so students always know where to go for their next step in learning.
- Functions
- Collect student work | Create materials | Group collaboration | Quiz / quick check | Teacher feedback
- Via Canvas
- In Canvas
- Difficulty of use
- Moderate
Examples of use in your education
Use Canvas to structure your course space, organise weekly or thematic units, and make core resources easy to find.
You can apply this tool in your teaching in several concrete ways:
Course structure - Use the Canvas course shell that is created via the SIS integration or your faculty Blueprint as a starting point, and organise weekly or thematic modules so students can find readings, slides and instructions in a clear, predictable structure.
Central announcements - Use Announcements to share time-sensitive information such as changes in planning, reminders, or links to new activities, keeping communication in one place.
Topic-based pages - Design course pages that combine text, images, embedded videos (for example Panopto recordings), and links to external tools into a single learning path for each topic. Where your faculty requires it, link to reading lists via the EUR course literature tool so students always see an up to date overview of required texts.
Shared course layout - In multi-lecturer courses, use Canvas as a shared framework where you and your fellow lecturers add sessions and materials while maintaining a coherent course layout.
Tip 1
Mirror the syllabus structure in your Canvas modules (by week or by topic) so students can always see what comes next.
Tip 2
When you teach a course again, use the import content option to copy structure and materials from a previous run, then update dates and announcements so the new edition feels up to date without rebuilding everything from scratch.
Use Canvas tools to support communication, collaboration, and live online engagement between students and you.
You can apply this tool in your teaching in several concrete ways:
Online discussions - Use Canvas Discussions to extend classroom debates, allowing students to add considered contributions after class and respond to different viewpoints.
Group spaces - Let small student groups work in dedicated group spaces within Canvas to share files, coordinate tasks, and keep a visible record of group decisions.
Live backchannel - During Mediasite livestreams, use Canvas Chat as a backchannel where students post questions, while a moderator filters these so you can address key points live.
Online seminars - Use Canvas Conferences (BigBlueButton) for interactive online seminars in which students join directly from the course, participate via chat and polls, and later rewatch the recording if needed.
Tip 1
Set clear expectations for online participation (number of posts, replies, and tone) and use the discussion setting that requires students to post before seeing others’ replies, so contributions stay focused and original.
Tip 2
Keep Canvas Conferences for smaller groups or tutorials and use polls or short questions to ensure everyone has a chance to participate. In practice, Conferences works best with groups of around twenty students or fewer and in a modern browser such as Google Chrome.
Use Canvas assignments, quizzes, and grading tools to organise assessment moments and return feedback.
You can apply this tool in your teaching in several concrete ways:
Assignment submission - Create assignments in Canvas so students submit their work in one place and you can give feedback using comments, rubrics, or annotated files. Where available or required by your faculty, connect the assignment to Turnitin so plagiarism checking becomes part of your regular grading workflow.
Practice quizzes - Set up quizzes for practice tests or formal assessments with different question types, helping students prepare for exams and allowing you to check understanding.
Gradebook overview - Combine assignment deadlines, quiz dates, and other graded activities in Canvas so the gradebook gives a complete overview of assessment in the course.
External activities - For activities that rely on external tools (for example interactive documents or videos), use Canvas assignments to connect the activity and capture grades or completion.
Tip 1
Use SpeedGrader with rubrics in Canvas assignments to make assessment criteria transparent and to give students structured feedback they can reuse in later work.
Tip 2
When several markers are grading different groups, use a manual grade posting policy in the Gradebook so you can release all grades at the same time after moderation.
Use Canvas overviews and simple analytics to see how students are progressing, so you and your teaching team can spot where extra help or follow-up is needed.
You can apply this tool in your teaching in several concrete ways:
Submission tracking - Use the Canvas gradebook and progress views to see which students have submitted work, which deadlines were missed, and where extra support may be needed.
Participation patterns - Review participation in discussions, quizzes, and assignments to identify patterns such as students who are falling behind or topics that many students find difficult.
Student overview - Encourage students to consult their own Canvas overview to track which tasks are completed and which are still open, helping them plan their study time.
Student overview - In large courses, use Canvas reports and overviews within the teaching team to coordinate follow-up actions such as reminders, extra explanation, or referral to support services.
Tip 1
Check participation and submissions at regular moments in the course, and reach out early when you see that students are falling behind.
Tip 2
Use simple patterns from Canvas (for example which quiz questions many students answered incorrectly) to decide what to revisit in the next session. If you want to automate some of this, you can explore Mastery Paths to release extra practice or follow up material based on quiz results.
How-to videos
Canvas Basics For Teachers
How to create quizzes & exams in Canvas
How to set up to Publishing
Getting started
- You can find all the relevant information on the official site of Canvas.
Support
In case of educational questions, please contact your learning innovator or web team from your faculty.
In case of technical difficulty, please consult the Help Centre, or contact your faculty key user.
