Canvas Tips

Canvas is a great tool and resource to use for your courses. Below are a few tips to keep in mind to help maximize your success at K-State.

Import your Canvas calendar to your personal calendar

Canvas allows for exporting of their calendar with all your class times, assignments, tests, etc. directly to any calendar service you use. From Canvas, click on the Calendar icon on the left navigation bar. Click on “Calendar Feed” in the bottom right corner. Copy the link that is provided. Go to your personal calendar site (iCal, gCal, Outlook, etc.) and find the “add calendar” button and paste the Canvas link.

If you are unable to find where to add a calendar on your chosen calendar site, search "How to add a calendar to [personal calendar site]" in a search engine like Google.

Know your notification settings

Canvas has a lot of options related to what it will notify you about and when it will notify you. Make sure your settings are the way you want them to be by going to your "Account" tab on the left navigation bar, then "Notifications".

We recommend the following setting for getting the most useful information:

    • Course Activities
      • Announcement: Notfiy immediately
      • Grading: Notify immediately
        • Include scores when alerting about grades: Check
      • Course Content: Daily summary
      • Submission Comment: Notify immediately
    • Discussions

Favorite your classes so they appear on your dashboard.

By Favorting and Unfavoriting courses, you can keep your dashboard clean and showing only the courses you need this semester!

To Favorite a course, go to the Courses tab on the left, then select "All Courses". From the list of all the courses you are in, identify the one you want to favorite and click on the star outline to turn it yellow.

To Unfavorite a couse from the dashboard, click on the three vertical dots on a course tile, click "Move", then select "Unfavorite". You can also Unfavorite from the "Alll Courses" page by clicking on the start next to the course you want to Unfavorite to change it from yellow to an outline.

Utilize "What-If" grading to see hypothetical final grades

From the "Grades" tab of a class you're enrolled, click on any grade that has not be enters and you can put in a hypothetical grade. That grade is then calculated into a hypothetical final grade at the top right of the page. You can do this with mutiple assignments to figure out what grades you need to get the grade you want. You can always "Revert to Actual Score" to see your actual grades and "Show Saves 'What-If' Scores" to return to your most recent "What-If" scenario.

Need further support with Canvas?
K-State's IT Service Desk is available to help with all your Canvas questions. Check out their Canvas Help Page or reach out to the IT Service Desk on the 2nd Floor of Hale Library or by phone at 785-532-7722
Canvas Help Page 
Need further support managing your classes?
Schedule a meeting to meet with an Academic Coach to develop your time management, study skills, and other academic habits. An appointment with an Academic Coach is always free and readily available.
Meet with an Academic Coach 

 

This tool is also available as a pdf.