Navigating Canvas Online for Families

Last Updated: March 7, 2023

1. Go to edmonds15.instructure.com/login/canvas

2. View Dashboard

All courses that are published and active and the student is enrolled in should show up on the dashboard. On the Dashboard, you can also switch between students.

A. Click on Courses if not all courses are showing up on the Dashboard

By default, active courses should be on the Dashboard. If you do not see a course that you think should be there, go to Courses and follow the next steps.

B. Click on All Courses

C. Click on the Star next to the course that is missing to the courses menu.

• All courses with a solid star will show on the Dashboard.
• All courses with an outlined star will not show on the Dashboard, but they will be in the list under All Courses. (This is the same for students)

D. Click on Dashboard to return to the main page

 

3. Click on a course to open it

For more information on how to navigate the course, view the section "How do I navigate a course in Canvas?"

 

4. Click on Calendar in the Global Navigation

• This will allow you to view the calendars for the courses.
• View directions on "How do I use the Canvas Calendar as an Observer?" on the site for more information.

5. Click on the Inbox to view messages or send messages

• If there are numbers on the inbox, it indicates the number of unread messages you have.
• View the section "How do I message a teacher?" on the site for more information about how to use the Inbox.

6. Click on Help

The Help Button will allow you to access user guides, view updates about your user role in Canvas, and to report a problem with the site. Please note that any course specific questions about assignments, policies, grades, etc. need to be sent to the teacher for the course.

 

Navigating Canvas Parent App

1. Login to the Canvas Parent App 

Refer to the Signin tab for details on how to login.

2. View Student Courses and Grades 

The landing page for the Canvas Parent App will be a list of all the student's courses and a grade for that course.

Navigating the landing page will allow you to view different information:

1. Selecting the Menu Icon (3 Horizontal Lines)  to access the Inbox, Manage Student Accounts, an more.
2. If you have multiple students, select the arrow next to the name at the top to toggle to a different person.
3. Click on the Course Title to view details about the course.
4. Select the Calendar Icon at the bottom of the screen to view the calendar.
5. Select the Alerts icon to view message alerts that have been set for the student.

Refer to the additional resources on this page for further details about how to navigate the specific courses, the calendar, and the alerts from the app.

 

Navigating A Course Online for Families

These directions focus on navigating a course as an observer when accessing Canvas  through an Internet Browser.

Last Updated: March 7, 2023

1. Click on a course on the Dashboard to open it

2. Access the Modules for the course

When you enter the course, you will land on a Home Page that includes course information and links.  Modules hold the course content (resources, assignments, etc).

Access Modules by:

1. Selecting Modules in the Course Navigation Menu
2. Select a quick link button or link provided on the Home Page

 

3. Click on the items under each module to view details

4. Click on Grades

View the section on "How do I view grades in Canvas?" on the site for more information.

 

5. Click on an assignment to view details, feedback, and submission status

Check out the section titled "How do I view an Assignment" for more information.

 

Coming Soon

Navigating a Course within the Canvas Parent App

1. Open Course

Select the name of the course that you want to view.

2. View Course

The course page displays:

1. The student's course grade
2. A list of all assignments in the course 

3. View Assignments List

Each assignment displays:

1. An assignment-type icon [
2. The assignment name
3. Due date if one is set for the assignment
4. Submission status
5. Assignment score if the assignment has been graded
6. Click on the individual assignment to view more details.

You can also select the Message Icon to send an email to the teacher about the course.

4. View Course Front Page

On the course page, select the Front Page tab to view the homepage of the course. 

Select any linked modules or buttons on the homepage to access more information from the course. Modules are a way to organize content within a course.

5. View Front Page Links

Opened links will display in a preview window of Canvas web.

1. There will be a Canvas Global navigation menu that you can access by selecting the 3 Horizontal Lines at the top of the screen. 
2. There is a Course Navigation Menu that is accessed by selecting the down arrow next to the course name at the top of the screen.  
3. To return to the Parent app, tap the Done link on an IOS device or the Previous button on an Android device.

Viewing Assignments in Canvas 

Last updated: 3/15/23

Assignments can be viewed through

• Modules (Use this option to see assignments along with other content shared within the course)
• Grades (Use this option to view graded assignments, feedback, submissions)
• Calendar 

The directions below will focus on viewing an assignment from the Grades Page.

1. Open a Canvas Course

2. Click on Grades

3. Click on the Assignment Title

4. View Assignment Details

The Details section will include teacher provided directions or additional information about the assignment.

5. Click on Attempt

This will allow you to view the multiple assignment submissions a student has made. The most current version will be the one displaying. Remember, you will not see the submissions or content for all types of assignments.

6. Click on View Feedback

This will allow you to view comments about the assignment.

If an assignment is graded, you will also see the points possible and points earned above the View Feedback button.

 

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Coming Soon

Canvas Parent App - View Assignments

These directions are for viewing assignments when using the Canvas Parent App on a phone or tablet.

Last Updated: 3/6/2023

1. Open Canvas Parent App Courses Tab

2. Click on the grade to view specific assignments for that course.

 

3. View Assignment Grade Page Details

Each assignment displays the:

1. Assignment title
2. Due date and time (It will say "No Due Date" if one is not set)
3. Grade (there will be a dash if the assignment has not been graded yet or is missing.
4. Points possible for the assignment 

Each assignment also displays a status.

• Submitted - Submitted assignment online through Canvas 
• Not Submitted - Assignment not submitted (Caution: This notification can show if students submit a paper copy)
• Missing - Assignment is not submitted and past due date or no due date. (Caution: Some assignment types students submit can be marked as missing, but they are actually submitted. This can be verified by selecting on the assignment.)
• Late -  Submitted after the due date that was listed.  This should be only for information only. Always refer to the grading policy for the course regarding late work as it does not always mean the same thing for each course.

4. Open Assignment

To open an assignment, tap the name of the assignment.

5. View Assignment

Each assignment detail displays the:

1. Assignment status
2. Due date
3. Assignment details added by the instructor.  
4. To create a reminder for the assignment, tap the Set Reminder button 

 

The information above comes from Canvas Parent App User Guide

Coming soon

Canvas Family Access - View Grades

These directions are for viewing grades when using an Internet Browser.

Last Updated: February 28, 2023

 Login to Canvas and Go to Dashboard

You can access grades for students in 2 different ways. Directions for both methods are included below. Click on the Option 1 or Option 2 link to jump directly to those directions

• Option 1: View grades from within a course
• Option 2: View grade for all courses for all observed students 

Option 1: View Grades Within A Course

1. Click on Canvas Course

2. Click on Grades

3. Grade Report for Course

• Click on a specific assignment to view more details about the assignment.

• Toggle to a different course to view those grades. Select the course from the dropdown menu and then select the blue Apply Button to the right.

Option 2:  View Grades for All Courses & Students

1. Click on View Grades

You will see the View Grades button on the Canvas Dashboard.

2. View overall grades for courses or select the course to view more details

The View Grades page will show you a list of all the courses your student(s) are actively enrolled in and the current grade for the course if there is one.

You can select the specific course to go to the student's specific grade report for that course to see a list of assignments.

3. Course Grade view

• Click on a specific assignment to view more details about the assignment.
• Toggle to a different course to view those grades. Select the course from the dropdown menu and then select the blue Apply Button to the right.

Video coming soon....

Canvas Parent App - View Grades

These directions are for viewing grades when using the Canvas Parent App on a phone or tablet.

Last Updated: February 28, 2023

1. Login to Canvas Parent App

2. Click Courses tab to view overall grade for courses

Click on the grade to view specific assignments for that course.

 

3. In Course View, See Individual grade by Assignment

Click on the assignment title to view directions about the assignment

You will not be able to view student submissions from the Canvas Parent App.

 

 

 

Video coming soon

Using Canvas Inbox to Message a Teacher

Last Updated: 3/6/23

1. Login to Canvas

2. Open Inbox

• In Global Navigation, click the Inbox link.
• If the Inbox link includes a numbered indicator, the indicator shows how many unread messages you have in your Inbox. Once you read the new messages, the indicator will disappear.

3. Compose Message

Click the Compose icon.

4. Select Course

In the Courses drop-down menu, select the course where you want to send your message. You can filter your courses by current favorite courses [1], more courses [2], or course groups [3].

5. Add User

To add the teacher, you can:

1. Search for the teacher in the To field by typing in their name.
2. Select the Course Roster Address Book icon, choose Teacher, and select the name.

Note:  You can only message the teachers and your student.

6. Compose and Send Message

1. Enter a subject line for your message.
2. If you are sending your message to multiple users, but you do not want each user to see who else was included in the message, click the Send an individual message to each recipient checkbox.  
3. In the message field, type your message. All content is sent in plain text. Note that if you include a URL in your message, the URL will automatically become a clickable link after you send the message.
4. Click the attachment or media file icons to add an attachment to the message.
5. Click the Send button when finished.

These directions are from the Canvas Users Observer Guide. 

Coming Soon

Last Updated: 3/6/23

You can send a message to the teacher through either the course page or an assignment page. 

1. Open Course

To open a course, tap the course name.

 

2. Open Message

Send a message from the course screen or select a specific assignment to send the message from the assignment screen. Either way, look for the message icon on the page to open the box to compose a message.

To send a message to the course instructor, click the Message icon.

 

3. Compose New Message

1. The course instructor's name automatically displays in the To field [1].
2. If the course has multiple instructors or TAs, you can add or remove recipient(s) by tapping the Recipients icon [2].
3. The subject of the message displays automatically. However, you can edit the subject content, by tapping the Subject field [3].
4. To compose your message, tap the Message field [4]. Use the keyboard to type your message.
5. To attach a file to your message, click the Attach icon [5].

4. Send Message

1. To send your message, click the Send link [1].
2. To discard your message draft, click the Back link [2].

The directions are from the Canvas Observer/Parent Guide IOS and Android
 

Canvas Calendar for Observers 

Last Updated:  3/14/23

Directions are pulled from Canvas Observer Guide.

1. Open Calendar

Click on the Calendar icon in the Canvas Global Navigation menu.

 

2. View Calendar

The Calendar displays everything for all of the courses the student is enrolled in.

1. In the navigation bar, you can choose to view the calendar in Week, Month, or Agenda view.
2. By default, the calendar appears in Month view. This will change if you choose one of the other options.
3. The sidebar shows a quick-view calendar, a list of courses and groups, and undated items for courses and groups.

3. View Calendar List

Understanding the Calendar View:

• Each calendar is identified by a separate color that populates the calendar view.
• Assignments for each course will appear within the calendar view for each calendar in the same color.
• Only items with due dates will show directly on the calendar.  See UNDATED section for assignments without due dates.  
• By default, the first 10 course calendars will be selected and appear in the calendar view.
  • To hide a calendar, click the box next to the name of the calendar.
  • When the color is not showing next to the course in the list, the Calendar events are hidden.
  • Calendars that are not active within the calendar view display as faded text 

4. View Undated Events List

Expanding the Undated items link will show you a list of events and assignments that are not dated. The assignments and events will be differentiated by icons and by the calendar colors.

5. View Assignments and Events

• Assignments are shown with an icon next to the assignment title.

The icon reflects the assignment type:

1. Discussion (speech bubbles) - this is an item with a submission in Canvas that may be graded.
2. Assignment (paper/pencil)  - this is an item with a submission in Canvas that may be graded..
3. Quiz (rocket) - this is an item with a submission in Canvas that may be graded.
4. Events (calendar) - this is for information purposes. It is not directly connected to an assignment in Canvas.

• Each item on the calendar is color-coded to match the courses or calendars in the sidebar.
• To view full details for an assignment or event, click on the item in the calendar.

Subscribe to Calendars 

Subscribing to the Calendar feed allows you to add the Canvas Calendars to a personal calendar you might use. Before subscribing, make sure all of the calendars that you want to view are selected on the Canvas calendar. If they are hidden, they will also be hidden when connected to an external calendar.

Click on the appropriate link below to see the directions on how to set this up.

• How do I connect the Canvas Calendar to my Google Calendar?
• How do I connect the Canvas Calendar to my Outlook Calendar?
• How can I find the Calendar iCal feed link?

Using Canvas Calendar in Phone App

Last Updated: 3/14/23

1. Open the Canvas Parent App 

2. Open Calendar

In the Dashboard, tap the Calendar icon at the bottom of the App screen.

3. View Calendar

The Calendar page shows all assignments and events for all the student's courses. 

By default:

• The calendar displays assignments and events by week.
• The current date is always selected and indicated by the solid background
• Any assignments or events on the current date display below the calendar in an agenda format.
• Assignments or events on other dates are indicated by a dot below the date. Multiple dots indicate multiple assignments or events, which can be viewed by tapping the date 

4. Manage Calendars

You can manage the courses that display in the calendar by clicking the Calendars link [1]. By default, the top 10 active courses that a student is enrolled in are selected.

If you choose to select specific calendars and not all calendars, the number of selected calendars will display next to the link [2].  

5. View Additional Dates

1. To view assignments and events for other dates, swipe the week view left or right
2. You can also expand to the calendar Month view by tapping the name of the month and swiping the month view left or right.

6. View Individual Event or Assignment

To view the details of an individual assignment or event, tap the name of the assignment or event.  

Directions from the Canvas Parent Observer Guide for IOS and Android devices.