Canvas

Whether you're new to Canvas or looking to enhance your existing knowledge, we’ve got you covered. Explore a range of helpful tools, tutorials, and tips that empower you to create engaging courses, streamline grading, and enhance communication with students. Canvas by Instructure provides faculty with a robust set of tools to manage courses, engage students virtually, and streamline teaching workflows online. The resources here will help you get started!

Online Resources

  • Canvas Basics Training

    New to Canvas and/or need training? Sign up for our Canvas Basics workshop to get a hands-on introduction to the platform. This training is self-paced and supported by the Taft College Distance Education Team.

    To get registered for Canvas Basics Training (In-house):

    • Reach out to Taft College Distance Education Administrator or Technology Support Technician to be added to the self-paced training shell, at the end of completion you will receive a completion badge. 
  • Creating a Sandbox
    1. Go to your dashboard, and select the Start a New Course button on the bottom right-hand side.  (Or all the way at the bottom of the page depending on the width of your screen.)
    2. Fill in the form.  Important: Please use the naming convention that we use for Sandboxes:

      Name:  Josh Smyth
      Format:  SB (For Sandbox)/ Course &Section/ Instructor Initials
      Sandbox Title: SB BIOL-40 JS

  • Importing Content to an Empty Shell

    If you are ready to copy your Sandbox material into a LIVE shell, here is a video tutorial on how to copy a full course into an empty shell:

  • Online Course Tips
    • Your LIVE shells will not have an “SB” identifier in front of the title of the shell.
      Example: ADMJ 1501-20 MJ SP17  VS.  SB ADMJ 1507 KP
    • Course Status:  Make sure that your course is in published on the course begin date. You can find your course status on the home page, or in the course settings.
    • Canvas Rosters VS Banner Rosters: Make sure to check your Canvas roster and compare it to your Banner roster. Banner is the roster that will always be the most accurate. Canvas rosters are a little more disorganized. Unfortunately, Canvas will keep all student enrollment history. Even students that dropped before census. The cleanest place to see active enrollment will be the Gradebook; you should not see inactive enrollments there. If you would like to create groups for inactive students, or groups for a plethora of other uses, please go to  Create Groups.
    • Modules: If you use Modules, it is very important that you make sure each module is published. Even if all the content in the module is published, if the module itself is not published, students will not be able to access it.