In this video, you will learn about managing your dashboard and sidebar.
Last updated 2023-06-01
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Video overviews reflect current feature functionality in Canvas; they are updated based on workflow changes, not on minor or non-functional interface enhancements. Depending on your institution's Canvas theme, the Canvas interface may display differently than shown in this video, but the functionality is the same.
Dashboard Overview (Students) Video Script
In this video, you will learn about managing your dashboard and sidebar. When you log in to Canvas, the first thing you see is the Dashboard. It provides a high-level overview of your current courses. You may be able to switch between Dashboard views. To do this, click the Options icon and select from Card View, List View, or Recent Activity.
Card View displays a course card for each of your favorite courses. New courses automatically display on the Dashboard. To manage your favorite courses, click the Courses link in Global Navigation and click the All Courses link. Click the Star icon next to any course to favorite the course. To return to the Dashboard, click the Dashboard icon. Each card can include four clickable icons to open Assignments, Announcements, Discussions, and Files. Badges indicate new or unread activities. To help organize your dashboard, you can manage course card settings by clicking the card’s Options icon.
From the Color tab, you can create a nickname for your course and change the color of the course card. From the Move tab, you can move to the top or bottom of the list, move a card up or down, or unfavorite a course. To close the Options menu, click the Close icon. You can also manage the color overlay for all course cards with images. To remove or display color overlays, click the Dashboard Options icon and select the Color Overlay option. When the Color Overlay is removed, the course color will display as a circle around the card's Options icon.
The second dashboard view is List View, which displays all To Do items in an agenda view to help you easily manage tasks across all of your courses.
List View opens to the current date. You can scroll up and down on the page to view past or future items. To quickly return to the current date, click the Today button. From List View you can also add your own To Do items view your current grades, and view the Opportunity Alerts menu, which displays all your missing assignments in one place to help you improve your grade. To Do items in the List View agenda display icons representing the item’s assignment type and graded items display points and due dates. You can also quickly view missing items…and late items, as well as items with new activity, including new grades, new replies, and new feedback. You can navigate directly to a To Do item from the List View dashboard by clicking on the name of the item. You can also mark items as complete by clicking the item checkbox. Completed items stay in your agenda so you can reference them at any time.
The second dashboard view is List View, which displays all To Do items in an agenda view to help you easily manage tasks across all of your courses. List View opens to the current date. You can scroll up and down on the page to view past or future items. To quickly return to the current date, click the Today button. From List View you can also add your own To Do items view your current grades, and view the Opportunity Alerts menu, which displays all your missing assignments in one place to help you improve your grade. To Do items in the List View agenda display icons representing the item’s assignment type and graded items display points and due dates. You can also quickly view missing items and late items, as well as items with new activity, including new grades, new replies, and new feedback. You can navigate directly to a To Do item from the List View dashboard by clicking on the name of the item. You can also mark items as complete by clicking the item checkbox. Completed items stay in your agenda so you can reference them at any time.
The Course Card and Recent Activity dashboards also display the Sidebar. It includes a To Do list to help you keep track of assignments and other activities. To view an item or activity, click the name of the item or activity. To remove an item or activity, click the Remove icon. The Recent Feedback section displays the latest comments from instructors or peers on previously submitted assignments. You can also quickly access the grades for your courses by clicking the View Grades button.
You've now completed this tutorial video on the Canvas Dashboard and Sidebar. For additional information on this or any other topic about Canvas, please visit guides.canvaslms.com. You can also ask questions and engage with other Canvas users by visiting community.canvaslms.com.
