You can access Canvas through MyQ, the University intranet.

1. Open MyQ.
2. Locate and select the “Canvas” tile.

3. If prompted, sign in using your Quinnipiac Microsoft 365 (SSO) credentials. If you have issues signing in with your Quinnipiac Microsoft 365 (SSO) credentials: Please contact IT for help using one of the following methods:
• E-mail: help@quinnipiac.edu
• Submit a Technology Help Request
• Call: 203-582-HELP (4357)
• Visit one of their on-campus locations
4. Once your Canvas Dashboard opens, you can add Canvas to your bookmarks/favorites in your browser!

The dark blue bar on the left side of Canvas is called the global navigation and will always appear no matter where you are in Canvas. The global navigation provides access to various areas of Canvas.

“Q” logo: Access the Dashboard (see below)

Account: Update your Canvas profile, profile picture, notification settings, and personal preferences.

Dashboard: View your active courses and recent activity.

Courses: Access all your current, past, and future Canvas courses.

Calendar: View assignment due dates, meetings, and course events across all your courses.

Inbox: Communicate with students and other instructors using Canvas messaging.

History: Quickly return to recently viewed pages.

Commons: Access QU Templates, modules, and other published resources for your courses.

YuJa: Access YuJa Lumina to record or upload videos or creating video quizzes.

Help: Access Canvas support resources and Quinnipiac-specific assistance such as merging courses, QU tech tools, contacting QILT / QU IT, and more.

The Dashboard is your Canvas home page and provides quick access to your courses. From the Dashboard you can:

• View your published (visible to students) and unpublished (hidden from students) courses.
• Publish (open) your current teaching courses.
• See recent course activity.
• Review your To Do list.
• View upcoming grading and teaching tasks.
• Access your calendar and notifications.

Canvas offers several Dashboard layouts. You can choose the view that best fits your teaching style:

• Card View: Displays each course as a visual card. This is the default view, and recommended for most faculty.
• List View: Shows upcoming assignments and tasks.
• Recent Activity View: Displays recent activity across all courses.

Once inside a course, the course navigation appears along the left side of the screen.

By default, your course will display the most commonly used course navigation options. Some items in the course navigation may display with a strikethrough eye icon, meaning they either have no content or are disabled, and are not visible to students. Not every menu item needs to be visible to students.

As an instructor, you can customize the course navigation to simplify the student experience by hiding tools you are not using.

Best Practice: Limit the number of visible navigation items so students can easily find course materials. Most online courses rely primarily on Modules as the central pathway through the course.

Your Canvas course home page is the first thing students see when they enter your course. A well-designed home page creates a positive first impression and helps students quickly understand how to navigate the course. Your course, by default, will have a section for a course welcome message and a section for your course syllabus.

An effective home page should include information in both sections. In your welcome message, make sure you tell students how to get started in the course. Avoid placing excessive information on the home page. Instead, direct students to Modules, which should serve as the primary navigation structure for your course.

Regular, purposeful communication is one of the strongest predictors of student success in online and blended courses.

Canvas Announcements provide an easy way to establish instructor presence, keep students informed, and create a sense of connection throughout the semester. Effective announcements do more than remind students about due dates, they guide learning, clarify expectations, celebrate accomplishments, and help students stay engaged. When used consistently, announcements can reduce confusion, encourage participation, and create a more supportive learning environment.

Yes, for both instructors and students. In the app store for your device (including tablets), search for Canvas by Instructure.

Canvas Teacher App

The Canvas Teacher app allows instructors to:

• Post announcements
• Communicate with students
• Review submissions and grade assignments
• View course activity
• Monitor student progress

Note: While the app is convenient for quick tasks, course design and major content updates are best completed using the desktop version of Canvas.

Canvas Student App

Encourage students to download the Canvas Student app to:

• Receive push notifications from their courses
• Submit assignments
• Participate in discussions
• View grades and instructor feedback
• Keep track of upcoming due dates