Resources for Learning to Teach with Canvas

Are you new to teaching online at UW-Green Bay, or do you want to use Canvas to supplement in-person instruction for the first time? On this page, you will find a collection of resources on learning to teach with Canvas, UW-Green Bay’s learning management system.

Individual Consultations
Resources for Independent Study
Other Worthwhile Reads

Individual Consultations

Our foremost recommendation for instructors who will be teaching with Canvas for the first time at UW-Green Bay is to schedule a consultation to meet with a CATL team member. During a consultation, you’ll discuss the unique needs of your course, plan the design of online course resources, and learn technical steps and best practices for building an organized and student-friendly Canvas course. Our team will help you get started with Canvas on the right foot! Consultations can be held virtually (via Zoom or Teams) or in person on the Green Bay campus and typically last 45 to 60 minutes. To schedule a consultation, please fill out the short CATL Consultation Request Form.

Resources for Independent Study

Introductory Article

For a quick, high-level introductory overview of Canvas and its features, the CATL Blog Teaching Toolbox article “Getting Started with Canvas” is a good starting point. This article provides a concise review of navigating Canvas and the components that make up a Canvas course. It contains many links to in-depth guides for further exploration of each feature.

“Tech Tip” Videos

CATL has created a series of short, bite-sized videos on common Canvas questions, tricks, and time-saving features. Browse the playlist on the right side of the video player below.

Workshop Recordings

Each year, CATL hosts several live workshops, including some intended for instructors who are new to Canvas. The CATL blog hosts recordings of these workshops as asynchronous resources:

Building Your First Module – This workshop walks you through the essentials for building your first module in Canvas. Learn about the features you might need to prepare your class, including pages, assignments, discussions, and quizzes.
Getting Your Canvas Gradebook Going – This workshop explores the ins and outs of using the feature-rich Canvas gradebook. Learn how to create your syllabus’s assignments in Canvas and configure the gradebook so that your students can track their progress in Canvas.
Creating and Sharing Video Recordings with Kaltura My Media – Looking to share video lectures in your Canvas course? This workshop covers how to create, upload, and share engaging instructional videos in Canvas with Kaltura’s easy-to-use media tools and unlimited storage space.

Self-Paced Courses

UWGB instructors have access to two recommended self-paced courses for learning Canvas basics. Select each course title below to reveal more information.

Learning and Integrating Technology for Education (LITE) 101: Modalities & Technologies

Learning and Integrating Technology for Education (LITE) 101: Modalities & Technologies, commonly referred to as “LITE 101,” is a CATL-run training course that provides valuable information on how to effectively use Canvas for teaching through practical examples, tech tips, and video demonstrations. LITE 101 is structured around UW-Green Bay’s different modes of instruction. Most of LITE 101’s training on Canvas fundamentals can be found in the pages linked within the “In-Person Learning” module. Most full-time instructors are automatically enrolled in LITE 101, but if it is not already on your list of courses in Canvas and you wish to enroll, please send a request to catl@uwgb.edu.

LinkedIn Learning: Learning Canvas

LinkedIn Learning offers a self-paced “Learning Canvas” course with video instruction that covers the technical essentials of using Canvas for instructors. You can use your UWGB email address and password to sign in to LinkedIn Learning and access their full library of training courses.

This LinkedIn Learning course uses an out-of-the-box Canvas setup; the UW System Canvas environment you will use has some enforced setup options, so some options shown in the LinkedIn Learning course will differ from what you will find when you sign into UWGB’s Canvas. Here are a few differences to keep in mind if you take this course:

Students cannot access the Files page of the course. You can share a course file with students by creating a hyperlink to the file in another course item or adding the file to a course module.
You won’t need to create your own courses or manage student enrollments, as those tasks are automated by an integration with the Student Information System (SIS).
You must use “Course Modules” as the Home page setting for your course.

Official Canvas Guides and 24/7 Canvas Support

The official Canvas Guides are a great reference for both instructors and students. The Canvas Basics Guide offers video tutorials and written instructions on a variety of Canvas features and settings that apply to all user roles. For detailed step-by-step directions on processes unique to instructors or students, visit the Canvas Instructor Guide and Canvas Student Guide.

Whenever you encounter a technical issue in Canvas or can’t find the setting you are looking for, you can contact Canvas 24/7 Support for immediate answers. Choose between several ways to contact Canvas Support (live chat/phone/email) by clicking the Help button on the Canvas Global Navigation Menu found along the left edge of any page in Canvas. Canvas 24/7 Support is also the best place to refer students for the speediest help with Canvas questions and issues.

Canvas 24/7 Support may not be able to help with third-party tools that are integrated into Canvas; you can find alternate support contacts for institutionally available tools on the UWGB Canvas login website’s Resources for Instructors and Resources for Students pages.