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.

Table of Contents

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 CATL 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 first read. This article is 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.

Workshop Recordings

Each year, CATL hosts several live workshops, including several intended for instructors who are beginning to learn 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 – This CATL-run course, referred to in short as “LITE 101,” provides valuable information on how to effectively use Canvas as a platform 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 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 into LinkedIn Learning to access their full library of training courses. This LinkedIn Learning course uses an out-of-the-box Canvas set-up; 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:

  • 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.
  • 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.

Official Canvas Guides and 24/7 Canvas Support

The official Canvas Guides are a great reference for both instructors and students. You can get a high-level explanation of Canvas features in the Canvas Basics Guide, dive into detailed how-to instructions on the Canvas Instructor Guide pages, and watch tutorial videos on the Video Guides page.

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.

Other Worthwhile Reads

Check out these other great resources for Canvas beginners (select each item to reveal a brief description):

Getting Ready to Teach – This resource zooms further out on teaching at UW-Green Bay and covers other valuable information for new instructors on syllabus development, course design, and library resources.

Teaching Toolbox – The Teaching Toolbox on the CATL blog is an extensive collection of resources for instructors on planning a course, teaching a course, reflecting on teaching, integrating technology, and inclusive teaching strategies.

Recommended Tools and Methods for Using Audio and Video in Canvas – This CATL Blog post provides recommendations for incorporating video in your Canvas course, including creating your own recordings and using media you have found online.

Canvas: Rich Content Editor – You’ll be spending a lot of time writing content with Canvas’s Rich Content Editor. Read this blog post to learn how to use its tools to author accessible and appealing pages.

10 Dos and Don’ts of Digital Accessibility – It's more efficient to create content with accessibility principles in mind than it is to repair accessibility issues after the fact. Read this blog post to learn about accessibility mistakes to avoid and what to do instead.

Sandbox Courses: A Time-Saving Tool for Course Design and Collaboration – Need a student-free place in Canvas to develop ideas for a course or collaborate with another instructor? That’s where “sandbox” courses come in! Read this blog post to learn how you can create your own sandbox courses and what you could use them for.