Because the Canvas Dashboard notifies users of activity taking place in their classes, some students may not see the content modules that you create for them.

Even if you build content-rich, engaging modules for your students, the Canvas To Do list will allow your students to jump over the instructional content and immediately access and submit to assignments. You have two options to prevent this: set instructional expectations as part of your students' first contact with the course, or construct your course to prevent access to assignments without first viewing the instructional content.

Sending a welcome message, pointing to your course home page, may be enough to alert new students to the course content. You can also create prerequisites within Modules that require students to view certain pages before they can submit to the assignment. There will be more on these options in subsequent modules in this training.

Courses List

The courses on your Courses list are the courses that you've marked as favorites. Favored courses will also show up on the Dashboard as Course Cards.

colored squares that are used for course cards on the dashboard.

If you don't see one of your courses on your Courses list, you can use the steps below to customize your list. The list is always arranged alphabetically and you can rearrange/move your course cards using the three dot drop down or hovering your mouse over a course card, click, hold, move and drop.

Choose the three dots in the upper right hand corner of hte course card. Choose the tab for MOVE. Move the the card to the desired position.

You can also 'nickname" your courses on the dashboard.

Course card that says History 101 with a pointer to choose and open dialog box to add a nickname with cancel and apply buttons. It also has hex numbers, EF4437

A course nickname does not affect the course name at the account or course level; it only changes the name of the course for the individual user who created the nickname.

If you need to know the original name of the course, you can hover over the nickname and the original name will appear. Additionally, the course code is not affected and always displays on the course card for course reference.

Note: This feature does not currently apply to the global Grades page and Dashboard sidebar elements such as the To Do list.

Courses and Groups

Note that the Courses & Groups item in the Global Navigation requires you to hover over it, not to click on it. You will find yourself using this menu frequently, and there are two ways to make it more useful.

How do I customize my Course list? (Links to an external site.)

How Do I manage the Dashboard as an Instructor?

How Do I manage the Dashboard as a Student?

If you don't see your courses on your Dashboard or want to change what courses how up on your Dashboard, choose Courses in the global navigation menu. If there is not a list or a limited list on the fly out men, choose ALL COURSES.

List of courses with a red arrow pointing to the star next to the course name to add that to the dashboard.

Most instructors use concluded courses to provide frameworks for current and future courses. You can save time by adding courses that you use frequently to the custom list for your fly-out menu. Click on the gray star to turn it gold in order to have that course appear in your fly-out menu and on your Dashboard.