USING CANVAS EFFECTIVELY

In order to participate effectively in an online class, at a minimum, you should be in possession of the following:

• An effective, reliable computer
• A high-speed internet connection (especially if you will be watching videos)
• An updated version of your browser. Canvas recommends using Chrome, Firefox, or Safari as your browser. We do NOT recommend using Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge.
• MS Word or an equivalent word processing program. All Bates students are eligible to receive a current version of Microsoft Word for free. Simply go to the Office for Students webpage and click on “Find out if you are eligible.” Enter your BATES email address and follow the instructions.

For more information on Canvas technical requirements, click on What are the basic computer specifications for Canvas?

For more information about using browsers with Canvas, click on Which browsers does Canvas support?

For a Quickstart Student Guide to using Canvas, click on Canvas Student Getting Started Guide

If you require support for Canvas, there are several ways to obtain assistance. The first and best is to click on the “Help” button in the bottom left corner of your screen. This will provide links to the following options:

• Ask Your Instructor a Question, which will submit your question directly to your instructor
• Search the Canvas guides, where you can research your problem and find answers to common questions
• Report a problem, which will generate a help ticket

Canvas Videos

For those of you new to Canvas (or specific tasks in Canvas), these videos are designed to assist you with some of the basics of Canvas and how it works.

Canvas Overview

An overview of Canvas, including logging in, customizing, performing basic tasks, and troubleshooting. This is about 12 minutes long and covers most of the basic information. The next videos cover individual topics more in depth.

Customizing Canvas

This video reviews different ways of customizing Canvas: such as adding a picture, editing your name, changing your password, and increasing accessibility.

Notifications

This video reviews how to configure your notifications in Canvas, including sending notifications to a personal email (instead of your default Bates email) and a cell phone.

Course Navigation and Canvas Help

This video reviews the basic parts of Canvas and how to navigate in your classes. Additionally, it reviews the steps for how to obtain assistance within Canvas.

Viewing Feedback

This video shows you how to view comments, annotations, and feedback that your instructor has left for you on an assignment.

Posting to a discussion board

This video reviews how to post to a discussion board, including posting and replying to others’ posts, as well as basic netiquette tips.

Submitting an Assignment

This video reviews the steps for submitting an assignment in Canvas, including how to submit documents and files.

A reliable internet connection. Bates Technical College provides free wi-fi connections for students who are on campus. The library provides computers/laptops as well. Visit the Bates Library Website to learn more.

An updated version of your browser. Canvas works best in Chrome. Firefox and Safari are also alternatives. Do NOT use Internet Explorer. It is no longer supported by Canvas, and it will not work.

MS Word or an equivalent word processing program. All Bates students are eligible to receive a current version of Microsoft Word for FREE. Simply go to the Office for Students webpage and click on “Find out if you are eligible.” Enter your BATES email address and follow the instructions.

The Canvas app is available for both iOS at the Apple Store and Android at the Google Play Store. Simple install the red Canvas Student app, and select Bates Technical College.

Enter your Bates Student ID number for BOTH username and password. You can change the password after your first log-on.

You can call the Online Learning Center at 253.680.7233 or email us at olc@batestech.edu and we will reset it to your Bates Student ID number.

You should have access to your courses on the first day of class, although some instructors may open their courses early. If you have registered after the first day of class, you should have access to your courses by the end of the day.

The courses you are enrolled in for the current quarter will be on your Dashboard. If you need to find past or future classes you are enrolled in, go to Courses and click on All Courses. From there, you can ‘star’ courses to keep them on your Dashboard.

You can change your password by going to Account and clicking on Settings. From there, click on Edit Settings. You will have to click on the Change Password checkbox to create a new password. After you have confirmed your new password, be sure to click Update Settings, or your changes will not be saved.

You can update your Profile by going to Account and clicking the Profile link. Click on the Edit Profile Button, and from there, you can upload a picture, add a bio, and change your contact information. See this page for more info.

You can change the default settings on how you are notified about your course by going into Account and clicking on Notifications. You have four choices of how to receive notifications:

• Notify me right away
• Send daily summary
• Send Weekly Summary
• Do not send me anything

You also have a list of options to be notified about:

• Due Date
• Grading Policies
• Course Content
• Files
• Announcement
• Announcement Created by You

You can customize however you want, based on your provided email and cell number, as well as push notifications for all devices.

TBH

You can see the courses you enrolled in for next semester by clocking on the Courses link, and then selecting All Courses. At the bottom of the page, you will see your classes listed under Future Enrollments. If you have just registered for a course, it will be listed there by the end of the day.

Remember, courses are available in Canvas on the day class starts. If you are in Winter Quarter and have registered for Spring Quarter, you will have access to those courses when they start on the first day of Spring Quarter.

You can access your previously completed courses by going to Courses and clicking on All Courses. You will see your completed courses listed under Past Enrollments.

Contact your instructor. There could be a number of reasons for this to happen, and they are the first person you should call.

Contact your instructor if you have questions about the course including:

• Accessing course content, such as modules and assignments
• Grades and due dates
• Questions about an assignment
• Submitting an assignment

Contact the Online Learning Center if you have questions about Canvas access including:

• Logging in
• Resetting your password
• Courses missing from your dashboard
• Preferences, notifications, and settings
• Difficulties with the Canvas app