Jump to content: Accessing Canvas, Courses List, Dashboard, FAQs – Canvas Instructor, FAQs – Canvas Student, Mobile Apps, Notifications, Supported Browsers, System Requirements, Support for Canvas
Canvas is the learning management system (LMS) used at the University of Montevallo. A LMS is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of educational courses.
Accessing Canvas
The link to Canvas can be found on both the Student Resources webpage as well as the Faculty and Staff Resources webpage. The direct link to Canvas is https://montevallo.instructure.com. You will use your UM Username and Password to log in.
- Navigate to UM Canvas, https://montevallo.instructure.com.
- Log in with your UM Username and Password. Your UM username is the portion of your email address before the “@”, example@forum.montevallo.edu, example@montevallo.edu.
- Your courses will appear on the Canvas Dashboard.
Courses List
When you are enrolled in or teach more than one Canvas course, you can customize the active courses you want to show in your Course list. Courses you want to show in the Courses drop-down menu are called favorite courses. You can favorite any published course that appears in the My Courses section on the course list page. Course favorites also display in the Card View Dashboard.
When no courses are favorited, the courses list automatically displays up to 20 courses alphabetically in the drop-down menu. However, once you have selected at least one course as a favorite, only your favorite courses will appear in the Courses list.
Customize Courses List
In Global Navigation, click the Courses link, then click the All Courses link. To favorite a course, click the star next to a course. Courses with filled stars show the course is a favorite.
Dashboard
The Dashboard is the first thing you will see when you log into Canvas. The Dashboard helps you see what is happening in all your current courses. You can return to your User Dashboard at any time by clicking the Dashboard link in Global Navigation.
Dashboard Views
The Dashboard is your landing page in Canvas. The default Dashboard view is Card View. There are three options.
Card View
Displays course cards for quick access to all your favorite courses (the same courses display in the Courses link from the Global Navigation Menu)
List View
Displays all course to-do items in an agenda view
Recent Activity View
Displays all recent activity for all courses
FAQs – Canvas Instructor
Please see the Canvas Instructor FAQs page to view Instructor specific Canvas frequently asked questions.
FAQs – Canvas Student
Please see the Canvas Student FAQs page for view to view Student specific Canvas frequently asked questions.
Mobile Apps
Canvas Student App
The Canvas Student app allows students to access their courses and groups using a mobile device. Students can submit assignments, participate in discussions, view grades and course materials. The app also provides access to course calendars, To Do items, notifications, and Conversations messages.
While Canvas can be accessed from any browser on an Android or iOS device, mobile browsers are not supported, and features may not function as expected compared to viewing Canvas in a fully supported desktop browser. Canvas pages within a mobile browser are only supported when an action in the app links directly to the browser, such as when a student takes certain types of quizzes. Support is not extended to pages that cannot currently be used in the app, such as Conferences or Collaborations.
The Canvas Student App is available for both Android devices, via Google play and iOS devices, via the App Store.
If you need assistance, please contact the Solution Center at solutioncenter@montevallo.edu or (205) 665-6512.
Mobile App Guides – Student
Canvas Teacher App
The Canvas Teacher app allows teachers to facilitate their courses on the go. This app provides quick access to grading, communicating, and updating—three of the most frequent course facilitation tasks for teachers through Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, and Quizzes. Teachers can browse submissions and provide feedback to their students with the mobile SpeedGrader embedded in the app. Teachers can post announcements, send messages, and participate in course discussions.
The Canvas Teacher App is available for both Android devices, via Google play and iOS devices, via the App Store.
If you need assistance, please contact the Solution Center at solutioncenter@montevallo.edu or (205) 665-6512.
Mobile App Guides – Teacher
Notifications
Canvas includes a set of default notification preferences you can receive for your courses. However, you can change the default settings by setting your own notification preferences. These preferences only apply to you; they are not used to control how course updates are sent to other users.
Notifications are sent as one of four delivery types: notify immediately, daily summary, weekly summary, or Notifications off. If you change a setting, the change is made immediately to your account.
Customize Notifications
In Global Navigation, click the Account link, then click the Notifications link. Each notification is set to a default preference. To change a notification for a contact method, locate the notification and click the icon for your preferred delivery type.
Solid Bell Icon
To receive a notification right away, select the Notify immediately option. These notifications may be delayed by up to one hour in case an instructor makes additional changes, which prevents you from being spammed by multiple notifications in a short amount of time.
Calendar with single number Icon
To receive a daily notification, select the Daily summary option.
Calendar Icon
To receive a weekly notification, select the Calendar icon. The date and time of your weekly notifications are posted at the bottom of the notifications page
Bell with Line Icon
If you do not want to receive a notification, select the Notifications off option.
Supported Browsers
Canvas supports the current and first previous major releases of the following browsers:
Chrome 98 and 99
Firefox 96 and 97 (Extended Releases are not supported)
Edge 97 and 98
Respondus Lockdown Browser (supporting the latest system requirements)
Safari 14 and 15 (Macintosh only)
You should always use the most current version of your preferred browser. Your browser will notify you if there is a new version available.
Unsupported Browser Banner
Some supported browsers may still produce a banner stating Your browser does not meet the minimum requirements for Canvas. If you have upgraded your browser but you are still seeing the warning banner, try logging out of Canvas and deleting your browser cookies.
Current browser supported information can be found on Canvas Browser and Computer Requirements.
System Requirements
Screen Size
- Canvas is best viewed at a minimum resolution of 800×600. If you want to view Canvas on a device with a smaller screen, we recommend using the Canvas mobile app.
Operating Systems
- Windows 10 and newer
- Mac OSX 10.10 and newer
- Linux – chromeOS
- Mobile Operating System Native App Support
Computer Speed and Processor
- 1GB of RAM
- 2GHz processor
- Internet Speed Minimum of 512kbps
Current system requirement can be found on the Instructure community webpage.
Support for Canvas
If you are a teacher in need of assistance with Instructional Design, please reach out the Malone Center for assistance. The Malone Center can be reached at malonecenter@montevallo.edu or (205) 665-6365.
For all other technical support needs, please contact the Solution Center at solutioncenter@montevallo.edu or (205) 665-6512.