Frequently Asked Questions

To access Canvas, please visit learn.ontariotechu.ca and log in using your banner/student ID and your network password. 

 

For best performance, Canvas should be used on the current or previous major releases of Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. 

For additional browser requirements and recommendations, refer to the Canvas Supported Browsers article.

IT Services and the Office of the Registrar schedule the release of Canvas course shells each semester. Instructors typically receive access to their courses approximately six weeks before classes begin, while students gain access approximately two weeks before the start of the semester. Exact release dates vary each term.

Select Courses from the Global Navigation Menu, then choose All Courses to view all of your current and past Canvas courses.

From this page, you can also favourite active courses so they appear on your Dashboard. Please note that concluded courses cannot be favourited.

For students, access to concluded courses expires 120 days after the course ends.

Due to record retention requirements and storage requirements at the university, students will not be able to access Canvas courses after 120 days have past since the end of the course.

If you are an instructor who is having difficulty locating your past courses, please email LMS@ontariotechu.ca.

Technical issues and everyday Canvas use

For assistance with technical issues or everyday Canvas use, select the 24/7 Support option in the Canvas Global Navigation menu (located below Inbox).

The 24/7 Support Team can help with how-to questions, course management, troubleshooting, and other Canvas-related issues.

Login and password-related issues

For assistance with login or password-related issues, contact the IT Service Desk at servicedesk@dc-ot.ca and copy LMS@ontariotechu.ca.

Canvas for teaching

For support with teaching in Canvas, course design, or instructional best practices, contact the Teaching and Learning Centre's Instructional Support team at instructionalsupport@ontariotechu.ca.

The Teaching and Learning Centre provides resources and support relating to the use of Canvas and Canvas tools for teaching purposes. You can visit our Canvas Resource Centre for self-service support or contact the TLC's Instructional Support team if you required additional assistance.

If you don't see updates or changes to your course, or you don't see your courses at all, logout of Canvas, close your browser and reboot your device. If this doesn't work, you can attempt to further resolve the issue by (Chrome browser only):

• On your computer, open Chrome.
• At the top right, click More.
• Click More tools Clear browsing data.
• At the top, choose a time range. To delete everything, select All time.
• Next to "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files," check the boxes.
• Click Clear data.

If these steps do not work, access support directly through the 24/7 Support menu in your Canvas application.

To add a TA to your Canvas course, contact your Faculty's Director of Planning and Operations. Each Faculty has its own process for assigning course access.

Please note that the Teaching and Learning Centre does not process requests to add users to Canvas courses.

To learn more about Canvas features, updates, and releases, please visit the What's New in Canvas page.

We also offer Canvas workshops throughout the year. Visit our Workshops and Webinars page to explore upcoming sessions.

Canvas supports a wide range of teaching activities, including sharing course materials, communicating with students, collecting assignments, administering quizzes, facilitating discussions, and providing grades and feedback.

Canvas also integrates with  Kaltura Virtual Classroom, allowing you to host live virtual classes, office hours, and other online meetings directly within your course.

New Quizzes is the latest assessment tool in Canvas, offering additional question types, improved quiz settings, and more flexible options for creating and managing assessments

To learn more, please visit the New Quizzes Hub.

Students can communicate with their instructors using the Canvas Inbox, which allows course participants to send messages to one another within Canvas.

Depending on your notification preferences, you may also receive a copy of Canvas Inbox messages in your Ontario Tech email. You can reply directly from your email or respond within Canvas Inbox.

Although Canvas Inbox functions similarly to email, it is a course messaging tool and does not include all of the features of a traditional email application (e.g., forwarding an email outside of Canvas).