Learning With Canvas
Canvas is Ontario Tech University's learning management system. It is an online platform where students can access their courses, submit assignments, check grades, and communicate with instructors. This is one of the main ways students access their course materials at the university.
Canvas 24/7 Support
24/7 Canvas Support is available to assist you with everyday Canvas use, how-to questions, and technical problems. Support options can be accessed through your Canvas instance via:
- Live chat
- Webform/email
- Dedicated phone number
Other Support Resources
Canvas Guides
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Announcements
- How do I view announcements?
- How do I add an announcement in a group?
- How do I edit an announcement in a group?
- How do I delete an announcement in a group?
- How do I add an external RSS feed to a group announcement?
- How do I subscribe to the Announcements RSS feed?
- How do I reply to an announcement?
- How do I like a reply in a course announcement?
- How do I view or reply to an announcement thread?
- How do I mention a user in an announcement reply?
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Assignments
- How do I view Assignments as a student?
- How do I view the rubric for my assignment?
- How do I view the rubric for my external tool assignment?
- How do I submit an online assignment?
- How do I submit a text entry assignment?
- How do I enter a URL as an assignment submission?
- How do I submit a media file as an assignment submission?
- How do I submit an assignment on behalf of a group?
- How do I know if I have a peer review assignment to complete?
- How do I submit a peer review to an assignment?
- Where can I find my peers' feedback for peer reviewed assignments?
- How do I upload a file as an assignment submission in Canvas?
- How do I use my webcam to take a photo for an assignment submission in Canvas?
- How do I annotate a file as an assignment submission in Canvas?
- How do I upload a file from Google Drive as an assignment submission in Canvas?
- How do I submit a cloud assignment with Google Drive?
- How do I upload a file from Microsoft Office 365 as an assignment submission?
- How do I know when my assignment has been submitted?
- How do I know when my instructor has graded my assignment?
- How do I submit a cloud assignment with Microsoft Office 365?
- How do I view assignment comments from my instructor?
- How do I use DocViewer in Canvas assignments?
- How do I view annotation feedback comments from my instructor directly in my assignment submission?
- How do I view rubric results for my assignment?
- How do I download assignment submissions from all my courses?
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Course Navigation
- How do I use the Course Home Page as a student?
- How do I use the Course Activity Stream as a student?
- How do I drop a self-enrolled Canvas course?
- How do I use the Syllabus as a student?
- How do I view New Analytics in a course as a student?
- How do I use the Microsoft Immersive Reader in a course as a student?
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Discussions
- How do I view discussions as a student?
- How do I view the rubric for my graded discussion?
- How do I subscribe to a discussion podcast?
- How do I know if I have a peer review discussion to complete?
- How do I submit a peer review to a discussion?
- Where can I find my peers' feedback for peer reviewed discussions?
- How do I create a course discussion?
- How do I subscribe to a discussion?
- How do I view and sort discussion replies?
- How do I change discussion settings to manually mark discussion replies as read?
- How do I mark discussion replies as read or unread?
- How do I reply to a discussion?
- How do I attach a file to a discussion reply?
- How do I embed an image in a discussion reply?
- How do I edit or delete discussion replies?
- How do I like a reply in a course discussion?
- How do I view a discussion thread?
- How do I mention a user in a discussion reply?
- How do I report a reply in a discussion?
- Grades
- Modules
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People and Groups
- How do I use the People page in a course?
- How do I view my course analytics?
- How do I view all groups in a course?
- How do I view my Canvas groups?
- How do I use groups?
- How do I join a group?
- How do I leave a group?
- How do I switch groups?
- How do I create a group?
- How do I upload a file to a group?
- How do I create a discussion in a group?
- How do I close a discussion for comments in a group?
- How do I manage groups as a student group leader?
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Quizzes
- How do I view Quizzes?
- How do I view the rubric for a quiz?
- How do I take a quiz?
- How do I take a quiz where I can only view one question at a time?
- How do I answer each type of question?
- How do I resume a quiz that I already started taking?
- How do I submit a quiz?
- How do I view quiz comments from my instructor?
- How do I view my quiz results?
- How do I know if I can retake a quiz?
- How do I submit a survey?
Frequently Asked Questions
Getting Started
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How do I login to Canvas?
- Login to Canvas at learn.ontariotechu.ca
- Use your student number and network password to login.
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What browsers and devices can I use Canvas on?
Supported Browsers
Current and previous major releases of:
- Chrome 135 | 136
- Firefox 137 | 138 (Extended Releases are not supported*)
- Edge 135 | 136
- Respondus LockDown Browser (supporting the latest system requirements)
- Safari 17 | 18 (Macintosh only)
Unsupported Browser Banner in Canvas
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 clearing your browser's cache and cookies.
Computer System Requirements
Screen Size
Studio is best viewed at a minimum resolution of 800x600.
Operating Systems
- Windows 8.1 and newer
- Mac OSX 10.6 and newer
- Linux - Chrome OS
- Chromebook - Chrome OS
Computer Speed and Processor
- Use a computer 5 years old or newer when possible
- 1GB of RAM
- 2GHz processor
Internet Speed
- Along with compatibility and web standards, Studio has been carefully crafted to accommodate low bandwidth environments
- Minimum of 512kbps
Screen Readers
- Macintosh: VoiceOver (latest version for Safari)
- PC: JAWS (latest version for Firefox; we currently do not support the Edge browser for accessibility)
- PC: NVDA (latest version for Firefox)
- There is no screen reader support for Studio in Chrome
For more details, visit the Canvas Community site.
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Can I use a mobile device to access Canvas?
You can access Canvas from any supported browsers on your Android/iOS device. However, mobile browsers are not fully supported, and features may not function as expected compared to when viewing Canvas in a fully supported desktop browser.
The Canvas Student app is also available, but not all Canvas features are available on the app.
For more information, visit the Canvas Community site.
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I can't login to Canvas, what should I do?
Students should contact the IT Service Desk and copy LMS@ontariotechu.ca regarding any technical issues within Canvas.
Accessing Courses
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I don't see my courses in Canvas, what should I do?
If you have registered for a course, but can't find it in Canvas, there may be a few reasons. They are:
- The course has not been released to students. Typically, this happens about 2 weeks before the start of classes each semester.
- You have not paid your fees or there are financial or other holds on your student account. Contact connect@ontariotechu.ca for information.
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How do I get access to previous Canvas courses?
After 120 days following the end of a course, you will not be able to access past courses. We suggest you download all necessary material before classes end.
Notifications and Messages
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How do I change my Canvas notifications?
- Open your Account settings, then go to Notifications to add or update your notifications.
- You can receive notifications for due dates, grades, new course content, announcements, and discussion posts.
- It is important to receive notifications for Course Announcements, as instructors use this method to communicate time-sensitive information to their students.
For more information, visit the Canvas Community site.
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How do I send a message in Canvas?
- Use Canvas Inbox to send messages to instructors or teaching assistants.
- Email notifications can be enabled in your Notifications.
Important Dates
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How do I track important dates in my courses?
- The Calendar function in Canvas summarizes important Assignment and Quiz due dates in each of your classes.
- Events that aren't in Canvas but are shown in your course syllabus, like the final exam, may not be listed here. It is important to review your course syllabus in addition to using the Calendar.
- Add your own events by clicking the ‘+’.
- Show and hide calendars by selecting them in the Calendars tab on the right.
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How do I connect my Canvas and Google Calendars?
- Calendar can be added to your Ontario Tech Google Calendar.
- On Canvas, select Calendar Feed.
- Copy the link that appears (right click the text, then click Copy, or Ctrl+C).
- Open Google Calendar and locate Other Calendars from the left sidebar.
- Click the '+' icon.
- Select From URL, and paste the Canvas Feed URL.
- Click Add Calendar.