The User Dashboard is the first thing that you see when you log in to Canvas. The User Dashboard provides you with access to all of the tools that you need to make sure that you are on track in your classes.

It consists of three main parts, as shown in the image below: the blue Global Navigation Bar, which can be found on the left and contains links to tools that you will use all the time in your courses [1], a Course Tile for each of the courses in which you are currently enrolled [2] and a Sidebar [4] on the Right Side that contains a "To Do" list and a "Coming Up" list, as well as a link to view your grades.

Canvas Global Navigation-1.png

Global Navigation Bar

The Global Navigation Bar [1] provides you with links to the tools that you will need to use most often when working in Canvas. From top to bottom, it provides links to your personal settings (found under Account) a link back to your main Dashboard, a complete Courses list, access to your Global Canvas Calendar and your Canvas Messages Inbox. We will be discussing the functions of all of these tools in the next few pages.

Note also that the Global Navigation Bar contains a link to Follett Discover, an application that you can use to purchase the textbooks and other course materials that you will need each term. At the bottom of the Global Navigation Bar is a link to Help, which we will be discussing at the end of this orientation.

Course Tiles

The main portion of the User Dashboard contains Course Tiles [2] that link to the courses that you need to access the most (on the next page we will look in more detail at how you can decide which courses will appear here).

At the bottom of the course tile, you will see a variety of different symbols. Clicking on them will allow you to access any assignments, discussions, announcements, or files that have been created within that course. At the top right of each course tile, you will see three vertical dots [3]. Clicking on these vertical dots will allow you to change the color overlay of your course and give it a nickname. The nickname is visible only to you and can help you to remember which course is which.

Sidebar

The Sidebar menu on the right-hand side of the dashboard provides you with a lot of useful information. Your "To Do" list on the top outlines any tests or assignments that you have coming up in ALL of your courses if there is a due date attached. Clicking on their title will bring you directly to the assignment or quiz so that you can easily submit it. The "Coming Up" list below lets you know what tasks will need to complete in the near future. Below these two lists is a link to "View Grades", which will display all grades in all of your courses.

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