Account

In this menu, you can set your notification settings and change the general settings for your Canvas account. Under notifications, adjust how often you receive email notifications from Canvas or push notifications from the Canvas mobile app on your phone. You can change the settings for each course in which you are enrolled or for your account in general. We also recommend encouraging your students to adjust their notification settings to their preferences or in ways that will benefit them in their courses.

Dashboard

When first logging into Canvas with your Clemson credentials, you will be greeted by the Dashboard. The Dashboard contains your curated list of both published and unpublished courses. At the top of this screen, you may occasionally see Canvas push notifications containing important announcements or information.

Courses

Different from your Dashboard, the Courses tab displays a list of all courses in which you are currently enrolled or were previously enrolled, not just your curated list. Under the Courses tab, you can view your role in each course and whether the course is published. You can also search for courses and filter your favorite courses from this menu.

Calendar

The Calendar provides a space that displays all due dates for the courses in which you are enrolled. It also includes a built-in personal calendar where you can create events that are visible only to you. Additionally, on the right-hand side of the screen, you can toggle which courses you would like displayed on your calendar. All assignments and quizzes created in Canvas with a due date are automatically added to the calendar.

Inbox

This simple tool gives you a way to communicate with students through Canvas. The inbox essentially acts as an email messenger through Canvas, allowing students to communicate with you instead of emailing you from their Clemson emails. You can search by course through the inbox tool. This can be helpful for communicating with specific people in a course or with the whole course.

Course Navigation Bar

Once you enter a specific Canvas course, an additional bar appears on the left-hand side of the screen containing various tabs, known as the Course Navigation Bar.

Home

The Home Page of a course serves as a student’s welcome to your course. On the Home Page, you can add modules, which serve as section dividers for your course. You can organize these modules in chronological order or by topic. A green check mark on the right side of a module indicates that it is published and visible to students. If a module is not published, it will be invisible to students. In the upper right-hand corner, you can select View as Student. This tool allows you to briefly see what your course looks like from a student’s perspective. This feature is available in most areas of Canvas, not just the Home Page.

Announcements

The Announcements tab allows you to create announcements for the entire class. This tool enables you to share important information with students. You can also schedule announcements to be sent to the class at a future date and time.

Grades

The Grades tab houses your gradebook. Created assignments automatically populate in the gradebook. Under this tab, you can search and filter by students, assignments, or assignment types, such as quizzes. The gradebook settings allow you to assign late penalties for any assignments submitted past the due date. You can also change your grade posting policy for the course, choosing between automatic or manual grade posting. Automatic grade posting is not recommended for assignments that require manual point assignments or feedback, such as essays or open-ended questions.

These are just some of the tabs inside Canvas. Be sure to explore the other tabs to get a better idea of what Canvas has to offer and customize it to your preferences! Check out the rest of our Canvas Jumpstart Spring 2026 Series for more information!

Questions? Schedule a consultation with Clemson Online for help!

Upcoming Events 

Quick Hits: Create Engaging Video Lectures with Kaltura

Thursday, January 22nd, 3-4 PM

Kaltura is Clemson’s online video storage solution. It can also be used to make and edit videos. This training will introduce you to several practical tools and tips for ensuring your teaching videos are engaging and effective for your students. When registering, please include any questions you have about this training topic.

Register here for the Quick Hits session!

Facilitated by Millie Tullis, Digital Learning Strategist.

Turning Micro-content into Mastery with AI personalized Learning

Wednesday, January 28th, 1:30-2:30 PM

This session explores how we can leverage AI to transform bite-sized lessons into personalized learning experiences. 

Participants will discover how to create micro-lesson, recommend just-in-time resources, and scaffold micro-assessments that build toward true mastery. Whether you’re designing learning modules, or student activities, you will learn practical ways to make every 60-second learning moment meaningful and measurable. When registering, please include any questions you have about this training topic.

Register here for the AI personalized learning training.

Facilitated by Dara Abimbade, PhD, Digital Learning Strategist.

Clemson Online Spring 2026 Events Calendar

Review our Spring 2026 Events Calendar to see what Online Instruction Development opportunities await!

We have a robust lineup of topics and live training formats to support your use of Canvas and other e-learning tools. Topics cover demonstrations of using Kaltura, engaging your students, and workshops to get your Canvas site ready to teach!

All of our live training is recorded. Registrants will automatically receive a link to that day’s video after it has been processed.

Contact Millie Tullis with any questions regarding these sessions.

Clemson Online – Where Tech and Teaching Meet