How do I use the Course Dashboard as an instructor?

To expand or collapse the Course Navigation Menu, click the Menu icon.

Breadcrumbs appear above the course content area.

As you view course content from your Home Page, the breadcrumbs leave a trail to show where you are inside the course. You can follow these links backward to visit prior course content.

In the course tools section of the sidebar, you can manage your Course Home Page in addition to view other helpful links for your course.

To change the course home page layout, click the Choose Home Page link [1].

If your course Home Page displays a page other than the Course Activity Stream, view recent activity by clicking the View Course Stream link [2]. Recent activity displays all recent activity and events in the course for assignments, announcements, discussions, and conversations. When the Home Page is set as the Course Activity Stream, this button will not appear.

If your sidebar includes the Course Setup Checklist link [3], you can view a list of checklist items to help populate your course. Note: If you cannot view the Course Setup Checklist link, your institution has enabled the Canvas course setup tutorial instead.

To make a new announcement, click the New Announcement link [4].

To view your Canvas course using a test student, click the Student View link [5].

Once you have published your course and students have started to participate in the course, you may be able to access analytics for your course with the View Course Analytics link [6]. Viewing course analytics requires permission by your Canvas admin.

The sidebar always shows the To Do section [1], which shows all items that require grading in Canvas, regardless of due date. Each item in the To Do list displays the assignment name, the number of points, and the due date for the assignment. Some assignments may display multiple due dates. Items remain in this section for four weeks. However, assignments that are not graded or do not require an online submission only display until the due date.

The sidebar can also include a variety of other sections [2], depending on the layout of your Course Home Page. Additional sidebar options include Coming Up or the Assignment list, Calendar and Assignment Groups, and Recent Feedback.

Each section item indicates how many items need to be graded [1].

If a section contains more items than are listed, a link will appear under the list that you can use to view additional items [2].

If there are more than 100 items in the To Do section, you must remove items before you can view any new items. To remove a To Do item, click the remove icon [3].

Note: As an instructor, removing an item is only temporary; the item will reappear when a new submission is received for that assignment.