Faculty: Adding Content

To begin posting content, first, open a course and then access a course feature from the Course Navigation menu.

Course materials instructors can post to Canvas include:

• Announcements: Keep students informed, share important information with all students enrolled in a course. Remind students of important dates or highlight events of interest. Announcements can include text, multimedia, and files.
  • How do I add an announcement in a course?
• Assignments: Assignments include quizzes, graded discussions, and many types of online submissions (files, images, text, URLs, and media). Assign them to everyone in a course or assign different due dates for specific sections.
  • How do I create an assignment?
• Discussions allow students and instructors to communicate about course topics at any time. Create discussions for a grade or facilitate discussions for students to exchange ideas and solve problems.
  • How do I create a discussion as an instructor?
• Create pages for weekly updates, a collaborative course wiki, or a list of resources. Pages can include text, multimedia, and links to files and other course content or pages.
  • How do I create a new page in a course?
• Quizzes challenge student comprehension of course material. Note: CalArts is using “New Quizzes.”
  • How do I use the Quizzes Index Page?
• Syllabus can clarify course objectives, list preferred contact methods and other details, and display all assignments and events within the course. It is suggested you avoid uploading a PDF syllabus to ensure content is screen-readable for users with learning accommodations.
  • How do I use the Syllabus as an instructor?
  • How do I edit the Syllabus in a course?

Instructors can drag and drop files from a computer into a course.

To Add a File:

1. In the Course Navigation, click the Files link.
2. Click the Upload button.
3. Find the file you want to upload and click the Open button.

Some web browsers allow you to add files by simply dragging and dropping the files from a file window directly into the Canvas file repository.

Click the title of the file you wish to add [1] and drag the file to your open browser [2]. Your file will automatically upload.

In Canvas, the Rich Content Editor (RCE) acts similar to a website editor or word processing editor, allowing you to add, edit, or embed content directly in Canvas. Use the RCE in Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, Pages, Quizzes, or Syllabus features.

RCE Features include the ability to:

• Format text and paragraphs
• Insert links, images, media, and documents
• Open external tools (like Panopto, Google, Zoom, or YouTube)
• Add tables, equations, or embed media.

To open the RCE:

1. Select a course from your Dashboard.
2. Click on a feature from the Course Navigation menu on the left, such as the Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, Pages, Quizzes, or the Syllabus feature.
3. Find and click on the + or Edit button typically located at the top right of the page, which will open the RCE.

Copy course content such as assignments, modules, pages, and discussions from other Canvas courses into existing courses. If you have previous taught at an Institution with Canvas, you can import old courses.

1. From your Dashboard, select the course to which you will copy content.
2. In the Course Navigation menu, click on Settings.
3. On the right side of the screen, click on the Import Course Content link.
4. From the Content Type drop-down list, select Copy a Canvas Course.
5. Type the course title in the Search for a course field, and select the course from the automatic list that will appear.
6. Select whether you would like to copy the course with All content or Select specific content to copy.
7. Note that you also have the option to Adjust events and Due dates.
8. Click the Import button.