This document outlines resources for instructors on how to get started with Canvas at UW-Madison.
Select this link to list all Canvas documents from the Learn@UW-Madison Knowledgebase at the bottom of this page.
Canvas is UW-Madison’s centrally supported learning management system. It serves as a powerful and flexible tool for instructors and students in our digital educational space. Most other teaching and learning technologies integrate with Canvas making it the central technology in the digital teaching and learning ecosystem.
See Canvas - UW–Madison Information Technology for more information.
Canvas functionality is very modular. Instructors can pick and choose whether to engage several available functions. Most Canvas content is created using the Rich Content Editor. You can create Canvas content using the following Canvas functions.
Learn@UW-Madison actively supports the integration of third-party applications and publisher Digital Learning Tools (DLT) with Canvas. See Canvas - Enabled Application Configurations (UW-Madison) to learn more.
Advanced functions include the following. Relevant support materials are available as Canvas Guides, housed within the online Canvas Community.
In addition to traditional credit-based courses, Canvas can be used to deliver non-credit courses. This includes the following:
Canvas course shells for these purposes – non-credit, compliance, LifeLong Learning, etc – can be requested by completing the online Non-Credit Canvas Course Request Form.
Five types of non-timetable courses are available:
To get started with Canvas, see Canvas - Getting Started
Learn@UW-Madison offers a Canvas training course for students, and one for instructors & staff that covers all Learn@UW tools.
For more information on available Canvas training, please see Canvas - Training Resources (UW-Madison). For the latest updates about Canvas, please see the UW-Madison Canvas Information website.
These modules, developed by DoIT Academic Technology's Learn@UW-Madison team, are designed to help instructors introduce centrally supported learning technologies to their students. For more information, see Canvas - Student Tech Modules in Canvas Commons
The Learn@UW-Madison KnowledgeBase provides documentation from UW-Madison's Canvas administrative team. Select this link to list Canvas documents at the bottom of this page.
Canvas Community is a forum hosted by Instructure (Canvas's parent company), for educators around the world. Here, you can find documents about questions other educators have asked, and ask questions for peers to answer.
Note: This forum is not monitored by Learn@UW Support. To contact Learn@UW Support, please see the Technical Support section above.For general questions about delivering a Continuing Studies/lifelong learning "L3" course for external audiences to Canvas, please contact:
Alan Ng (alan.ng@wisc.edu), Director of Outreach Technology, DCS
For questions about using Canvas to deliver employee/staff and training courses, large-scale training and compliance courses for employees, and compliance courses for students, please contact the DoIT Help Desk.
What resources are available for Canvas non-credit courses?
Instructure releases updates to Canvas monthly. Please see "Canvas Release Notes" for information on new releases. New releases also generally contain a short video summarizing changes in a release. Check the release notes often to stay informed on bug fixes or new features coming to Canvas.
Please see Instructure's guide: What are the basic computer specifications for Canvas?
Note: Based on feedback from UW-Madison users, Canvas functions best when used with Chrome or Firefox. Safari is not recommended.