By Mrs. Jennifer Conwell, High School Science Teacher

Canvas is one of the best and most used learning tools in the education world. Why not become a master at it to be most successful at earning that high school diploma? I’m going to provide you with some important tips and tricks to help you work smarter, not harder, when it comes to completing assignments for your classes. Best news is, you can successfully do this from your laptop or a device using the Canvas for Students App.

The Golden Rule

Your laptop is the first and best tool that you should be using when joining your live class sessions and completing assignments. The added bonus to Canvas is that there is an app that can help push notifications to your phone to help remind you of assignment due dates, upcoming live class sessions, and important class announcements. You can download it for Apple Devices or download it for Android Devices.

1. Let’s Get Organized

Your Canvas dashboard is your home hub to access all your classes. You can customize your dashboard by dragging and dropping your classes in the order you prefer. You can even change the color of your courses by clicking on the three dots in the upper right corner of each course picture. This is an easy way to color-code assignments on your calendar to see what’s due for each class. Speaking of calendars, you can add your Canvas calendar to your personal calendar to have your school and personal life schedule all in one place. Simply click on your calendar, then “Calendar Feed” in the bottom right corner of your screen, and copy/paste the calendar link to add to any other digital calendar you currently use.

2. Master the Modules

Classes are broken up into modules. Think of these modules as your units in your course or even the dividers in your binder. To complete your assignments, you will be working through your modules one assignment at a time, in the order that they are posted. If you find that you are stuck in the course, make sure you have fully completed the previous content, even if that is just reading your textbook material and answering a few questions or just viewing the course syllabus.

3. Utilize Canvas Tools

One of my favorite tools in Canvas is the To-Do List. This is a perfect way to set up a daily checklist for yourself to complete tasks. If you find yourself scrambling to figure out what items of highest priority need to be completed by the end of the day, use the To-Do List to help tackle the task. To edit and add items to the To-Do List, go to your dashboard and open the List View option to view all your classes in one column. This will allow the To-Do List to show up on the right side of the screen and add the ability to add items to it. Once in this setting, you will notice multiple features such as viewing if an assignment is past due, the link to join your live Zoom class session, the date an assignment is due, how many points that assignment is worth, and a checkbox to mark once it’s completed. To add items to your To-Do List, click the “+” button at the top right corner of the screen and include as much information that will help you best.

Extra Tips

These are just a few helpful tools that you can use to get one step closer to earning your high school diploma. If you ever find yourself stuck or needing extra support, don’t forget to reach out to your teacher directly or your Student Engagement Specialist. You can also utilize the Help button on the left-hand side of your screen once logged in. Community Canvas is another amazing resource to help you further learn tips and tricks to work smarter, not harder. Remember to take breaks often to step away from the screen to fuel your body with good food, a good night’s sleep, and movement spent outdoors. You are now well on your way to crushing your classes this school year. You’ve got this!