Overview

Welcome to the first module of your Canvas Essentials course. This module is all about getting comfortable in the Canvas environment so you can move confidently through your courses and tailor Canvas to work the way you teach.

Canvas serves as your central hub for managing course materials, communicating with students, and accessing key teaching tools. Before you begin building or revising your course content, it’s helpful to understand how Canvas is organized and how to adjust a few basic settings to make your experience smoother.

In this module, you will explore:

Screenshot of the Canvas Global Navigation bar showing buttons

Overview of the Global Navigation buttons in Canvas, including what each button allows you to do and where it is covered in this course.
Navigation Button	What You Can Do Here	Where It's Covered in This Course
Account	Personalize your Canvas experience by updating your profile and pronouns, setting your time zone and language, managing personal files, and adjusting notification settings so Canvas communicates with you the way you prefer.	This module: Learn to Navigate and Customize Your Canvas Account
Dashboard	Use your Canvas "home" area to see your current courses at a glance, customize course cards, and set up your view in a way that supports how you work.	This module: Learn to Navigate and Customize Your Canvas Account
Courses	Access all of your Canvas courses (current, past, and upcoming) and choose which ones appear on your Dashboard for quick navigation.	This module: Learn to Navigate and Customize Your Canvas Account
Calendar	Stay organized across all your courses by viewing due dates, events, and meetings in week, month, or agenda view, and see how course activities align over time.	This module (overview). Advanced options, such as appointment slots, are covered later in the scheduling/office hours module.
Inbox	Use Canvas Conversations to send and receive messages with students or colleagues, share attachments, and keep communication organized in one place.	This module (basics). Targeted messaging tools (such as "Message Students Who…") are covered later in the grading and feedback module.
History	Quickly return to recently visited pages in Canvas—a helpful way to retrace your steps if you navigate away from something you want to revisit.	This module: brief overview in Learn to Navigate and Customize Your Canvas Account
Commons	Browse, preview, and import shared templates, modules, and learning activities from Canvas Commons, including any Miami-specific templates and departmental resources.	Covered in the module on Adding Existing Content and Using Templates.
Help	Access Canvas support, University of Miami support resources, and step-by-step Canvas Guides whenever you need assistance.	Introduced in the Welcome & How to Use This Course module.

As you work through this module:

Whether you’re exploring Canvas for the first time or using this page as a quick reference, here are a few helpful checkpoints:

Click through the Dashboard and Global Navigation to get familiar with how Canvas is organized.
Open your Courses list and confirm how to find current, past, and upcoming courses - and how to set Favorites for quick access.
Visit your Account settings to verify your profile, time zone, and notification preferences.
Locate the Calendar and Inbox so you know where to return for scheduling and communication throughout the term.
Use the Help menu (introduced in your Welcome Module) any time you want additional support or step-by-step guides.

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