Canvas

Canvas is a web-based learning management system (LMS). It is used by learning institutions, educators, and students to access and manage online course learning materials and communicate about skill development and learning achievement.  Canvas is the proprietary name of the application,  developed by Instructure, Inc.

At Florida Tech, "Canvas" may refer to any of these:

Instructors Start Here (Main Campus & Education Centers)

  • Canvas is the university's primary Learning Management System.
  • Canvas requires a TRACKS login account and FIT email address.  (New students and faculty must wait until they receive their FIT email address to gain access to Canvas.)
  • Courses and enrollments are synced with PAWS; there is a 2-6 hour delay between PAWS and Canvas.
  • Set Your Notification Preferences to tell Canvas when and how you want to receive notifications from the system.
  • Use a Sandbox to build courses or try features. Sandboxes may have access to new features not available in other areas of Canvas.
  • Enroll in Growing With Canvas, an online self-paced course for instructors.  Last updated 2019-12-18
  • Get Help 24/7 on the phone or via Live Chat. Click the Help link in Canvas for contact info.
  • Learn more from the Canvas Community, a place where every Canvas school can discuss methods and ideas.

Canvas communication & instructional hub 

If you have not previously used Canvas for course delivery, we have tools available to help get you started:

  • Canvas Overview for Instructors - offers a good overview of what is available through Canvas. 
  • Enroll in Growing with Canvas – This Faculty Orientation course contains videos and step-by-step tutorials to help you quickly and easily set up and run a course through Canvas. You can work at your own pace through each Module. You may complete the modules in any order, and also complete any or all module activities. Completing Modules 1-4 will provide a solid foundation in using Canvas. Modules 5-6 provide more advanced usage information.
  • Canvas Video Guides
  • Canvas Instructor Guide
  • Add a copy of your syllabus to Canvas and post an announcement for students about how you will use Canvas (and/or other tools) to continue offering your course.
  • Upload course materials, such as PDFs, videos, presentations, and more.
  • Create a discussion forum for conversation among students about course content.
  • Learn more about Canvas and, if you need help, contact Jason Griggs (jgriggs@fit.edu) or Anushka Boyd (boyd2008@fit.edu).

Need more help with Canvas? Florida Tech has a 24/7 dedicated Canvas Support team that can view your course and help you with specific troubleshooting.  Follow the Help link in Canvas for Live Chat, phone numbers, and guides.

Additional Tutorials and Training

Canvas Toolkit

General Information

  • Canvas Support and Guides are available via the Help link in Canvas. 
  • Canvas's Configurations explain how Canvas interacts with other FIT systems. (last updated 6/2/2014)

Building Courses

Work-Arounds & Solutions to Common Headaches

  • For HELP from within Canvas, simply click the Help link.  The Canvas Guides are excellent.
  • Rather than a Folder structure, Canvas uses Modules.  Modules are a good way to sequence the content in your course.
  • Copying and pasting from PDFs removes formatting; it works better to copy from Word files to preserve formatting and links.
  • Syllabus shortcut: Go to the Syllabus menu on the left, then click Edit Syllabus Description.  There, copy and paste your syllabus from Word.
  • The default grading scale cannot be set for all courses.  If you don't use a grading scale, all scores will be numeric.  If you want to convert scores into letters, you have to set up a grading scheme.
  • Is Roll Call Attendance affecting your grades in Canvas when you wish it wouldn't? Try this easy fix.(last updated 10/14/2014)