PrintIntroduction to Canvas and Setting Up Notifications
Canvas is our course management system. Penn State has a very nice Canvas Student Orientation that you can review if you are new to Canvas or simply need a refresher.
Even if you are very familiar with Canvas, PLEASE read the remainder of this page and verify that your notifications are set up properly. Failure to do so will lead to you missing critical class information.
Profile and User Settings let you control your personal information in Canvas. Take a few minutes to personalize your Canvas profile by following the instructions below.
| Task | Instructions |
|---|---|
| Personalize your Canvas Profile |
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| Set your notification preferences |
You have the option of selecting how, when, and for what information you would like to receive notifications. This can be very helpful when keeping track of items such as discussion posts, assignment due dates, and exams. Visit the Canvas Notification Preference Support page and follow the instructions for setting up your notification preferences. The video below this table provides additional information. To ensure that your Canvas e-mail messages are forwarded to your regular e-mail account immediately, check the "Notify me right away" option (the checkmark) for each item under "Conversations" in Notification Preferences. |
| Set your timezone |
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| Download the Canvas App | For information on using the app by device, please see the following: |
Video Tutorial: Canvas Notification Preferences (2:56)
In this video, you will learn about managing your notification settings for all courses and for an individual course.
To get started, click the Account link in the Global Navigation menu.
Then click the Settings link.
To add an email, click the Add Email Address link.
Enter your email address in the field and click the Register Email button.
After your email has been registered, you will receive a confirmation email. To complete registration, click the link provided in the email.
To manage notifications for all your courses, click the Notifications link in the User Navigation menu.
You can also access your notifications from anywhere in Canvas by clicking the Account link and clicking the Notifications link.
Notification settings are divided into sections including: Course Activities, Discussions, Conversations, Scheduling, Groups, Conferences, and Alerts.
Each section includes notification categories. You can view what triggers each notification by hovering your cursor over the category.
Contact methods linked to your account and push notifications for the Canvas apps are listed in individual columns.
To change how often you receive notifications for a specific category and contact method, click the corresponding notification icon.
You can receive notifications immediately, receive a daily or weekly summary, or turn notifications off completely.
Instructors, students, and observers can also manage notification settings at the course level. To open a course, click the Courses link in Global Navigation and click the name of the course.
In the Course Home Page, click the View Course Notifications button.
You can choose to enable or disable notifications for your course using the Enable Notifications toggle button.
If notifications have been enabled for your course, you can specify how often notifications are sent to a contact method for a specific category. Course notification sections and categories may differ from those available at the account level. However, course level settings will override notification settings at the account level for that course.
To manage how often you receive notifications for a specific category and contact method, click the corresponding notification icon. Then click how often you'd like to receive the notification.
Thanks for watching this Notification Settings overview video. To learn more about Canvas, ask questions, or engage with other Canvas users, please visit community.canvaslms.com.