Module 5 Using the Settings Page

Adjusting Your Course Settings

The course Settings page provides access to various configuration options. The following discussion will examine these settings, acknowledging that access to certain modifications may be restricted and reserved for HSC Canvas Administrators.

Image of the canvas settings page image of canvas settings page

Image: A cover image of a course can be uploaded, which will appear on the Canvas Dashboard.

Name: Name of your course

Course Code: Course codes at HSC typically include the course prefix, course number, section number, and semester. Occasionally, they include other data (such as rotation or development status)

Time Zone: HSC operates in the Central Time Zone.

SIS ID: SIS ID is used by your Canvas Admins for many automated processes that keep your Canvas courses working.

Subaccount: A course can be assigned to a subaccount to mark which set of courses it belongs to. At HSC, this setting is used to designate a course as belonging to specific departments and programs.

Term: Defines the term of the course (e.g., Fall 2017). Term dates are established in Canvas by your Canvas admins, and correspond to official academic calendar dates.

Participation: Basic academic courses should be set to Course.

Starts: Sets the start date of the course when the checkbox described below is checked.

Ends: Sets the end date of the course when the checkbox described below is checked.

Users can only participate in the course between these dates: When this box is checked, Canvas will allow access to the course between the dates set in the Starts and Ends sections you've just defined. When this box is not checked, Canvas will always only allow access during the dates defined by the Term setting above. Generally, terms are defined by the academic calendar, though you may have reason to allow your students to check the course after the end of the term (e.g., to add an extra week at the end for students to be able to check final grades).

Language: By default, the language for Canvas courses at HSC is English.

File storage: This setting defines the maximum file size of the total course. You will not be able to upload any content that exceeds this maximum size.

Grading scheme: Find more information about grading schemes in Canvas. How do I use grading schemes in a course?

License: Adjust this setting to adjust copyright permissions for the course. By default, all HSC courses are copyrighted.

Visibility: Use this setting to adjust who can find the course- the public, the institution, or only those enrolled in the course.

Format: Classify your course as online, blended, or on-campus

Description: Include a description of your course here.

When you are done adjusting the settings for a course, click the Update Course Details button at the bottom to save and apply your changes.

You may also notice some additional tabs across the top of your Settings page, as pictured below.

settings tabs screenshot

The Sections tab within course Settings displays course sections, if applicable. Canvas sections utilize identical course content but enable differentiated grading and gradebook management. In instances where multiple sections necessitate distinct course content, separate Canvas courses are created instead of relying on the Canvas sections feature.

The Navigation tab is used to adjust the appearance of the Course Navigation Bar for your course. You will learn more about how to use this feature on the next page of this course.

The Apps tab will show which external tools you have enabled in Canvas.

The Feature Options tab has some advanced settings options and some Canvas beta-testing options that will generally be configured by your Canvas Admins.

Learning Activity

To configure course availability and other settings, follow these steps within your Canvas Sandbox Course:

Access the "Settings" page.
Adjust the course availability dates according to your requirements.
Modify any other relevant settings as needed.