Student Canvas Tips and Tricks

Canvas Tips and Tricks

Coming Summer 2025: Welcome to the Canvas Learning Management System at St. Petersburg College! Whether you’re new to Canvas, transitioning from MyCourses or another learning management system, or familiar with Canvas but adjusting to how we use it here at SPC, this guide has you covered. We’ve put together a collection of helpful tips, tricks, and how-tos to ensure you’re set up for success. Explore the resources and get ready to hit the ground running with your courses!

Why the Canvas navigation looks different at SPC

If you used Canvas at another institution, you may notice some key differences when you review our instance of Canvas. At SPC, we've streamlined the online learning experience for you so that as you navigate between different courses, the experience is the same.  

• The Home pages all use similar templates. 
• The Syllabi are standardized (see: Find your Syllabus in Canvas)
• All course content (Assignments, Discussions, Quizzes, etc) is inside the modules. There is no separate Assignments tab. If you're looking for an assignment, you need to select Modules and scroll to the module where that assignment is placed. 

How to pop out the Navigation bar

In Canvas, there are two main navigation bars: Global Navigation and Course Navigation.

The Global Navigation is on the lefthand side of the screen. In our instance, it is blue, with the SPC Titan logo at the top. The Global Navigation is where you move between courses, access your Canvas Inbox,get Help, and more.

The Course Navigation opens to the right of the Global Navigation once you enter a course. Inside your course, the Course Navigation bar is where you move between the Home page, the Syllabus, the Modules, and more.

Sometimes, due to device display settings, the Course Navigation bar is collapsed. To open (or collapse) the Course Navigation, click on the Course Navigation button on the top of the screen. 

Getting Help with Canvas

Did you know that Canvas help is built into the Global Navigation? If you're confused or wondering about how to do something, select Help on the Global Navigation, Select Support Guides from the Help menu, and then click on one of the help button options or use the search bar to type in your question.

Zoom and Canvas

Coming soon: Zoom and Canvas

Panopto and Canvas

Coming soon: Panopto and Canvas

Dashboards/Course Cards

To add a course (or more than one course!) to your Favorites, select Courses from the Global Navigation, then select All Courses, and to add it to your Favorites, press the star. 

Canvas Backpack for Badges

Collect and share your badges and credentials in Canvas Backpack for Badges!

Deleting Multiple Inbox Messages

Is your Canvas Inbox out of control? You can delete multiple Inbox messages in Canvas. We recommend waiting until the end of the semester. 

Group Assignments vs Group Discussions in Canvas

Canvas Groups allow students to collaborate on assignments and discussions in small groups. In SPC's Canvas instance, there are two ways to access group work. Group assignments are only accessible through the course modules. Group discussions are accessible through the course modules as well, but they can also be accessed by the Groups button on the Global Navigation. 

To access a Group Assignment:

 Course > Modules > Assignment > Submit 

To access a Group Discussion:

Method One: Modules > Discussion

1. Navigate to your course.

2. Select modules.

3. Select the group discussion from inside the modules.

OR

Method Two: Groups > Select Group > Group Discussion:

1. 1. In the Global Navigation, select the Groups button.

   2. Select the relevant group. 

   3. Select Discussions from the Groups navigation. 

   4. Select the discussion from the list.

See: How to Submit a Group Assignment

How to Participate in a Group Discussion

Using Groups in Canvas

More to come!

More Canvas tips and tricks to come!