Create a Canvas Course Homepage with Design Tools
Figuring out how to design and create a course homepage can be challenging. Whether you are starting from scratch, or you simply want to customize the homepage that you have imported through the USU template or from previously taught courses, Design Tools has many helpful tools to help get your homepage looking exactly how you would like it to.
Design Tools is fairly robust and can allow you to customize your page in lots of different ways. For additional information, be sure to check out the other resources listed in the Additional Resources section found at the bottom of this page.
Add a Theme
Design Tools has several aesthetic templates that you can add to your course homepage for a quick start.
Click Edit on your course homepage
If you are starting from a blank Canvas course, there may not be an Edit button. You will need to create a homepage:
- Navigate to Pages
- Click + Page
- Give the page a title (i.e. "Home")
Launch Design Tools by clicking on the Rocket Ship icon in the top-right corner
Expand the Create/Edit Content dropdown
Expand the Choose a Theme dropdown
Select Front Page and select a desired theme
You can hover over each option to see an example of what each theme looks like.
Customize Course Number and Title
After selecting a theme, the generic template information will need to be updated. Sometimes, trying to edit the information directly through the Canvas content editor can cause unsuspected issues. Below are the steps on how to properly update the course number and title of the homepage using the features in Design Tools.
Expand the Create/Edit Content dropdown in the Design Tools
Expand the Customize Banner Text dropdown
Update the necessary information
It is most common to keep the Show Canvas Title toggle to be off, and to update the Unit Name (Department code: ENGL), Unit Number (Course number: 2010), and the Content Title (Course name: Intermediate Writing). It is not necessary to fill out all of the fields.
Adding a Module List
If you want a list of modules available on the homepage, you need to build them on the Modules page first. (See the Canvas Modules Overview for more information.) Then, come back to these instructions.
If you are importing content from a previous course and would like to quickly update the module list information, see the following resources:
Expand the Add Advanced Elements dropdown in the Design Tools
Expand the Module List dropdown
(If there are no items listed under Add Advanced Elements click on the gear icon at the top of the Design Tools menu and choose the Advanced option.)
Toggle the Add and Configure Module List to on
You may encounter an error that says "The 'Modules' link must be visible in the course navigation for this tool to work for students." This error will always appear as a reminder to make sure that your Modules tab is visible to your students. After you have created your modules and have published at least one of those modules, this feature will appear by default.
Click + Add all Modules
Select your desired settings and customizations
Columns: The number of columns the links are divided into at the widest screen size. *Does not apply when All Quick Links is selected.
Link To:
- Modules Page: The link will open to that module on the module page.
- First Item: The link will open to the first item within that module.
Include Quick Links: Quick links displays the items associated with a module on a page.
- Current: Displays only the details for the current module (based on date fields or marked as current).
- All: Turns the modules list into a series of tabs containing items for all modules.
- None: Displays only the name of the modules without displaying any of the items within them.
Date Fields: Configures each module to be highlighted within a given date range.
- Show Dates: Shows the date range fields.
- Hide Dates: Hides the date range fields
Customizing the Banner Image
You can further customize your course homepage by changing the banner image to something more relevant to the course you are teaching.
If you aren't already in the content editor, click on the Edit button on the page.
Click on the banner image to select it
To confirm that you have selected the image, there will be popout that says Image Options.
Click the Upload / Embed Image icon in the toolbar
Select the image source
When selecting an image to use, we recommend using one that is landscape-oriented.
Computer: Upload an image from the files on your computer.
Canvas: Upload an image that you have previously uploaded to your Canvas course.
Unsplash.com: Search images in this free stock photo library.
Pexels.com: Search images in this free stock photo library.
Public URL: Paste the URL of the image source.
Navigate to the Crop Image tab
Expand the Image Ratio dropdown and select 10:3
If the crop preview doesn't appear, repeat steps 5 and 6.
We recommend a ratio of 10:3 because it fits neatly on the homepage and doesn't take too much space, leaving room for your students to more quickly find necessary links and information.
Adjust the image as necessary
We recommend that you fit as much of the image into the highlighted portion of the editor. You can easily adjust it by clicking and dragging each of the corners to expand the box to the edges of the image. Everything outside of the highlighted section will be cut out as you proceed to the next step.
Click Crop Image
Click Upload and Embed
Adding Instructor and TA Information
Another optional feature that you can include on your homepage is to include your information as well as any of your TA's. This can be helpful for your students so that they can quickly find your contact information for any reason.
Expand the Add Advanced Elements dropdown in Design Tools
You can access Design Tools by clicking on the Rocket Ship icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Expand the Teacher & TA Details dropdown
(If there are no items listed under Add Advanced Elements click on the gear icon at the top of the Design Tools menu and choose the Advanced option.)
Select the instructor and review the information
Click + Insert as Content Block
Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the TA, if applicable
Additional Resources
In addition to the instructions found on this page, there are several other helpful pages when it comes to editing and enabling your homepage: