Pages, Assignments, and Modules are the meat of your course, but it's also important to make sure that students are welcomed and oriented to the course, and that you are providing information on course policies and expectations. The Home Page of your Canvas course is the first object students will encounter when they enter your course, so it's a great place to make a positive first impression and help students make a strong start. Additionally, the Syllabus area of the course provides you with a place to upload or link a syllabus document and also provides students with a birds-eye view of the tasks they'll be assigned throughout the course. This page will help you make the most out of these important course tools.

How do I create and set my Home Page?

Key Concepts:

To create a home page, start by making a Page in the Pages area of the course. Be sure to Save and Publish the page. Then, in the Pages area of the course, select the kebab to the right of the page and select 'Use as Front Page' (see full guide).
By default, a course will have Modules set as the Home Page. To change the Home page to your Pages Front Page, navigate to the Home area of the course and select on the right. Then select 'Pages Front Page' (see full guide). You can, of course, choose another type of Home Page, such as Syllabus or Modules, if you wish.
I recommend that your Home Page includes a description of the course, a link to the Modules or first item in the first Module, your contact information, and a brief bio.

How do I add my Syllabus to the course?

Key Concepts:

Navigate to the syllabus area of the course and select 'Edit' at the top right. This opens the Rich Content Editor and allows you to add text, links, and images to the top of the Syllabus page (see full guide).
I recommend linking to your syllabus instead of copy/pasting it into the course. You can either upload your syllabus as a file or link to your syllabus if it is stored in the cloud.
Assignments will automatically populate in the Course Summary and will arrange themselves by due date.

Using the content above as a reference, we recommend that you complete the following tasks in your sandbox course for practice:

Create and publish a new Home Page in the Pages area of the course.
Make that page your Front Page.
Set your Home Page as your Pages Front Page.
Add your syllabus (or another practice document if you don't have a syllabus yet) to the Syllabus area of your course.

Next Steps

If you would like feedback on the items you create in your course, you are welcome to send your instructors a message in the Canvas Inbox, or post in the Canvas Q&A Discussion. Once you feel comfortable with setting a Home Page and adding a Syllabus, select 'Next' to move on to the next module item.