One of my favorite tools in Canvas is the ability to change the image of the course as it appears within the dashboard. So instead of having a uniform color, you can make your course stand out by adding a JPG, GIF, or PNG of your own choosing. For my art history class, for example, I change the image weekly to match the current week's art historical period (the image below is for Impressionism).
GIFs are especially fun, because you can add movement into your course card. Note that images should be approximately 262 pixels wide by 146 pixels high.
To add an image to your course card, go to Settings > Image > Choose Image:
Check out the following link for more info: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-26419-how-do-i-add-an-image-to-a-course-card-in-the-dashboard
You can also personalize the colors of the course tabs on your Dashboard. There is such a limited number of colors! To increase the variety of colors available to you, Google "hex colors" - there are a number of sites graphic designers use to choose colors and they all have a code, sometimes all numbers and sometimes a combination of numbers and letters. Choose a color, copy the code and then you can paste that code number into your Canvas course tabs (see screenshot below!)
Hit "Apply" and you have a cool new color for your course tab!
I just recently have been having problems with my images for my home page and avatar not downloading all the way? My avatar is blank and my image/picture for my home page comes up with a ? in a box. I think it is my Air Mac? As I logged on with my phone just to check, and everything is on there. Home page images and avatars. Any suggestions to get those back on my computer? I miss my photos! LoL
@Jim Husting - It sounds like a browser cache issue. Have you tried clearing your browser's cache? Maybe one of our Mac users can share the steps for that. Let us know if you are using Chrome or Safari.
Are you using Safari? If so that's the problem most likely. I had to stop using Safari and now use Chrome. I had the same problem. The Canvas tech people will tell you not to use Safari because it's too buggy.
Aaron
@aaron-garner - Agreed. Safari was abandoned by Apple several years ago. There are no consistent updates for it. I wouldn't use it.
@aaron-garner Oh great!!! ? So Aaron...where do I empty my cache in Safari? Sorry for not knowing. And I can download Chrome on my Mac?
Jim,
It's not obvious, but here you go:
- Click on Safari in the top menu bar. It's next to the Apple logo on the left.
- Click on the Advanced tab within the window.
- Click on Show Develop menu in the menu bar at the bottom.
- Click on Develop dropdown menu - it's next to Bookmarks in the menu bar.
- Click on Empty Caches
I would also clear your browser history. Honestly I wouldn't use Safari. I have the latest version which is pretty recent and it's buggy for me. Chrome is much more stable. Firefox works for me as well.
Aaron
@vivie-sinou - Yes they did abandon it several years ago, but only for Windows. It's still being developed for Macs. Having said that, it's a piece of _____ fill in the blank!
Aaron
@aaron-garner Thank you so much Aaron! I will give it a try!
@Jim Husting Hi Aaron. Gave it a go and viola!! You were/are right Chrome is so much better! Seems faster too. All is well now in Canvas. Spent most of my day yesterday just fooling around with it. One thing though, bookmarks don't easily export/import well from Safari to Chrome and vice versa. No big deal. But thanks again for the tip!!
Glad it is working better Jim. I had a feeling you'd be happy using Canvas in Chrome. It's too bad because I like many things about Safari, but it's just too buggy in Canvas. Plus the grade book rarely works in Safari. Good luck with your classes.
Aaron