Canvas: Managing the Course Menu

Task:

This article describes the default course menu settings and how to manage the course menu in a Canvas course.

Instructions:

The Course Menu

When you first access your course, you will see the default course menu list that is the same for all courses.  As you build your course, you can decide to show or hide the course menu links.  

The course menu links that are visible to the students will appear with no visibility icon present. Announcements and Discussion will remain invisible until content is added. Those items not visible to the students will have a visibility icon (eye with a dash through it) next to them.  There are exceptions to this in that Rubrics, Item Banks and New Analytics don't show to students but there is no visibility icon.

Below is an example of a course menu with some visible items and some invisible items.

NOTE:  Instructors can click and add content at anytime even if the item is not visible to the student, however, the menu item will not be visible to the students until there is content to view or you have made the course menu link available through Settings.

Managing the course menu
As an instructor for the course you are able to change what items the students can see.
  1. Enter the course you would like to update
  2. Click on Settings

3. Click on Navigation.  In the Navigation area, you will see 2 tables, the top table lists the course menu links that are available to the students, the bottom table are the course menu links that are unavailable.  

navigation

       4. Locate the title of the course menu item you want to change and click on the three dots to the right of the item

       5. Disable/enable as appropriate.  You can move course menu items between the two tables. You can also re-order the items that the student sees by dragging them within the top list.

enable item

      6. Scroll down and click Save

    

Alternatively, you can drag items from the bottom list to the top to enable and/or drag items from the top to the bottom with the same result. Just remember to click save when you are finished.

To check to make sure that students are seeing what you expect, you can utilize the student view feature. 

 

Outcome:

 

Users can expect to be able to manage the Course menu in Canvas.

Further reading:

For more information about course settings see Canvas Course Settings

Need additional help?

Please use this link to the Technology Help Desk to locate your local campus contact information.

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