Canvas FAQs – Canvas – Madison Academy

How do I turn off and manage Canvas notifications?

You have probably been receiving quite a few email notifications from Canvas about various items in your child's courses (grades posted, upcoming assignments, changes due dates, etc.). The default setting is to have most of these turned on. However, you can go into your Canvas account and setup the notifications to your specifications. For example, having only a weekly summary of upcoming assignments, but be notified immediately of grade changes. If you would like to change these notification settings, please check out this guide, "How do I set my Canvas notification preferences as an observer?"

How do I set up my Canvas account?

If it is your first time logging in, you will need to set up the password for your Canvas account. Please follow the instructions below.

Go to macademy.instructure.com/login/canvas
Click the “Forgot Password?” link
Type in your email in the login field (Please use your email address that is associated with RenWeb)
Click the “Request Password” button
Go to your email inbox and find the “Forgot Password: Canvas” email
Follow the instructions provided in the email to create a new password
Login to macademy.instructure.com/login/canvas with the same email and new password

Does Canvas replace RenWeb?

Canvas is only replacing RenWeb for communication between teachers, students, and parents. You and your student should be able to find lesson plans, assignments, and resources for each course in Canvas. Also, teachers will be posting grades in Canvas, but there will be a nightly sync to RenWeb. You will still be able to check RenWeb for grades, but the most up to date information will be on Canvas.

How do I see an overview of all my child’s grades?

If you want to take a quick glance at class grades from Canvas, when you login click "View Grades" on the right side. This should give you an overview of each class for the quarter. If you see a class that you want to investigate further, click on the class name to see all assignments and grades.

Can I use Canvas to communicate with teachers?

Yes! You can use the Canvas inbox to send messages to teachers that are assigned to your student. The Canvas inbox is restricted to only Canvas accounts, so teachers, students, and parents will only find school related messages within their inbox. This will clean up communication between all parties as messages will not be lost in emails or misspelled addresses. As an observer, parents will only have access to message their student and the teacher. To see how to utilize the Canvas inbox feature, check out the following guides, “How do I send messages to a user in a course as a Student?” ** and “What is the Inbox?”

**Although this article is written towards the students, it can still apply to observer accounts.

Is there a smartphone app for Canvas?

Yes! The Canvas Parent app can be found on Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Many parents are commenting on how much easier is to browse their students grades from the app. For more information, check out this article, “What is the Canvas Parent App?”