Technology
Why Don't I See My Course in Canvas?
There are a number of reasons why a teacher or a student may not see their course in Canvas.
Note: Not all courses are currently being taught in Canvas. If a course is being taught in Reggienet, that is where course content should be accessed. Beginning in Fall 2023, all courses at Illinois State University will be taught in Canvas.
Teacher/Instructor
If an instructor logs in to Canvas, and does not see a course they are scheduled to teach; or if they are unable to log in to Canvas, it may be due to one of the following reasons:
- The course is not a "favorite".
- Canvas users may select individual courses as "favorites", which will cause only those "favorite" courses to be visible in their Canvas Dashboard, or by selecting the Courses tab in the global navigation sidebar. If no courses are marked as "favorites", all their courses will display (up to 20 courses).
- Non-favorite courses may still be viewed by selecting the Courses tab in the global navigation sidebar and additionally selecting All Courses.
- More information regarding "favorites" in Canvas may be found at:
- The instructor has more than 20 courses in Canvas.
- By default, Canvas will only show up to 20 courses on a user's Dashboard, or in the Courses tab in the global navigation. If an instructor has more than 20 courses in Canvas, Canvas will display only 20 of them, which will cause some of the courses not to display. Selecting All Courses while in the Courses tab will still show all courses for the instructor.
- If an instructor has more than 20 courses in Canvas, it is recommended they mark those courses they wish to see in their Dashboard/ Courses tab as favorites.
- The instructor is not the instructor-of-record for a course.
- The Office of the Registrar may verify if an instructor is listed as the instructor-of-record for a particular course/section. If they are not accurately listed, they will not see the course in Canvas. In this case the instructor will need to work with their department/Registrar to correct the situation.
- The Office of the Registrar may verify if an instructor is listed as the instructor-of-record for a particular course/section. If they are not accurately listed, they will not see the course in Canvas. In this case the instructor will need to work with their department/Registrar to correct the situation.
- If the instructor is not currently teaching a course at ISU, but will be in an upcoming term.
- If an instructor is not currently teaching a course at ISU, their Canvas account may be in a suspended state. Instructors in this situation will gain access to their future course(s) 70 days before the start of the term for which they will be teaching.
- If an instructor is not currently teaching a course at ISU, their Canvas account may be in a suspended state. Instructors in this situation will gain access to their future course(s) 70 days before the start of the term for which they will be teaching.
- A new instructor has not completed their onboarding process
- If a newly hired instructor has not completed their paperwork/onboarding process with HR, they will not have access to Canvas. They will need to work with their department/HR to complete the onboarding process.
Students
If a student reports they are logging in to Canvas, but are missing one or more courses for which they are enrolled, if may be due to one of the following reasons:
- They are not registered for the course.
- The office of the Registrar can verify if a student is enrolled in a course/section.
- The office of the Registrar can verify if a student is enrolled in a course/section.
- The course has not been published by the instructor.
- Students will not be able to view a course they are enrolled in until the instructor has marked the course as "Published" in Canvas. If a course has not yet been published by the instructor, the student will need to work with their instructor to remedy the situation.
- Students will not be able to view a course they are enrolled in until the instructor has marked the course as "Published" in Canvas. If a course has not yet been published by the instructor, the student will need to work with their instructor to remedy the situation.
- It is more than 10 days before the start of an upcoming academic term.
- Courses for upcoming academic terms, even if in "Published" status, will not be made available to students until 10 days prior to the start of the term.
- Courses for upcoming academic terms, even if in "Published" status, will not be made available to students until 10 days prior to the start of the term.
- The course is not a "favorite".
- Canvas users may select individual courses as "favorites", which will cause only those "favorite" courses to be visible in their Canvas Dashboard, or by selecting the Courses tab in the global navigation sidebar. If no courses are marked as "favorites", all their courses will display (up to 20 courses).
- Non-favorite courses may still be viewed by selecting the Courses tab in the global navigation sidebar and additionally selecting All Courses.
- More information regarding "favorites" in Canvas may be found at:
How to Get Help
For technical assistance, Submit a Help Ticket or contact the Technology Support Center at (309) 438-4357, by email at SupportCenter@IllinoisState.edu, or by Live Chat at Help.IllinoisState.edu.
For instructional assistance, you may contact the Center for Integrated Professional Development by phone (309) 438-2542, or email at ProDev@ilstu.edu.