Canvas Quick Guide - Editing the Front Page Templates
In this tutorial you will learn how to customize the HSU Front Page Templates to fit your needs and course information.
No matter which front page template you choose, this guide is designed to assist you in getting the sample content out and your content in!
Below are links to the three Front Page Templates in the HSU Canvas Faculty Guide for you to preview. The actual templates are currently available to import from the Canvas Commons. Instructions for importing the templates are below.
1. Import the Template into your course
From any Canvas page, click the Commons button in the Global Navigation Bar.
In the search bar type "HSU Canvas Front Page" and the first three results should be templates 1, 2, and 3.
Click on the template you'd like to use.
- On the right side of the page, select the check box next to the course(s) that you'd like to import into
- Click Import into Course
You should see the following message at the top of the page:
2. Navigate to your Course
- In the Global Navigation Bar on the left, click Courses
- Click on the course that you imported into
3. Inspect the imported page
In the Course Navigation Bar on the left, click Pages
At the top of the page, click View All Pages
Locate and click on the imported template page.
Take a look at the images used on the page, and decide what you'd like to replace them with.
The important thing here is the sizing of the images. When you are browsing for fair use images or cropping your own, keep these sizes in mind.
For example, the course title image at the top of this template needs to be cropped to about 1/2 the height of a standard image with the standard width.
4. Prepare and Upload your Images
If you need assistance uploading files to Canvas please follow this guide.
5. Replace the Template Content
On the template page, click the Edit button to open the Rich Content Editor.
To start, rename the page to fit your course.
Remove the template information/directions at the top of the page.
Replace the text content with your course information.
5.1. Replace the Images
Click on an image to select it. It should be highlighted in blue.
Use the Delete key on your keyboard to remove the image from the page.
Click the Embed Image button to bring up the embed options pop out window.
- Click on the Canvas tab to view your Canvas Files
- Locate the image in the file browser and select it
- Give the image descriptive alternative text for accessibility
- (Optional) You can give the image numeric dimensions here, but you will also be able to re-size it after embedding
- Click Update
You should see that the template image has been replaced.
Click on the image to select it, and re-size using the boxes in each corner of the embedded image.
Repeat this process as necessary for each image.
5.2. Create Links to Course Content
The images that you've placed in this page can be used as clickable buttons to link to Canvas content.
Click on an image to select it.
In the content selector on the right side of the page, you will see three tabs: Links, Files, and Images.
Decide what content you would like to link and select it.
You should see the image flash yellow when you make your link selection.
Repeat this process as necessary for each image you want to link from.
When you are finished, click Save and test your links.
6. Additional Resources
To learn more about the Rich Content Editor, Front Page, Home Page, and more, follow these guides:
How do I use the Rich Content Editor?
How do I set the Pages Front Page?
How do I set the Course Home Page?
How do I manage my Course Files?
You can also find many more informational tutorials in our Academic Technology Guides.