We’re excited to share the launch of our new Canvas Dashboard, now rolling out April 18th as a feature option to all users after a successful Early Adopter Program.
For years, we’ve heard consistently from institutions and students: how can we make it easier for students to see what’s important and find their course work? We embarked on a mission to completely rethink the learner’s dashboard to make it a more valuable space. As the “front door” to Canvas, the dashboard is capable of providing significantly more value than it does today.
A Dashboard Built For and With Students
We collaborated directly with hundreds of students in a discovery phase and during the Early Adopter Program, listening carefully to their challenges and requests. The result is a dashboard that is personalized, action-oriented, and directly responsive to real-world student needs.
Our core philosophy was to shift from a static navigation hub to a dynamic action-oriented command center. The new dashboard prioritizes critical deadlines, grades, and feedback, putting the information students need most front and center the moment they log in.
Key Features Driving Student Success
Here’s a quick overview of the key features designed to empower your learners:
- Dynamic Coursework & Smart Filtering: Students told us, "I just want to know what I have to do and get to it." The new Coursework Widget consolidates assignments across all courses into one view. Most importantly, it features filtering, allowing students to sort by specific courses or by submission status like “Missing,” ensuring they can always prioritize their immediate needs with fewer clicks.
- Integrated Performance Insights: We know that prompt feedback is crucial for student progress. High-visibility widgets for Course Grades and Recent Grades and Feedback place overall course grades and teacher feedback directly on the dashboard.
- Personalization: We recognize that every student works differently. The new customization allows students to use a Customization Mode to personalize their dashboard. They can add, remove, and rearrange components, dragging high-priority tools to the top of the screen to create a workspace that matches their unique workflow.
- Streamlined Instructor Connectivity: The dedicated People Widget acts as a direct shortcut, allowing students to easily identify and contact their instructors, reducing administrative hurdles to support-seeking behavior.
A Smooth Transition
We understand that change can sometimes be daunting, especially in the middle of a busy semester. To ensure a smooth transition, we've implemented an easy button to switch between the new and old experiences. Students can click "Switch to new dashboard view" at the top of their current Canvas dashboard. If they ever need to revert to the classic view, that same button allows them to switch back instantly. This gives learners the confidence to explore the new experience without losing access to the familiar view.
What's Next?
This is not a single launch, but a commitment to continuous improvement. We are incredibly grateful to the initial schools and students who participated in the Early Adopter Program. Their feedback has been invaluable, and we are continuing to iterate based on their comments and suggestions. Our mission remains to build the most impactful, learner-centered experience possible, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts as you and your students begin using the new dashboard!
Important Details
- The new learner dashboard is currently only available for users with a “student” role in Canvas. More information about educator and admin dashboards are coming soon.
- The feature is available at the root account level only. Students can then choose to opt in.
- Third-party tools may not yet be compatible with the new dashboard experience. These tools are built and maintained by external partners, so support will depend on updates from those providers.
Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, thank you for being a part of the Canvas community.
