Canvas at
UT Austin
Canvas is UT Austin's university-wide learning management system — the digital home for every course. Students access course materials, submit work, and track grades. Faculty design and deliver instruction, all from one platform.
Who uses Canvas
Built for your role
Canvas works differently depending on how you come to it. Here's what it offers each part of the UT community.
Your academic home base
Every course you're enrolled in appears in Canvas from day one. Access everything your instructor shares — syllabus, readings, recordings, assignments, and grades — in one place.
- ✓ View course materials, syllabi, and announcements
- ✓ Submit assignments, quizzes, and discussion posts
- ✓ Check grades and feedback in real time
- ✓ Watch recorded lectures via Canvas Studio
- ✓ Message instructors and collaborate with classmates
- ✓ Track all due dates in the unified Canvas calendar
- ✓ Access on mobile via the Canvas Student app
Design and deliver with precision
Course shells are auto-created each semester from the registrar. Build your course once and reuse it, add integrations, and use SpeedGrader to return meaningful feedback efficiently.
- ✓ Auto-provisioned course shells from Registrar data
- ✓ Build modules, pages, assignments, and quizzes
- ✓ SpeedGrader for annotating and scoring submissions
- ✓ Integrated plagiarism detection via Turnitin
- ✓ Publish video content through Canvas Studio
- ✓ Outcome-aligned rubrics and gradebook export
- ✓ Course copy and import from prior semesters
Platform Capabilities
What Canvas can do
Canvas goes well beyond file storage and grade posting. It's a full instructional design environment built on open standards.
Modules & Course Design
Organize content into sequential or open modules. Mix pages, files, assignments, quizzes, and external tools in any structure.
Assignments & Submissions
Accept file uploads, text entries, URLs, media recordings, or no-submission acknowledgments. Configurable late policies and attempt limits.
Gradebook & SpeedGrader
Flexible gradebook with weighted groups, custom grading schemes, and SpeedGrader for inline annotation and audio/video feedback.
Quizzes & Assessments
Classic and New Quizzes engines support multiple question types, question banks, time limits, and accommodations for registered students.
Discussions
Threaded or non-threaded discussions with graded or ungraded options. Supports file attachments, embedded media, and peer replies.
Calendar & To Do
All assignment due dates, quiz windows, and events roll up into a unified calendar. Students see their own; faculty see section-level views.
Accessibility Tools
Built-in accessibility checker for course content. Supports screen readers, keyboard navigation, and alternative text prompts for embedded media.
Mobile Experience
Canvas Student and Canvas Teacher apps for iOS and Android. Push notifications for announcements, grades, and messages.
Connected Tools
Integrations in your Canvas
UT Austin has enabled a curated set of LTI-connected tools inside Canvas. These appear natively in your course — no separate login required for most.
Access & Setup
Getting started with Canvas
Canvas uses your UT EID for single sign-on. No separate account or license request is needed.
Sign in with your EID
Go to utexas.instructure.com and click UT Austin EID Login. Enter your EID and password — you're in immediately via UT's single sign-on.
Find your courses
Your dashboard shows all active enrollments. Courses appear once the instructor publishes them — typically within a few days of the semester start. Unpublished courses won't be visible.
Set up notifications
Go to Account → Notifications to control how Canvas contacts you — email, SMS, or push. Set grade posting and announcement alerts so you never miss something important.
Install the mobile app
Download Canvas Student from the App Store or Google Play. Sign in with your institution, search "University of Texas at Austin."
Learning Resources
Get the most out of Canvas
Whether you're a first-time user or building complex courses, there's a resource at the right depth for you.
Faculty Innovation Center
UT's dedicated faculty support unit for teaching with technology. One-on-one consultations, workshops, and course design sprints — all free for UT faculty.
Visit the FIC →Canvas Guides
Instructure's official documentation covers every Canvas feature in depth. Separate guides for students, instructors, and admins with step-by-step screenshots.
Browse Canvas Guides →Canvas Video Guides
Short, focused how-to videos from Instructure covering assignments, gradebook, Quizzes, Discussions, and more. No login required to watch.
Watch Video Guides →ET Canvas Workshops
Enterprise Technology and the FIC co-offer Canvas workshops each semester — covering course setup, SpeedGrader, accessibility, and advanced integrations.
View Schedule →Need Help?
Canvas support at UT Austin
Self-Service & Articles
Search UT's knowledge base for Canvas how-tos, workarounds, and known issues — most common questions are answered without a ticket.
Search Knowledge Base →UT Service Desk
For login issues, missing enrollments, or anything that isn't working as expected, the UT Service Desk can assist or escalate to the Canvas admin team.
Contact Service Desk →Faculty Innovation Center
Faculty needing pedagogical or instructional design guidance alongside Canvas support should reach the FIC directly — they specialize in teaching-and-technology intersections.
Contact the FIC →