Getting Started for Students

Welcome to Canvas at Baylor University! Whether you’re new to college, transferring from another school, or just haven’t used Canvas before, this guide will walk you through how to access and navigate your courses, submit assignments, track deadlines, and find support when you need it.

Canvas is Baylor's official learning management system (LMS), used in nearly every course across campus. It helps you keep up with assignments, grades, announcements, and other important course content in one place.

Canvas is developed and supported by Instructure, Inc., and it includes tools for communication, collaboration, and assessment. Many instructors use Canvas to share readings and videos, post announcements, accept assignments, give quizzes, and provide grades and feedback. It also integrates with Baylor-supported tools like Zoom, Kaltura, and Turnitin.

Getting Started as a Student

This section will help you get logged in, set up your profile, and locate your courses in Canvas. These are the first steps to make sure you're ready to participate in your classes.

Log in to Canvas
Visit canvas.baylor.edu and log in with your existing Bear ID and password. Your Bear ID is your key to technology resources across the university, including Canvas.
You will use the Bear ID Management System to set your password for the first time and to reset your password when necessary. If you have questions or need additional assistance activating your Bear ID, please contact the Baylor ITS Help Desk rather than Canvas Support.
How do I managed my Bear ID?
Set Up Your Profile & Notifications
Click Account > Profile to personalize your account, and Account > Notifications to control how and when Canvas sends you alerts about assignments, grades, announcements, and more.
Edit your profile
Set notification preferences
Find Your Courses
Your instructors control when a course becomes visible to students. If a course has been published, you’ll see it on your Dashboard. To view all past and current courses—including unpublished ones—click Courses > All Courses.
View all Canvas courses
If a Course is Missing
A common issue reported by students is not seeing one or more courses listed. In most cases, this simply means the instructor has not yet published the course in Canvas. Courses remain hidden until the instructor chooses to publish them. Some instructors may also choose not to use Canvas at all.

In other cases, your instructor may have combined several sections of a class into a single Canvas site. This is especially common with cross-listed or multi-section courses. If the course code looks different than what appears in BearWeb, check the course title and instructor to confirm.

If you believe you should have access to a course that isn’t visible, send a short, polite email to your instructor. If the course was meant to be published but wasn’t, your message might serve as a helpful reminder.

Navigating Your Courses

Staying on Track

Canvas Overview Video

Additional Resources

Getting Support