Welcome!

Siena’s online faculty is guided by a commitment to maintain high-quality course design principles, solid pedagogy, and instructor presence. Because we promote the individual creative expressions of both students and faculty, our online courses are not standard "off-the-shelf" designs. We incorporate the University's existing commitments to competency, creativity, and direct involvement of faculty with students. Online courses open new opportunities and challenges for learning anything. In the discussion forums, you will learn the art of "peer learning;" you will learn how to contribute to discussions on a variety of topics. From course assignments, you will learn how to make sure you understand and carry out any kind of assignment—at work, at home, or in school. Taking responsibility for your learning is the main challenge. Your teachers are not information banks; they are learning leaders. They guide you in discovering not only what recognized experts have learned but also in pursuing answers to your own questions. For your part, courage is required to raise questions, to disagree, and to engage your teacher and fellow students in resolving differences of opinion. We aim to make your experience of online learning an opportunity that will benefit you in your home, work, spiritual, and personal life.

This orientation will prepare you to use the most common features in Canvas. It includes short video demonstrations and links to tutorials. Plan to spend about an hour viewing the videos and exploring the links. If you need to take a break, you can always return later to finish up or view tutorials again.

How do I log into Canvas?

After completing this orientation, you should log into My Siena and then click the Canvas button in the right menu under "My Tools". This will automatically log you into Canvas. Your username and password for Canvas are the same as for your MySiena. Please contact the Help Desk if you need assistance with logging in (517-264-7655).

Which browser should I use?

Canvas supports the last two versions of every browser release. We highly recommend updating to the newest version of whatever browser you are using as well as the most up-to-date Flash plug-in. Some browsers have trouble displaying content that is not secure. If you see blank screens where you expect to see content, please read the Browser Privacy Settings section in the Browser Requirements page below.

How do I complete this orientation?

This orientation course uses the Modules tool to organize the information provided. After you click the Modules link in the left navigation menu, click the first link on the Modules page to get started. You can also use the images below to jump to a particular module.

If you have a question about Canvas that is not covered in this orientation, please email eLearning_support@sienaheights.edu