Canvas Navigation - Terminology

Breadcrumb Menu

A progressive menu directly below the Global Navigation bar that tracks the location of a user in the system. This menu provides a visual representation of each screen accessed to get to a specific page in Canvas.

Sidebar

Refers to the right-hand column or menu within Canvas. Items in the Sidebar may include calendars, reminders, editing tools, and assignment submission functions.

Course Navigation Bar

The Course Navigation Bar is found in the left hand column of a Canvas course. Items in this menu are sometimes called course 'tools.' Instructors can manipulate what students can see in the Course Navigation menu by manipulating the navigation tab in the course settings 'tool.'

Global Navigation Bar

The Global Navigation Bar is the purple menu bar at the top of the screen in Canvas. Access the drop down links in this menu by 'rolling' your mouse over the menu options. The options found in this menu are NOT course specific, hence the term 'global.'

User Dashboard

The first screen a user views when logging into Canvas. The User Dashboard lists all activity associated with the user.

Profile Bar (or Help Bar)

The profile bar is a menu located in the top right hand corner of the screen. This menu is used to access notification settings, user profile, help documents, and feature requests/bug reporting.

Recent Activity Screen (Course Level)

This is a Home Page Layout option available to Canvas instructors. If selected, students will see a list of all course activity on the course home screen.