When you look at your Canvas Dashboard, you see all your courses laid out in rectangles. If you’ve not updated your course cards, the images for your courses will all be the IU logo. We recommend changing your course card so that both you and your students can easily identify your course. When all the courses look the same except for a color, it’s harder to distinguish between them. To change your course card image, go to the Settings in each of your courses. In Settings,

1. select the options menu (the three vertical dots) on the top right of the course card image
2. Click on “Choose Image”
3. Click the “Unsplash” tab
4. Search Unsplash for pictures by typing keywords in the search box
5. Click on the one you would like to use for your card

Making your own course card

If you would like to make a custom course card with text on it, you can do it fairly easily using one of these two templates

• Google Slides Canvas Course Card Template (you’ll be prompted to log in to Google if you’re not and then asked to make a copy of the template file)
• PowerPoint Canvas Course Card Template (downloads pptx file)

Using Canva

Canva, not to be confused with Canvas, is an online tool for creating and editing images and text for things like web banners, postcards, brochures, etc. There is a Canva “Canvas Course Card Template” that you can edit and then download the image for your fall course.  The benefit of Canva is that it comes with a library of free images, backgrounds, and fonts that you can choose from. There is also “premium content” mixed in so make sure to look for the word “free” on each image or background you use.

To use the Canva template

1. Create a free Canva account. We recommend using your IU Google account, but you can also use any Google account, Facebook, or email.
2. Once you are logged in to Canva, follow this link to the Canvas Course Card Template.
3. Click the “Use Template” button below the image to make a copy and open it in the Canva editor.