5 MUST KNOWS
for students taking online courses
1
SETUP YOUR
NOTIFICATIONS
Make sure to check your notification preferences in Canvas. Notifications provide you with helpful alerts about course activity, such as:
- Grades
- Announcements
- Messages
- Assignments
- Discussion Posts
- Quizzes
HELP GUIDE
How to change your Canvas notification preferences

2
UPDATE YOUR
PROFILE & EMAIL
Don’t forget to update your Canvas profile with a photo so that your classmates and instructor can better connect with you.
Also, make sure to add your OU Email alias if you have one. Adding your OU email alias to Canvas allows you to directly reply to Canvas messages from your OU email.
HELP GUIDES
How to add a profile picture in my user account as a student
How to add your OU Email Alias to Canvas
How to change your default email in Canvas

3
KNOW WHERE TO
LOCATE FEEDBACK
Check your assignment feedback to learn more about what you did right and how you can improve.
Assignment feedback can be found in the GRADES area of the course in Canvas. Click Grades > Assignment Title > View Feedback.
HELP GUIDES
View Assignment Comments
View Annotated Assignment Feedback (from SpeedGrader)
View an Assignment Rubric and Results
View your Turnitin (plagiarism detection) score

4
FOCUS ON
TIME MANAGEMENT
Don’t procrastinate!
Schedule a dedicated time for your class and “Attend” it regularly (just like an on-campus course).
Allot enough time. Consider the table below when scheduling your time.
For a 3 Credit Course you can expect to spend at least this amount of time per week:
SEMESTER | TIME ALLOTMENT |
---|---|
16 Week | 9+ hours/wk |
8 Week | 18+ hours/wk |
4 Week | 36+ hours/wk |

5
KNOW WHERE TO
FIND HELP
There’s a lot to know when it comes to online learning, but there is also a lot of help along the way.
CANVAS HELP: Canvas help is just one click away. Use the Canvas Help button located on the bottom left of the screen when in Canvas.
COURSE WORK: There are many resources at OU to help you with course work. Visit the Student Online Orientation for a helpful list. AND DON’T FORGET to reach out to your professor when you need clarification and support!
HELP GUIDE
How do I get help with Canvas as a student?
