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Canvas and Course Materials

Canvas

Canvas allows Northwestern instructors and students to deliver course materials, submit assignments and tests, view grades, and create learning activities.

Troubleshooting Canvas

Visit the Canvas Resources hub to find extensive documentation on Canvas's various features and request support.

For Northwestern NetID-related issues, contact the Northwestern IT Support Center at 847-491-4357 (1-HELP) or consultant@northwestern.edu. 

For all other Canvas issues, contact Canvas Support via phone, live chat, or email: 

Course Reserves in Canvas 

Northwestern Library staff will procure items and obtain copyright clearance for journal articles, book chapters, and streaming audio and video that is requested through the Course Reserves tool available in each Canvas site.

  • Navigate to the course site.
  • Click on Course Reserves in the course navigation menu.
  • The first time the Course Reserves page is opened, please choose the quarter in which the course will be active and click "Create Course."
  • You will see the Course Reserves tool where you can request and view materials for your course.
  • Click on "Add Reserve Items" under Instructor Class Tools..
  • Select the reserve item type from the menu. Your choices are: "Book or DVD", "Book Chapter", "Article", "Streaming Audio" and "Streaming Video". (If you have items from a previous course you would like to import, see instructions for copying from previous quarters. If you are copying from a course you didn’t teach, complete steps 1-3 and then e-mail e-reserve@northwestern.edu to request that the reserves from the most recent version of the course be copied into your site.)
  • Fill out the form for the Reserve Item choice you have selected. Pay special attention to the date format, which requires MM-DD-YY. Date needed should be a few days before the item is required for the course. Library staff triage requests based on this date.
  • Click the submit item button once the form is filled out with all of the relevant information.

Links to library materials should not be used in online classes. Additional information is available at the Course Reserves site and the Main Library Reserve Team is available for assistance at e-reserve@northwestern.edu or 847-491-7681.If you are teaching a course you didn’t design, please use the following process:

  • Click on Course Reserves in your course site.
  • Click the “Create Course” button.
  • E-mail e-reserve@northwestern.edu and request that the reserves from the most recent version of the course be copied.

Textbooks

The program assistant can also help faculty purchase individual books for research using the expense portal. Faculty can order books for research and courses using the NU bookstore.  Faculty can request course materials for student purchase at the bookstore through the steps below. 

  • Go to Barnes & Noble College FacultyEnlight website.
  • On the FacultyEnlight website click Sign In or Create account in the top right corner of the page.
  • Enter your username or email address and password to sign in. If creating an account, complete the form. After completing the form, you’ll be taken to the homepage.
  • If you already know what textbook you want, click Adopt.
  • Use the Find Your School menus to select your course and check the box next to your section, then click Continue.
  • Add materials using one of the 8 options.
  • Add the Evanston bookstore link to your syllabus and direct the students to purchase the textbook. 

Harvard Business Review Materials

If the required reading materials are HBR articles, not premium content, students can read up to 6 articles per month for free with a registered account. This should be noted in the course site. However, a course pack should still be made available to students so that if students prefer to use their free articles elsewhere, they can purchase the course materials with the education discount. For premium content (typically case studies), a course pack should always be created.

  • Go to the Harvard Business Publishing registration website.
  • If you already have an educator account, skip to step 5.
  • On the registration website, choose “Educator.”
  • Complete the form.
  • In the University Affiliation Section of the form, enter directory.northwestern.edu in the “Faculty Directory URL” field.
  • Log in to your account.
  • Search for the item you’d like to add to your course.
  • Click the “Add To” button on the item description page.
  • Click “Coursepacks.”
  • Complete the information for a new course pack.
  • Repeat steps 7 and 8 for any additional items you’d like to add to the coursepack.
  • When you are done adding items, click “Activate Coursepack.”
  • Select “Student Pay” as the payment type.
  • The activation process will create a Coursepack Link. Copy and paste this link to distribute it to your students. 

Here is standard syllabus text for courses that use HBR articles, where students can read for free or purchase:

[Number] articles in this course are from HBR.org. Students who register for an account with HBR can read up to six articles per month for free. A course pack has been created for those students who wish to use their free articles elsewhere and would like to purchase course materials with the education discount. From the course pack page, you may purchase any individual article or all of them together. 

Access the course pack here: [insert link]