how to hide canvas courses

2 min read 04-02-2025

Canvas, the popular Learning Management System (LMS), offers a variety of tools for instructors and students. One frequently asked question revolves around hiding courses. Whether you're a teacher needing to temporarily conceal a course or a student wanting to declutter their dashboard, this guide provides comprehensive instructions. We'll cover different scenarios and offer troubleshooting tips.

Hiding Courses for Instructors

Instructors have more options for managing course visibility than students. Here's how to hide a Canvas course:

Method 1: Hiding the Course from the Student View

This method keeps the course accessible to you, the instructor, for preparation and management, but keeps it hidden from students.

Log in: Access your Canvas account as an instructor.
Navigate to the Course: Find the course you want to hide from your course list.
Open Settings: Click on "Settings" in the course navigation menu.
Course Details: Locate the "Course Details" section.
Availability: Find the "Availability" setting. Change the "Make this course available to students" option to "No."
Save Changes: Click the "Update" button to save your changes. The course will now be hidden from the students' view.

Method 2: Unpublishing a Course

Unpublishing completely removes the course from student dashboards and course lists. Use this for archived courses you no longer need visible.

Access the Course: Log in and navigate to the course to be unpublished.
Settings Menu: Find the "Settings" in the course navigation.
Course Details: In the "Course Details" section, locate the "Publish" setting.
Unpublish: Change the "Publish" setting from "Yes" to "No".
Confirm: Canvas will prompt you to confirm. Click "Yes" to unpublish. The course will vanish from student views entirely.

Important Note: Remember to republish the course when it's ready for students!

Hiding Courses for Students

Students have limited control over course visibility. You can't directly hide courses you're enrolled in. However, you can manage their appearance on your dashboard:

Managing Your Canvas Dashboard

Canvas dashboards display all active courses. While you can't hide them completely, you can minimize their visual impact:

Dashboard Organization: Use the dashboard's built-in organization features to group or rearrange courses. Prioritize courses based on urgency or importance.
Course Cards: Customize your course cards by adding or removing information as needed. Some users minimize unnecessary details to declutter their view.
Notification Preferences: Adjust your notification settings to filter out updates from less important courses. This reduces visual clutter and distracting notifications.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

Course Still Visible: Double-check the "Availability" setting in Course Settings. Ensure you've saved your changes correctly.
Can't Access Settings: If you lack access to the "Settings" menu, check your user permissions. You may need to contact your Canvas administrator for assistance.
Accidentally Hidden a Course: Quickly revert the change by repeating the steps above, but selecting "Yes" for the "Make this course available to students" setting (Method 1) or "Yes" for "Publish" (Method 2).

Conclusion

Hiding Canvas courses is straightforward for instructors, providing control over student access. For students, optimizing their dashboard remains the best approach for managing course visibility. Remember to always double-check your settings and contact your Canvas administrator if you encounter any issues. By following these steps, you can easily manage course visibility in Canvas and maintain an organized learning environment.