Curious about the Glow Up?
You’re not alone. This section brings together the most common questions and answers for how to get started successfully in Canvas.
eLearn 101 (previously How to Succeed in eLearn) is the new Canvas-focused tutorial to prepare students for what you need to know prior to starting a course in Canvas. It is available NOW in Canvas, and will remain optional for students until October, ahead of Spring 2027 registration. After October, eLearn 101 will be required for all new students registering for an online, blended, or FlexPace course.
For a quick start guide for learning Canvas, check out: Getting Started with Canvas
If you have a question about your course in Canvas, your first line of support should be your instructor. For unresolvable technical issues, please reach out to the Help Desk (937-512-4357).
All courses moved to Canvas beginning Summer 2026.
In 2024, Sinclair evaluated the effectiveness of Brightspace (our current LMS). A year-long review with input from faculty, staff, and students resulted in the decision to move to Canvas. It scored highest in usability, flexibility, and future-focused design. Watch a summary of the review process.
Canvas’s gradebook is very similar to what you see now. Assignment, assessment, and overall course grades are accessed inside each course in eLearn (Canvas). Visit the specific course to see its grades.
Yes. Canvas is fully responsive and supports modern screen sizes, including widescreen and ultra-wide displays. The interface automatically adjusts so you get a clean, full-width view.
The Canvas Dashboard shows a card for each active course. Courses aren’t automatically grouped by term, but you can customize your view by marking favorites to pin them to the Dashboard. Courses appear when the term begins (or when your instructor publishes them) and move out of the Dashboard when the term concludes. Past courses remain available in All Courses.
eLearn’s current Discussion Forum is part of our custom course template. We plan a similar feature in our Canvas template called Course Q&A. Students will find Course Q&A in the Course Overview Folder.
Modules in a Canvas course can be collapsed using the little carrot icon next to the module title. Collapsing previous modules means less scrolling to get to your current module. You can uncollapse modules to view the content within them using the same carrot icon.
Have a student question we haven’t answered yet?
Share it through our quick one-question survey, and we’ll make sure it’s addressed in a future Checkpoint Chat.
Submit a Student QuestionStay tuned: This page is glowing brighter all the time! New information and resources will be added as the project moves forward.
Questions? Reach out to the eLearning Division.