Confused by Canvas Course Card Features?

Favorite courses in Canvas show up in the Card View Dashboard. Each card contains important course information [1]. Cards can also have up to four icons [2] which represent the four main Canvas features for student course activity: Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, and Files. When the icons are shown on the course card, Discussions and Announcements indicate the number of new activity items published in the course [3].

Canvas' Card View Dashboard

You’re not alone if the four features on the course cards are causing confusion. How come they show up in some courses and not others?  The answer is that these icons mimic visibility and order in the course navigation. So, if you hide the Announcements link, the Announcements icon will not display on the course card.  If you want the feature icons in all of your courses in the same place, keep the navigation links in all your courses in the same order.

If you decide to turn the feature back on for viewing on the course card you can do so by making the link unhidden. The update is not immediate; allow Canvas 20-30 minutes to refresh. See the Canvas guide, “How do I view my favorite courses in the Card View Dashboard as an instructor?” for additional information.