How to access Canvas and podcasts for your course
Canvas is our new central learning environment. Throughout your time studying at The University of Manchester, you will use Canvas to navigate your course, access course materials, lecture recordings, submit assignments, and more.
Canvas Access
You will find Canvas linked from multiple locations, but you can also access it via our Canvas webpage.
You will need your university email address to log in to Canvas. After activating your IT account, you can log in to https://iam.manchester.ac.uk/ with your username to find your email address.
You can also find the Canvas Student Webpage in our Student Support webpage.
Canvas Guides
The Canvas Student Guide has over 200 articles that each answer a question that relates to using the Canvas interface as a student. Each article also includes Next and Previous links so you can easily navigate to related content.
You can also watch video shorts embedded in the Canvas guides, and read our Canvas student FAQs.
Canvas Student App
The Canvas Student app lets you access course units and groups on your mobile device. You can submit assignments, join discussions, view grades, access materials, check calendars, manage To Do items, get notifications, and read Inbox messages.
Download the app on Android or iOS and log in using a QR code or URL. If you're already logged into Canvas on the Web, scanning the QR code logs you in instantly.
IMPORTANT – when choosing your organisation, you must select ‘The University of Manchester’ as the other Manchester University is an institution in the US.
The Student Getting Started Resources contain guidance on logging in to the Canvas Student App.
Canvas Support
If you need further help with Canvas, you can raise a support ticket via Connect to the Central Digital Learning team
You can also access 24/7 live chat support with a Canvas expert for any Canvas functionality-related questions via the global navigation menu.
How do I access podcasts for my courses?
To view podcasts for the courses you are enrolled on, you simply need to visit the Podcast Video Portal and login here.
I can’t see my course(s) listed in the Video Portal
If you are enrolled on a course but cannot see it in the list of podcasts on the Video Portal, there may be a number of reasons:
- The lecturer has opted-out of having recordings made so they are unavailable to view
- The lectures take place in a room that is not equipped to record podcasts.
If you believe a course unit is being podcasted but you are unable to see it, you should raise a support ticket and include the course code.
Videos do not play, there is an ‘X’ and an error message
Once you log in to the University’s Central Authentication Service (CAS) there is a timeout period of 4 hours – so if you have been logged into CAS for longer than this time, you will find that podcasts no longer play. To remedy this – you simply need to logout and log back in (via the button to the top right of the Video Portal) and videos should play correctly.
Can I download Podcasts?
You can download podcasts to watch on your own device by pressing the ‘Download’ button which is beneath the video player on the Video Portal – videos will be saved as MP4 files. Please note that you can only download videos on a desktop/laptop device as the download button will not be visible on a mobile device. Downloaded recordings are for your own personal use only – you are not permitted to give the recordings to anyone else, post them online or distribute them in any way. Students found to be in infringement of this may be subject to disciplinary proceedings.
What is recorded?
By default the Podcasting Service records the output of the projector, which might include PowerPoint presentations, document cameras, PCs, tablets, mobiles and other media (depending upon what is sent to the projector). From September 2017 onwards 30 lecture theatres were equipped with video cameras which can record in addition to, or instead of, the projector output. The use of cameras is voluntary and teaching staff must choose to use them on their opt-out web page. When a video camera is recording three red lights will appear around the camera base to show that it is in use. See the camera page for more details.