Becoming a Canvas Observer

Using your desktop or laptop, as an Observer, you can link your Canvas account to your student's account, so that you can see assignment dues dates, announcements, course content, grades, feedback, etc. As an observer you can view the course content but cannot participate in the course.

Prior to setting up your Canvas account make sure you have a student pairing code and the Canvas URL associated with the school where your student is enrolled. If you do not know your school's Canvas URL, please contact your student's school.

Create an Observer Account

Have a Skyward Family Access Account? Canvas Account Auto Set-Up
If you already have a Skyward Family Access account, a Canvas Observer account has been created for you. Click here for instructions to complete the set-up process. English | Spanish

Do Not Have a Skyward Family Access Account? Canvas Account Manual Set-Up
If you are not listed as a contact in Skyward but have an educational interest in a student, you can still connect to your student's Canvas account by using a pairing code to manually add yourself as an observer.

Click here for the parent login instructions (English / Spanish)

(NOTE: Once the code is generated, it is only good for 7 days and is case sensitive). If you need additional help, check out the Pairing Codes FAQ Guide.

Create a Canvas Parent Account
In a browser window, enter your school's Canvas URL (ccisd.instructure.com). Click Click Here For an Account? link as seen in Step 1 below. Then, enter the information required in Step 2 and click the blue Start Participating button. Once done with this initial setup, you can begin observing your student(s) in Canvas immediately.

Creating a Parent Account

Have more than 1 student enrolled in CCISD? Add an Additional Student to your Observer Account
Follow the directions under the Obtain an Observer Pairing Code for each additional student. Each student will have their own unique pairing code. Once you have the additional pairing code, In Global Navigation of your parent account, click Account, then Settings Click “Observing” Type the pairing code for the additional student in the Student Pairing Code field Click the “Add Student” button
If you have more than one student to observer, learn how to observe additional students in your account.

Set Language Preference

Canvas's default language is English; but, you can choose to view the Canvas interface in another language. Canvas is offered in over 35 different languages. To change your default language, click on Account in the Global Navigation (far left sidebar) and then click Settings. Choose Edit Settings. In the language drop-down menu, choose your preferred language and click Update Settings. If you need further assistance, view the How do I change the language preference in my user account as an observer? guide.

3 steps for updating language preferences.

Set Notifications

You can receive Canvas notifications for the various courses you are observing. Notifications are sent to contact methods listed in your Account User Settings. Canvas includes a set of default notification preferences. However, you can change the default settings by setting notification preferences to meet your needs. Your notification preferences only apply to you; they do not affect course notifications sent to the student you are observing.

Some notifications may not apply to the observer role. To learn more about each notification, default settings, and notification triggers, view the Canvas Notifications PDF.

If you change a setting, the change is effective immediately. You can select one of four frequency options for each notification type:

Notify me right away
Daily summary

Weekly summary
Don't send.

Account notifications and settings

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