How do I use the Smart Search feature in Canvas?

Quick LinksPrerequisites | Instructions | Troubleshooting | Next Steps |

Smart Search is a new Canvas feature in beta that allows both students and instructors to search course content using natural language queries. With Smart Search, you can quickly find relevant information in your course by typing in questions or keywords related to what you’re looking for . This guide will walk you through how to use Smart Search and understand its capabilities, such as the types of content it searches and how results are displayed.

Prerequisites

  • Access to a Canvas course with the Smart Search feature enabled. 
  • A basic understanding of how to navigate Canvas course menus.

Step-by-Step Instructions

To search for course content using Smart Search, do the following:

  1. From your Canvas course menu, select Smart Search.
  2. Type in your query using natural language. For example, you can search for content by typing “photosynthesis steps” or “math function to frequency.”
  3. Review the results, which are displayed with a “Confidence” rating indicating how relevant the result is to your query. Higher confidence ratings suggest more accurate matches.

The first time you use Smart Search in a course, you may see a message indicating that search results are being prepared. This initial indexing might take a few minutes. After that, searches will return results instantly.

Now you have used Smart Search to find content in your course. The results will show based on your role (student or instructor) and content availability.

Troubleshooting

  • If you don’t see some of the expected results, remember that Smart Search only includes content pages, announcements, discussion prompts, and assignment descriptions. Files such as PDFs, Word documents, external links, or videos are currently not searchable.
  • If your search results seem incomplete, ensure that Smart Search has had enough time to index all course content, especially if it’s your first time using the feature.
  • Clean up your course content to avoid showing outdated material.

For more detailed information, refer to Canvas’ Smart Search FAQs.

Next Steps

Still need help? If you run into problems or still need help, reach out to the Technology & Learning Program

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