Teaching and Learning Resource Center

Getting Started with Carmen for Students

CarmenCanvas is Ohio State's learning management system, frequently referred to simply as "Carmen." Students use it to access course materials and assignments. Carmen is named for the song "Carmen Ohio"—Ohio State's alma mater. 

This instructional guide includes recommendations to help you log in and navigate your courses. In many cases, this guide contains links to more detailed articles about the various tools in Carmen. 

Before Getting Started

Familiarize yourself with the components that make up CarmenCanvas.

Carmen Landing page

The Carmen landing page is how most students access their courses. From your Carmen landing page, click on the course title to go to your course home page. 

Learn more about navigating the Carmen Landing Page.   

If you’re unable to access the Landing Page, you can still get to your Carmen Courses by using this link: osu.instructure.com 

CarmenCanvas

Canvas is the learning management system Ohio State uses to create and deliver course content and assessments. CarmenCanvas is the Ohio State-branded version of Canvas. 
 
CarmenCanvas is often shortened to Carmen.  

You can find your full list of active and favorited courses on your CarmenCanvas Dashboard. 

Canvas Mobile Apps

The Canvas company provides mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. Mobile apps are not intended to provide the full Canvas experience. See Canvas App v. Browser Tips for recommendations on which activities to use in the app versus the browser. 

Review technical requirements.

Review this list of the browser and computer requirements for Carmen. 

We recommend using the most up-to-date version of your preferred web browser and that you have more than one browser installed on your device. If you experience issues using Carmen, try completing the same task in a different browser before seeking additional support.
 

View this brief tutorial video on how to locate and navigate your Carmen courses.

1. Log in and navigate your courses.

To get started, log in to the Carmen landing page. Once your instructor has published the course, click the course title link from the My Courses list. There is also a shortcut directly to the CarmenCanvas dashboard in the right sidebar of the landing page. Learn more about navigating the Carmen landing page and your course homepage 

Don't forget! Logging in to Carmen requires multifactor authentication, so be sure to set up BuckeyePass on at least two devices. 

Don't see your course? See our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more information on why you may not be seeing your course. If your course is not created, don’t panic, it’s not your fault. 
 

2. Customize CarmenCanvas.

Personalize your Carmen experience by updating your user settings, notification preferences, and course list.

Update your user settings and add a profile picture.

Carmen profile and user settings let you control your personal information in Carmen, including:  

  • Creating a personal signature to your Carmen Messages 
  • Setting up an auto-reply message for your Carmen Messages 
Select your notification preferences.

Instructors might message you directly or make an announcement to your whole class in Carmen. You can decide how you receive notifications for each type of course activity. You can choose email notifications as well as the frequency for these notifications.  

We recommend setting your preferences, so you receive email notifications of all Carmen announcements, grades, and assignment updates. 

Update your favorite courses.

Update your favorite courses in Carmen so only your current courses appear in your course list on the Canvas dashboard and mobile apps. You can also create nicknames to shorten the course title, which will then appear throughout Canvas. 

3. Explore your courses.

Each Carmen course will look different based on which tools your instructors use to organize their course content. They may use Modules, Pages, Files, and links to external content. You will likely see a combination of each. You may also see Assignments, Quizzes, and Discussions. Learn more about navigating your course content 

See the following FAQs and guides for common questions about participating in a Carmen course. 

Assignments
Calendar
Discussions
Grades
Groups


For additional information, see the complete Canvas Student Guide

Help with Carmen

Contact the Carmen team for additional support with Carmen questions or issues. 

For general technical assistance, including email or password issues please contact the IT Service Desk. You can contact the IT Service Desk 24/7 via phone, email and online Self Service.