Canvas for Parents
Creating an account and observing a student
As a parent or guardian, you can register for a free Canvas user account and observe a student’s progress. Canvas can be accessed online using the following Url:
Before you begin, make sure you have your child’s Canvas login details as you’ll need them to setup your account.
To create an observer account, you will need to generate a “pairing code” using your child’s login details.
Load Canvas in a web browser using the link above and log in using your child’s login details:
Click on the “Account” icon on the left side menu then select “Settings”:
Click the “Pair with Observer” button on the right side of the screen:
This will give you a code that you can use to create your parent canvas account:
Once you have written down the code, log out of your child’s account and click on the “Parent of a Canvas User? Click Here for an Account” link on the login page.
You will now be prompted to enter your details and your child’s login information:
- Your Name – Your full name
- Your Email – Your email address. This will become your username.
- Your Password – The password you want to use for the account.
- Student Pairing Code – The that you generated above.
You will now be taken to the Canvas Dashboard. Any courses that your child is enrolled in will be displayed on the Dashboard.
Observing a student from an existing Canvas account
To observe a student, you will need to generate a “Student Pairing Code”. Instructions for generating this code can be found at the top of this page.
Once you have generated the observer code, log into your existing SMGS Canvas account at the following address:
This will bring you to your Dashboard page. Click the “Account” option from the left side menu then select “Observing”.
This screen will show you the students that you are currently observing. To observe another student, enter the Student Pairing Code then click “+ Student”.
