What is a Web Browser?

Many internet users do not know that their web browser is the program they use on their computer to access internet web pages. What's more, many users don't know that there are several good browsers to choose from that can provide a better experience than the default browser on your system. This video explains the basics of choosing your own web browser.

Canvas and Your Web Browser

Canvas is designed to always work best on the most recent version of all the major browsers:

This means that you will need to keep your personal machines updated to the latest version of your web browser and the Flash 10 plugin or greater to take advantage of the newest features in Canvas.

Canvas' support materials (and our testing) indicate that your Canvas experience will be better if you use Firefox, Chrome, or Safari (Mac) rather than Internet Explorer. Firefox is our officially recommended browser for accessing Canvas and all SMU computers for faculty and students now come with Firefox pre-installed.

It is always a good idea to have two or three of these leading browsers installed, as many glitches you experience on the web can be quickly solved by trying it in another browser.

Which Browser am I Using?

Go to http://www.thismachine.info/ to see which browser you are using.

Now let's look into student-centered course design, which Canvas enables.