The Canvas Commons is a helpful resource that allows instructors to easily share content (courses, assignments, etc.) that can be imported into Canvas courses. Commons is a separate service from Canvas itself so there is some nuance to sharing links with others (especially if this resource is shared only with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign). Please note that you must have the role of Teacher in at least one active Canvas course to be able to access the Commons; if you are not a teacher in an active course, you will not see the link in your global navigation menu.

Since this is a separate service than Canvas, you’ll need to be connected to Commons before you’re able to access content from a shared link. If you’ve opened a direct link from a colleague and see a log in screen like the screenshot below, you are not correctly logged in to Commons.

You can correct this issue by first logging in to Canvas (at canvas.illinois.edu) and then select Commons from the Global Navigation Menu as seen in the screenshot below.

You will then need to authorize your account. After selecting the Authorize button, you’ll automatically be connected to the Commons. The next time you select the shared link, you should be able to access the Commons content.

If this does not resolve the issue, you can always do a manual search in Commons for the title of the resource or name of the owner.