Quercus FAQ for Students

Quercus (Canvas): Frequently Asked Questions for Students

I can't log into Quercus. My password doesn't work!

Use your UTORid and password to log in to Quercus. If you are having trouble, you may need to verify your UTORid using the instructions below:

  1. On the UTORid Management page, click the "Verify your UTORid" link at the bottom of the page, under the "Problems with your UTORid?" heading.
  2. Enter your UTORid and password, click the "Check" your UTORid button.
  3. If you entered the correct UTORid and password you should see: 
    "Your UTORid and password has been checked and should work".

If you have changed your password, it may take 10 minutes before the new password is registered in the system and can be used.

I can't see my courses in Quercus!

  1. Check that you are registered in ACORN (formerly known as ROSI). You need to appear as registered in ACORN before your courses will appear in Quercus.  Please note:  It may take between 24-48 business hours for changes made in ACORN to appear in Quercus.
  2. Your courses will not be visible until your professor publishes them. If the course does not appear in Quercus, then your professor has not published the course, thus making it available for the class yet. Another option is to contact your professor directly to inquire about the course.
  3. If you still do not see your course in Quercus, you can try clicking on the “Courses” link on the main Quercus global navigation menu and then click the “All Courses” link. You should see your course listed on the All Courses page, in which case you will need to click the star next to the course (it will become coloured in) and it will appear on your Dashboard.
  4. Have you recently signed up for U. of T. Multi Factor Authentication (MFA)?  There may be an issue related to access if you have made changes to your phone (e.g., factory reset) and are using your phone for the U. of T. MFA process.  If you need help, please visit the webpage - https://isea.utoronto.ca/services/utormfa/ for more information.  Contact UTM I&ITS - https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/iits/ if you need additional assistance.
    Note: Bypass codes can be generated at the following link: https://bypass.utormfa.utoronto.ca/ 

I don't see my courses in Quercus but they were there yesterday. My courses disappeared overnight!

Most likely cause: the fees deadline has passed and you forgot to pay your tuition fees. To check:

  1. Log into ACORN.
  2. If your courses don't appear then you may have missed the fees deadline.
  3. Contact the registrar's office.
  4. Once the fees are paid, you will need to wait 24-48 hours (not including weekend days) before the courses (and grades) reappear.

How do I sign up for a Group in a Quercus course?

  1. Log into Quercus.
  2. Go to "People" in the course menu.
  3. Click on the Group tab.
  4. Locate your group and click the "JOIN" button.

    Additional information can be found on the Group Activities page.

The Global Menu has collapsed and all I see is icons!

The Global Menu may be hidden from view, it's easy to bring it back:

  1. Select the right-facing arrow found in the bottom left corner of the Quercus window, the Global Menu should expand to show both menu item icons and text. The arrow at the bottom left of the Quercus window should now face to the left.

I am having trouble printing a document from my Quercus course.

In order to print files that your instructor has posted for you in Quercus, you will need to first click on the file to open it in the document viewer. Next, download the file by clicking on the download link found above the document viewer. Once you have saved the file, you can print it from your computer.

If you are on a library computer, first log in to the computer and into Quercus using your UTORid and password, click on the file name and download the file manually. Next, open the downloaded file and print it. You should be able to release all of your print jobs without any issues.

Please keep in mind, if these documents are large (30+ pages) it may take a bit longer to spool and release. Please let library staff know if you experience any printing issues in the library.

I was in the middle of taking an online test, but the page froze. Now I can't finish my test!

  1. First check the instructions for taking the test posted by your professor (the test may only be available during a specific time period).
  2. Then try restarting your web browser and logging back into Quercus.
  3. Try another web browser (Firefox or Chrome are recommended).
  4. Follow the instructions provided at the link below.
    https://library.utm.utoronto.ca/students/canvas/taking-online-quiz#help

Prevent problems while taking online tests by following the Taking a Quiz Checklist.

I am not receiving notifications of Quercus messages from my Professor or TA in my email application. How can I fix this?

Part 1: Check your ACORN profile

  1. Check that your emails are directed to the correct email in ACORN (formerly known as ROSI).
  2. Click on the "Login to ACORN" button and log in with UTORid and password.
  3. Go to "Profile and Settings".
  4. Next to Display and Update click on "Email Address".
  5. On the next page, click on the pencil icon.
  6. Type in your email address, and confirm it by typing it in again.
  7. Select the "Save" button.
Note: It may take 24-48 hours for the new email address that you entered in ACORN to be updated in Quercus. If this issue persists, please go to the Office of the Registrar to ask for their help to update your email address.

Part 2: Check your Quercus Account Settings

Check Quercus to ensure that your primary email address is correct by following the steps below:

1. Select Account from the Global Menu.
2. Next, select Settings from the Account Menu.
3. On the right-hand side of the page, under Ways to Contact, you will see the email address that is assigned to you in Quercus.

Part 3: Check your Quercus Account Notification Settings

1. Select Account from the Global Menu.
2. Select Notifications from the Account Menu to check and adjust your Notification Preferences. The frequency options are: Notify Immediately, Daily Summary, Weekly Summary or Notifications Off (we do not recommend this option). If you are not receiving notifications for Inbox messages in your email application, then you may need to check the "Inbox" section of your Notification Preferences.

Part 4: Check your Quercus Course Notification Settings

You can customize your Quercus account email notifications by going to your course's Home page and then selecting the View Course Notifications button found on the right-hand side of the page.

Similarly to the Account Notifications, you can set the frequency of your email notifications for a course to: Notify Immediately, Daily Summary, Weekly Summary or Notifications Off (we do not recommend this option).

 

Note: You can respond to the Quercus notifications that you receive in your email application, but you cannot send attachments in your response.  Please follow the instructions outlined by your instructor with regard to assignment submissions and do not send attachments using a Quercus Inbox message, as they will not be received.
 

The University's "Policy on Official Correspondence with Students" states:

"Students have the right to forward their University issued electronic mail account to another electronic mail service provider address but remain responsible for ensuring that all University electronic message communication sent to the official University-issued account is received and read."

Please refer to the Your Responsibility as a Student for Course Notifications and Email web page for more information about course notifications and email. 

My first name is not appearing correctly in Quercus. How do I change it? NOTE: My official name has remained the same.

If you are a student at the University of Toronto, you can change your display name in Quercus and several other university applications by going to https://my.auth.utoronto.ca and following steps 1 to 3 below.

Log in using your UTORid and password.
    2.   Enter your name in the Preferred Name text field.
    3.   Select the "set" button.

The Office of the Registrar has created a Knowledge Base article named "Can I add a preferred name without changing my formal name on my U of T record?" that can be found at the link provided below.
https://uoft.service-now.com/utm_askregistrar?id=kb_article&sys_id=14eeba77db515450d5a1d7795e9619a8&table=kb_knowledge

Additional information is provided in the Guidelines on adding or editing a chosen display first name in university information systems:
https://isea.utoronto.ca/services/displayname/guidelines/

 

I changed my official name and it is not appearing correctly in Quercus. How do I fix this?

You will need to change your official name with the Office of the Registrar. You will need to bring a government issued photo ID with the proper name on it.

The Office of the Registrar has created a Knowledge Base article named "I need to change my personal information such as name or gender on ACORN. Where do I go?" that explains how to do an official name change that can be found at the link provided below.
https://uoft.service-now.com/utm_askregistrar?id=kb_article&sys_id=705d3ef3db515450d5a1d7795e9619a9&table=kb_knowledge

Additional information is provided is provided in the Guidelines on adding or editing a chosen display first name in university information systems:
https://isea.utoronto.ca/services/displayname/guidelines/