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Polya can only teach from what it has read. Adding a course brings that course’s readings, slides, pages, and other materials into Polya, so its answers come from what your class covers. You can bring a course in from Canvas, from the class’s own website, or both, and add your own PDFs afterward.

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Before you begin

Uploads go into a course that’s already in Polya. To study a class that has no Canvas course and no website, you can’t start a course from uploaded files alone.

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Add a course with the Scope extension

The Scope extension for Chrome can send the Canvas course you’re looking at straight to Polya. There’s nothing to copy or paste.
1

Open Add a course

In Polya, select Add a course, then select Use the Scope extension.Polya shows three short steps and Waiting for your course to arrive — this page updates by itself. Leave this page open.
2

Set up the extension

If you don’t have the extension yet, select Install the Scope extension. Sign in to the extension with the same Google account you use for Polya. For help, see Install the Scope extension.
3

Open your course in Canvas

In Chrome, go to the course’s page in Canvas.
4

Send the course to Polya

Open Scope’s search bar, type polya, and choose Study in Polya.Scope shows Bringing this course into Polya…, then Course sent to Polya. with an Open in Polya button.
5

Start studying

The Polya page you left open moves to the course on its own. You can also select Open in Polya in Scope.
If nothing arrives after a few minutes, Polya shows Nothing has arrived yet. Make sure Scope is signed in with this Google account, or paste a Canvas access token instead. Select paste a Canvas access token to switch to the other method.

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Messages from the extension

To bring in new materials later, open the course in Canvas and choose Study in Polya again. Scope sends only what’s new or changed.

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Add a course with a Canvas access token

A Canvas access token is a code you create in Canvas that lets Polya read your courses. Polya keeps it private, uses it only to read the courses you choose, and never posts anything back to Canvas.
1

Choose the token option

In Polya, select Add a course, then select Paste a Canvas access token.
2

Create a token in Canvas

In a new tab, sign in to Canvas and do the following:
  1. Open Account > Settings.
  2. Under Approved Integrations, select + New Access Token.
  3. For the purpose, enter something you’ll recognize, like “Polya”.
  4. Generate the token and copy it.
Canvas shows the full token only once, so copy it before you close the window.
3

Enter your Canvas details in Polya

In Your school’s Canvas web address, enter the address you use to reach Canvas, like https://canvas.youruniversity.edu. In Canvas access token, paste the token.
4

Connect

Select Connect Canvas.Polya shows Pick your courses with your active Canvas courses.
5

Pick your courses

Select the courses you want, or select Select all. Then select Bring in 1 course → (the number matches your selection).If you picked one course, Polya opens it. If you picked several, Polya opens Your courses.
If you don’t see + New Access Token in Canvas, your school may not let students create tokens. Use the Scope extension or the course website instead.

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Add more courses later

Polya remembers your Canvas connection. The next time you select Add a course, it shows Checking your Canvas connection… and goes straight to Pick your courses.
  • Courses already in Polya show ✓ Imported or Importing… and can’t be picked again.
  • If every course is already in Polya, the button reads All your courses are already in.
  • To connect a different Canvas account or school, select Use a different Canvas below the course list. It reads Not followed by your Canvas name, then Use a different Canvas.
If Polya says We couldn’t find any active courses on this Canvas account, your term may not have started yet. Check back once your courses are published in Canvas.

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Add a course website

Some classes keep their schedule, slides, and worksheets on their own website instead of Canvas. Polya can read that website and the files it links to.
1

Find the website section

In Polya, select Add a course, then scroll to Add your course website. You can also select the Add a course website ↓ link at the top of the page.
2

Enter the address

Paste the website’s address, like ds100.org/fa26.
3

Choose the course

If you already have courses in Polya, choose which course the website belongs to. Polya preselects a course when the address contains its course number. Choose A new course to make a separate course from the website.Adding a website to a course you brought in from Canvas keeps everything for that class in one place.
4

Add the website

Select Add website.Polya shows Reading the website…, then opens the course’s Materials tab, where the new items appear as they’re ready.

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What Polya reads from a website

  • The website’s pages under the address you entered.
  • PDFs those pages link to.
  • Google Slides, Docs, and Drive files that the pages link to or show, when they’re shared publicly.
  • Jupyter notebooks that the pages link to.
Polya follows the website’s own rules about which pages automated visitors may read. It checks the website about once a day for new items. To check right away, select Check for updates in the course’s Materials tab. See Check for updates.
Polya can’t read pages that need you to sign in, or Google files shared only with your school’s Google accounts. A very large website is read in part: Polya reads up to about 120 pages from it.

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Messages when adding a website

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What Polya brings in from Canvas

When you add a Canvas course, Polya reads the following:
  • PDF files in the course.
  • Canvas pages.
  • The syllabus.
  • Assignment descriptions.
  • Captions from lecture videos posted in the course, when Polya can get them.
Polya doesn’t bring in files that aren’t PDFs, such as Word or PowerPoint files. To use one, save it as a PDF and upload it. Polya only reads from Canvas. It never posts, submits, or changes anything there.

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Scanned pages

Some PDFs are pictures of pages, like scanned readings or slides exported as images. When a page has no text, Polya reads the image of the page, so a citation still points to the right page number. If Polya can’t find any readable text in a file, the file shows Scanned — skipped on the Materials tab.

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While a course is importing

Polya reads your materials in the background. You don’t need to stay on the page.
  • The sidebar shows Importing 1 course (or the number of courses) and how many items are ready, like 12 of 40 ready.
  • The course’s card on Your courses shows an Importing label.
  • You can ask questions right away. Polya answers from the materials that are ready so far.
If many people are using Polya at once, an import can pause. The sidebar then shows Things are busier than usual, so this import is waiting its turn. It continues on its own, and nothing you’ve already imported is affected. You can close Polya. You don’t need to do anything.
Polya limits how many pages it reads for one account each day. If you bring in several large courses at once, part of the import can wait until the next day. It picks up again on its own.

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Limits

For upload limits, see Upload your own files.

Manage materials

See what Polya is studying, upload files, and check for updates.

Troubleshooting

Fix problems connecting Canvas or importing a course.