The first thing students see when they log into a course is the course Home page. Knowing the various layout templates and home page considerations can help. Canvas allows instructors to choose from FIVE (5) different home page layouts:

Recent Activity Dashboard
This is the default setting. The recent activity dashboard will list the most current updates related to notifications, assignments and discussions in your course.
Page I'll Design Myself (Recommended)
This option allows instructors to be a little more creative with their home pages. Selecting this option will set the home page to a default page called "front page" (which comes standard with every course). You can use this page to introduce the course and link to different content areas.
Course Modules/Sections
This option will show only the course modules. It is the equivalent of clicking on the MODULES tab on the left-hand navigation.
Assignment List
This option will only show the list of assignments. It is the equivalent of clicking on the ASSIGNMENTS tab on the left-hand navigation.
Assignments with Syllabus
This option will only show the syllabus with the list of assignments. It is the equivalent of clicking on the SYLLABUS tab on the left-hand navigation.

View Canvas Guides on home page layout