The Canvas of Things
Updates, New Releases, Strategies, & Trainings
April 2020
There are quite a few updates.
Read these updates and think about ways that it can impact your learning environment positively.
Commons URL Sharing
When a Teacher views a Commons resource, the page displays a Copy Resource Link button in the sidebar. This button allows the Teacher to copy the resource link and share it with another user. When the button is selected, the link is copied to the user’s clipboard and can be pasted into the Teacher's preferred medium for sharing, such as a Canvas inbox message.
Users who are not logged into Canvas must log in to Canvas to download, import, or favorite the resource. Additionally, resource previews do not display to non-logged-in users unless the resource has been publicly shared.
Limited Submission Attempts
Assignments | Due & Availability Bulk Edits
The Assignments Settings menu includes an option to Edit Assignment Dates. This option displays all existing assignments in a single page arranged by due date. Assignments with the same due date are listed in alphabetical order. The full name of an assignment is included in the hover text for the assignment.
Dates can be selected via the Calendar icon or by typing a date directly in the text field. Currently times cannot be adjusted within the page and are set to the default of 11:59 pm.
Gradebook | Assignment Header Menu SpeedGrader Link
Rubrics | Course Navigation Rubrics Link
New Course & User Analytics
To add this feature per course, go to Settings > Feature Options > New Course & User Analytics. Toggle to the ON position. Go back to Navigation and be sure to click Save. You have to enable New Analytics in order to show in your Course Menu.
Only Teachers see New Analytics in the course menu.
On-Time Submissions Celebrations
New Quizzes | Quiz Engine Option
When an teacher selects the Add Quiz button in the Quizzes page, the page displays a window asking which quiz type should be used to create a quiz: Classic Quizzes or New Quizzes. Once a quiz engine is selected, the next time the instructor clicks the Add Quiz button, Canvas displays the quiz creation page for the selected tool.
Note: This preference applies to each course individually.
New Quizzes | Multiple Answer Partial Scoring
This change allows teachers to award partial credit when Multiple Answer questions are auto-graded. This change also provides parity with Classic Quizzes behavior, contributing to a smoother migration to New Quizzes.
This only impacts Multiple Answer questions, not Matching Questions.
Existing New Quizzes Multiple Answer questions will retain the exact match scoring.
Newly created Multiple Answer questions will default to using partial credit but can be switched to exact match if desired.
Students are not directly shown the grading option used. However, along with their total score, they can view their selected answer(s) and any missed options in the question.
Multiple File Upload Enhancement
The Course Files page and User Files page have been updated with minor adjustments to clarify support of drag-and-drop functionality in the main page and within individual folders.
Empty folders show how to upload multiple files within the page or how to choose files from a computer.
New Teacher Tutorial Additions
Help Resources | Featured & New Links
When you visit the Help Resources in the Global Navigation, you will now see Featured Links (Like the Canvas Guides, for instance) and New Links (like the COVID 10 Remote Learning Resources)
Teacher, Parent, Student QR Code Log-in
When a teacher, parent, student logs-in to Canvas, their User Navigation Menu includes a QR for Mobile Login link. This link generates a QR code and tells them they can use the code to log in to their account from the Canvas Teacher, Parent, or Student Apps.
Functionality is contingent on Teacher Mobile App availability (may be available for different devices at different times).
Modules | A Simple Way to Make Learning Navigation Efficient and Personalized
In creating a Module structure, think about the following:
- Make it simple
- Decide on a easy to understand structure: Topic, Week, Day, Unit
- Use Text Headers to chunk content, perhaps, chunk by Day of the Week.
- Publish & Unpublish the modules you want students to see.
- Move current Module to the top of the module stream.
- Use emojis, symbols, and special characters to personalize Module titles and items within a Module.
- Lock a module to only open at a designated time.
- Set prerequisites, so a module will not open until learners complete the prerequisite.
- Set requirements so that learners have to complete all requirements in a sequenced order.
For videos and guides, click on the image below to launch an interactive Thinglink demonstration of how to leverage Modules for student learning.
Self-enroll in the Canvas It's Le-JiT Canvas course, if you have not done so already.
This course includes modules that cover all Canvas It's Le-JiT LIVE sessions which include video recordings, strategies, tips, and other resources.
You want to learn about how to create Modules? Check out that module and all of its resources.
Explore the first Module as a primer to the course. In this module, you will experience how to join Zoom for the Live Sessions and see an upcoming schedule of Canvas It's Le-JiT topics and sessions.
Participate in the Live Canvas It's Le-Jit on Tuesdays, from 10:00-11:00, and Canvas Office Hours on Thursdays, from 11:00-12:00. Access the Zoom room directly from the Course Menu.
Important note: You will not be able to access the Live Sessions without enrollment in this course
Come and be "Le-JiT.
- Canvas Palooza Micro-Credential (MC) Stack: Through iQuest, there are several Canvas micro-credentials you can complete. Go to the I-SS iQuest Online Professional Page, click on the Micro-Credential tab, and complete the 7 steps to enroll in a Micro-Credential Stack. Once you have completed the 7 steps, click on the Canvas Palooza MC Stack. You can choose to participate in one or all of the available micro-credentials: Leveling Up Your Canvas with Engaging Learners with Canvas (Basics, Intermediate, or Advanced) or hone your Canvas feature skills with Using Flipgrid in Canvas. More MCs are being developed, so stay tuned.
- Growing with Canvas: Interested in building your capacity in Canvas and becoming a Canvas ninja? Go to the I-SS iQuest Online Professional Page and complete the 7 steps to enroll in a Full Course. Once you complete the 7 steps, you can click on the Growing with Canvas card to self-enroll .This learning experience is self--paced and along the ay you will submit activities and earn seven total badges. At the conclusion of Growing with Canvas, you can request a certificate of participation for 1.2 CEUs which can be used for DLC credit.
- Canvas Live: Canvas Live is a portal of online learning searchable by categories (lower right) such as student engagement, content design, and Assessment & Grading.
Need Canvas Support?
I receive a great many emails about support needs. The problem that arises is the inability to track those requests and to evaluate the trends. Is there a pattern to the kinds of questions that are being asked? If the patterns exist, I can create some resources that do not exist, or conduct some specialized training support to help with these issues.
Before you submit a ticket, please check out the Canvas Guides. The Guides will help you with the basic How Tos of using Canvas.
Please submitting help tickets for any Canvas support issues directly in Canvas (Canvas > Help > Report a Problem). Provide details of what the issue is, the URL of the course that is affected, and student names that are impacted, and specific assignments, discussions, quizzes that need to be looked at.
This will help me file and track problems and solutions effectively and efficiently.
From Don, Your Canvas Admin
Email: don_lourcey@iss.k12.nc.us
Website: https://www.issnc.org/departments/dtl/canvas
Location: 410 Garfield Street, Statesville, NC, USA
Phone: 704-832-2500
Twitter: @ISSDTL