Straight From The Horse's Mouth

Ever wondered where the folks from the Center for Online Learning get their Canvas information?  Well, I’ll let you in on the secret.  Instructure Canvas does a great job getting their institutions ready for new releases, and they document the upcoming changes on their Product Release Notes page.

We review the upcoming changes and try to present the most relevant changes to you via this blog.  This doesn’t mean that we don’t encourage you to explore what’s out there for yourselves, though!

This weekend, you might notice that a few quiz settings have been relocated.  If you have a few moments, check out the video below from Canvas that highlights this, as well as a few other changes.

You’ll also want to be aware that Canvas no longer supports Internet Explorer 8.  Canvas supports the last two versions of every browser release.  Internet Explorer 10 is now available, which means you can use this version or Internet Explorer 9 with Canvas, worry free, as well as up to date versions of other popular web browsers.

The details for these new features have been sourced from Canvas’ User Guides and Product Release Notes.  Please feel free to contact the Center for Online Learning at Bay Path College (online@baypath.edu) for any questions you may about using Canvas for your Bay Path class.

Something Looks Different...

If you’re a savvy Canvas user, you may have noticed a few changes in your classroom this past weekend.  While there were a few “behind the scenes” changes that really don’t impact the typical user, there were a few changes that, as an instructor, you’ll want to be aware of.  Please read on:

Modules

Canvas has made it a little easier to manipulate the modules within your Canvas classroom.  You’ll note that the “View Progress” and “Create a Module” buttons have migrated from the right side of the screen to just above the first module in your classroom.  Additionally, the “Add Content to Module” and “Edit” functions have moved.  You will now find these by clicking on the “gear” icon to the right of the module title.



Quizzes

The Quizzes tool also got a bit of a facelift this past weekend!  While all the options for quizzes have remained the same, quiz settings now appear on a “Settings” tab and look a bit more like typical assignment settings.  While editing a quiz, you’ll now note that quiz questions have their own tab and the “gear” icon will allow you to add/show a rubric or delete the quiz.  



Discussions

In Discussions, instructors will notice the edit button has been moved next to the Gear icon, while the Speedgrader™ and rubric information is now located inside the Gear icon.



Instructors can restrict students from editing or deleting their discussion posts. This permission can be set in the Discussion settings or in the Course Settings under “more options”.



When a reply is edited by a student, instructors will be able to see the date and time the reply was edited. This feature helps instructors know when the edit occurred and if it should affect a course assignment or grade. Students will not see edit notifications unless their reply has been edited by their instructor.

When a reply is deleted by any user, the activity is indicated by a date and time stamp, along with the name of the person who performed the action.

Hopefully these changes make your Canvas experience easier and more enjoyable! As always, please content the Center for Online Learning with any Canvas questions that you may come up... we're here to help!  

The details for these new features have been sourced from Canvas’ User Guides and Product Release Notes.  Please feel free to contact the Center for Online Learning at Bay Path College (online@baypath.edu) for any questions you may about using Canvas for your Bay Path class.

Reimagining Learning

I came across a TEDx video recently that does a great job of summing up many of the issues relating to education today, especially how technology can help us be more innovative in the classroom and provide more personalized learning experiences to students. The speaker is Richard Culatta of the US Department of Education.  This 15 minute video is well worth watching. He discusses learning challenges that we face today, the use of learning analytics to personalize instruction, and the dangers of simply digitizing educational tools without changing the way we approach education.

Please feel free to comment below after viewing the video and share your thoughts with us.

Using Canvas on an iPad

In today's world it's more important than ever to stay connected while on the go. Tablets, such as iPads, are a great way to bring your internet connect with you wherever you go - they're more portable than a laptop, but have a larger screen than a smartphone.  Many faculty are also starting to experiment with using iPads in the classroom. One of our earlier blog entries featured information and resources about the educational use of iPads.

If you're using an iPad and want to use it to access Canvas when you're away from your computer, or if you have been trying to use Canvas through the iPad's Safari browser and are experiencing some difficulties, there are a couple apps designed to help you. The mobile Safari web browser has problems displaying some times of websites, including Canvas.  If you've tried to use Canvas in Safari you may have experienced some issues with scrolling, for example.  We generally recommend using the Google Chrome browser on iPads and iPhones because it works better with a wider variety of websites than Safari, but when it comes to Canvas, you will have the best experience on your iPad using the apps.

Canvas for iOS

The Canvas app for iOS allows you to view your activity stream and "to do" list; access your inbox; view the schedule, discussions, other parts of your Canvas classroom; and access grades.  The app doesn't provide the same level of access as the full version in your web browser, but it's a good tool to quickly access your course on the go.

SpeedGrader for iOS

The SpeedGrader app is a great tool for grading on the go.  It allows you to use the Canvas SpeedGrader app from your iPad and eliminates the problems you would most likely encounter when using Canvas in Safari.

If you happen to be an Android user, there is a Canvas app for Android that just came out in January.  All of these apps will make your life easier if you're trying to access Canvas while away from your computer.  Give them a try and let us know what you think.

Seeing Things from the Student's Perspective in Canvas

While working within your Canvas classroom, how many times have you asked yourself, “I wonder what this looks like to my students?”  Chances are, this question has come up at least once or twice.

Did you know that you could view your Canvas classroom exactly as your student would see it?  Or that you could even participate in your classroom as a test student?  Well, you can with “Student View”! 

The “Student View” feature in your Canvas classroom allows an instructor to see a Canvas course just as a student would see it.  This feature creates a “Test Student” in your Canvas classroom that every instructor in the course has access to.  You can use “Student View” to:

•       View the course as a student

•       Post to a Discussion as a student

•       Turn in an Assignment as a student

•       View Grades as a student

•       View People in the course as a student

•       View Pages as a student

•       View the Syllabus as a student

•       View Quizzes as a student

To access “Student View”, click on “Settings” from inside your Canvas classroom (located in the left-hand navigation menu).  Next, click on the “Student View” button in the upper-right corner of the Settings screen. 

Canvas will let you know that you are in “Student View” by way of a persistent bar on the bottom of the screen.  Note that you can reset your “Test Student” by clicking on “Reset Student” in this bar.  Resetting the test student will clear all history for the test student and allow you to view the course once more as a brand new student.  Click on “Leave Student View” when you are done using this tool.

The details for the Student View feature have been sourced from Canvas’ User Guides.  Please feel free to contact the Center for Online Learning at Bay Path College (online@baypath.edu) for any questions you may about using Canvas for your Bay Path class.