Instructure releases a product update - called a Sprint - every three weeks.
Canvas Deploy Notes: February 28th
- New Mastery Path icon
- Removal of several non-web safe fonts (fonts that are not present across all operating systems)
Canvas Deploy Notes: March 16th
- Multi-select grade-book filters
- Screen capture and auto-captioning added to SpeedGrader
- Quiz analysis and item analysis report for New Quizzes fill-in-the-blank (other quiz formats have this feature already)
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Time-Saving Canvas Tips/Tricks: Introductory
Tip 1: Create an Assignment Template. I have one for formative and one for summative. It has a title banner and headings of the objectives, instructions, and resources (if there are any). That way, every assignment looks the same. It builds a routine, reduces confusion, and the students can find what they want much easier.
Tip 2: Course Link Validator. As an instructor, you can verify all external links throughout your course to ensure they are valid. You can check these links using the course link validator which searches through course content and returns invalid or unresponsive external links in both published and unpublished content. More information on the Course Link Validator.
Please note: Some links flagged as unresponsive are inaccessible by Canvas servers and will still work for students. The link validator also includes deleted links that are still in the course, but their linked content has been removed. There is also an option to show/not show links to unpublished content.
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Time-Saving Canvas Tips/Tricks: Intermediate
Tip 1: Autofill Grades to 0 (Zero) When the Assignment is Due. Populating empty scores with "0" triggers a notification to the student that they are missing a submission. Steps: 1) Click the gear in the top corner of the Gradebook. 2) Under the Late Policies tab, you can check the box for Automatically apply grade to missing submissions and add a zero. More information on Late Submission Policies.
Tip 2: View a Student's Grades From Their Perspective. As an instructor, you can access the Grades page for a student in your course. This shows you how a student views his or her grades in the course and allows you to add individual comments to group submission assignments. You can choose to restrict options in the grades page to students, such as hiding grade summary totals and grade distribution graphs. More information on viewing student grades.
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Time-Saving Canvas Tips/Tricks: Advanced
Tip 1: Floating Image to the Right. By default, when you add an image to your Canvas page, it will sit on the left side of the screen, right above and below blocks of text with ample white space to the side (unless the image spans the entire width of the page). However, it is possible to float the picture to the right side of the screen and allow the text to fill in the space to the left. We don’t have to settle for images being positioned where Canvas puts them. With minimal CSS, we can float it to the right. More information on using Float Image
Tip 2: Hide Grades. If you need to hide grades or submission comments that have already posted for students to view, you can hide grades and/or comments in the grade book or in SpeedGrader. The Hide Grades feature only affects previously entered grades and submission comments. If you want newly-entered grades to be hidden from students, you can set a manual posting policy for an assignment or set a manual posting policy for a course. Assignment-level posting policies override course-level policies for that assignment. More information on Hiding Grades
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Recent New Quizzes Updates
Refer to the New Quizzes Hub - Instructure Community for more information.
New Feature 1: In New Quizzes, the CSV format of the Quiz and Item Analysis report can be downloaded, encompassing all metrics and Answer Frequency Summary tables accessible through the User Interface.
Change Benefit: This functionality allows admins and instructors to easily download data via CSV for a comprehensive look at quiz effectiveness. This provides the data as needed to create custom reports and support learning outcomes. More information on CSV Download.
New Feature 2: In the Item Analysis Report, the Answer Frequency Summary tables display the total number of correct responses, incorrect responses, and no responses for the following question types:
Multiple Choice
Multiple Answer
True or False
Fill in the Blank
Change Benefit: This update provides additional information on specific question types for instructors to evaluate student responses and provide appropriate intervention. More information on Item Analysis Report.
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In the next few months, WSU Tech will be introducing a new Canvas feature called Catalog that provides a storefront for non-credit, professional development, and workforce development courses. Catalog works in conjunction with the base Canvas product, but offers an easy mechanism for learners to register and pay (if required) for courses. Programs and partners such as Mike Rowe Works, Fidelity Bank, and multiple aviation companies can easily host content in this product. Watch for more information very soon!
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Another interesting course feature is the addition of Articulate Rise - an eLearning product used by MRW, Pilot and other programs. Below you can see a screenshot of the MRW course that was co-developed by ITAS and MRW using Rise. It then uses SCORM - a common file exchange format - to connect to Canvas for assignment and quiz score passback. See a preview of the MRW Rise course
