Canvas Module Requirements: Streamlining Learning for Educators

Canvas offers a valuable feature known as Module Requirements. Canvas Module Requirements allow teachers to set prerequisites for learning materials within a course. This means that learners must complete one step before moving on to the next. This feature is particularly beneficial in guiding students through a sequential learning journey. By structuring modules with prerequisites, educators can ensure that foundational concepts are mastered before introducing more advanced topics. In a world where remote and asynchronous learning are becoming increasingly prevalent, the ability to control the flow of information is crucial. Canvas Module Requirements provide teachers with the means to create a logical progression of content, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Did you know? Canvas requirements are used in all of our asynchronous professional development. If you click on Module in the course you are taking, you can easily see what items you have completed and pick up where you left off in a course. When you go to Module you’ll see this:

modules with missing and completed requirments

Green checkmarks indicate it is complete and the circle indicates that it still needs to be completed. Hopefully this information helps you as we enter the February PD window. If you would like more information about setting these up in your own course, check out the instructor guides linked below.

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-add-prerequisites-to-a-module/ta-p/1123

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-add-requirements-to-a-module/ta-p/1131

Grading Periods for New Term

visual organizer of the grading periods transition

Secondary teachers are approaching the end of a new term (semester 1/quarter 2). Here’s what you need to be aware of in Canvas.

  • Teachers will have access to make edits, give feedback, and grade assignments in Canvas for 1st Semester until 11:59 pm on January 31, 2023. After that date, the grades will not be editable, you’ll need to follow your building’s process for updating a grade on record. Please note change due to snow days.
  • Students will continue to have access to submit assignments with due dates in the first semester UNLESS YOU HAVE AN AVAILABLE UNTIL DATE OF JAN. 30 (11:50 pm) OR EARLIER.  You can edit those dates in bulk by following the steps here. If you have a year-long course, please look over your assignments and consider what you want to remain available.

Semester 2 is set to “open” on January 30, please make sure any semester courses are published by then.  You can filter your grade book to view assignments with due dates in the Semester 2 grading period by following the steps here.

If you have questions, please submit a tech ticket.

Outdated Google Assignments Deprecated June 2024

Outdated Google Assignments

The older Google Apps LTI (integration) will no longer be available in Canvas after June 2024. P-CCS turned off the ability to create new assignments with the previous integration in 2021, so a very small number of people will be affected. If you have copied old Google Assignments over from year to year, you may need to convert them to the updated Google Assignment. 

What do you do with assignments created with the old integration?

  • Make a copy of the old assignment
  • On the right of the assignment, click More>Edit>More Options
  • Next to “Submission Type,” click the dropdown >External Tool.
  • Click “Find”, select “Google Assignments (LTI 1.3)”
  • Link your Google Workspace for Education Account (first time only)
  • Click Continue, attach the Drive Files needed
  • Choose your grading tool, make sure to update the due date and points
  • Click Create. 
  • On the Canvas page, click Select>Save.

Video directions

If you have assignments created with the old integration (this will apply to very few of our teachers), those assignments will NOT BE available after June 2024 UNLESS you update them with the steps outlined above.

What are Google Assignments?

Google Assignments allow you to automatically create a copy of docs/slides/sheets for each student to edit (similar functionality to Google Classroom, if you are familiar with that platform). That document automatically includes their name, is shared with the teacher, is organized in a folder in Drive, and is attached to the assignment for submission. It also allows the teacher to observe student progress and give feedback on their work along the way. 

Google and Canvas by Kaelyn Bullock

If you would like to learn how to create a Google Assignment, follow these steps.

Read Google’s guidance for more information about the integration. Please reach out to a TIS if you have questions. 

New Canvas Support Workflow

We want to inform you about a recent change to our district’s Canvas support process. In the past, you had the ability to reach out directly to Canvas support through phone or chat, but we’ve now transitioned to a different approach. If you encounter any issues or need assistance, please submit a support ticket from the Canvas Help Menu.

Canvas report a problem

 

We understand that this is a shift from the previous service level, and we appreciate your understanding. Additionally, we encourage you to explore the Canvas guides (instructor, student, and observer). There are also guides available for the mobile applications. You can utilize the new Panda Bot as valuable resources to help navigate Canvas effectively during this transition. Your satisfaction with the support we provide remains our priority.

Awesome New Quizzes Canvas Updates!

fall canvas updates

Here are a few September Canvas updates in New Quizzes to be excited about:

New Quizzes: Build on Last Attempt

In New Quizzes, instructors can allow students to build on their last attempt of a quiz by reattempting incorrectly answered questions.

show build on last attempt workflow

In New Quiz Settings, select Allow multiple attempts [1], and then select the Enable build on last attempt checkbox [2].

Note: When the build on last attempt feature is enabled, students can only view questions marked with incorrect answers, all other questions are hidden. If you have short answer questions you want them to reattempt, you’ll want to add a waiting period to give you time to grade those items.

Additional Details

Students can reattempt incorrectly answered questions until the answer is marked correct in SpeedGrader or they run out of attempts. Students who get all questions correct will not have the option to reattempt.

❗ Bonus Tip: Did you know that you can grade one quiz question at a time in SpeedGrader? How do I grade one quiz question at a time in Spee… – Instructure Community (canvaslms.com)

New Quizzes: Quicker Item Analysis Report

In New Quizzes, instructor access to Item Analysis reports is faster and the user interface is updated. While the item analysis used to take 24-28 hours, it will now take about 1 hour (depends on the size of the quiz and other factors).

quiz analysis interface

If you like these features but have Classic Quizzes in your course, reach out for information about migrating those quizzes to New Quizzes. There have also been hesitations about partial credit on new quizzes, check out this resource (3 slides) that breaks down how this works in New Quizzes.

Not sure how to interpret the item analysis? New Quizzes Quiz and Item Analysis – Instructure Community (canvaslms.com)

Sharing New Quizzes

If you have tried to share a New Quiz with a colleague you may have been frustrated if images or audio did not come with the quiz. To solve this, you can export the quiz file (QTI ZIP file) with these directions: How do I export a New Quiz from a course? – Instructure Community (canvaslms.com).

After exporting the file, you should be able to email the file to a colleague and they will be able to import it into their quiz. How do I import a quiz from a QTI package in New Q… – Instructure Community (canvaslms.com)

This isn’t the typical, seamless process of sharing content in Canvas, but we are hopeful can an update will come down the road.

 

Remind’s Evolving Business Structure: Embracing Canvas for Better Communication

Hello, Canvas for Messaging

In the ever-evolving landscape of educational technology, adaptability is key. Remind, a popular communication platform for educators, is making changes to its business structure that will affect the way our district’s users send and receive messages. Many of you received an email from Remind about these changes. We encourage you to embrace Canvas as the primary platform for communicating with students and families.

What’s Changing with Remind?

Remind has been a helpful tool for educators to connect with students and parents, providing a streamlined way to share important updates. However, Remind will be limiting the number of messages our district’s users can send starting September 13, 2023. This change may impact how you communicate with your students and their families. While we understand the convenience of Remind, we want to offer Canvas as an alternative solution that ensures effective communication without restrictions.

Why Canvas?

Canvas, our district’s learning management system, can serve as the ideal platform for seamless communication between educators, students, and parents. Canvas offers a mobile app that allows students and families to receive instant notifications. This ensures that important messages and updates are never missed, even on the go. By consolidating communications within Canvas, everything related to your course can be found in one place. No more switching between multiple apps or platforms. For example, if a parent checks a grade or due date in the Canvas app, they can message you directly from that screen instead of opening Remind.

Notification Settings

Due to the change in communication methods, you might encourage students to update their Notifications settings in the mobile app. Observers can also set up alerts for certain situations like a missing assignment or Announcements posted. See the chart below for helpful links and a quick video guide.

Plan to send out a communication to students and families about the settings you recommend for your course. If you use Announcements often, ask they adjust their settings to get push notifications for Announcements. If you plan to utilize the Canvas Inbox more frequently, prompt them to check that often.

Change can be daunting, but it can also lead to improved efficiency and effectiveness. By embracing Canvas as our primary platform for communication, we can provide students and families with a more reliable and comprehensive solution.

 

Action Required: Publish Your Course 23-24 Courses

Please note that each teacher must manually publish the course(s) they want to be visible to students.

Publishing your course only takes one click! From the Course Card on your Dashboard, click “Publish” (see screenshot below).
click publish on the course card on the dashboard

Alternatively, you can open the course home page and click the “Publish” button on the right side of the screen (see screenshot below).

 

Rest assured, students will not be able to access the course until the term start date. You can verify this under the course Settings (and adjust if desired).

Course Term settings

As a reminder, your courses in MISTAR have been auto-populated in Canvas and auto-rostered with students. These are the course(s) you should publish and actively use with students. Any manually created courses should either be copied or cross-listed with your auto-populated courses. You can also cross-list multiple sections of the same course following the instructions provided in one of our previous posts.

Need Help with Canvas?

get help with Canvas

Canvas is an important learning tool in our district. We hope that you continue to find it a valuable teaching and communication tool. If you are new to the district or have questions come up about it, we want you to be aware of several resources that are available to you.

First, click the “Help” icon on the Global Navigation Menu. For general and common questions try searching the Canvas guides. If your problem or question is unique and specific to your situation you can chat online or call the Canvas Support hotline. You can be connected with a support agent that can help you almost immediately.

image of Canvas help menu

If you would like to slowly browse resources, please check out our resources at the P-CCS Tech website, https://tech.pccsk12.com/canvas-lms/

Have a lot of questions? You can set up a 45-minute meeting with a Panda Pro. This experience is available through the beginning of September. Find more about this service on their website.

If you are instructional staff working on meeting your PD expectations, please note we have a number of courses including the following listed below (all of them are 3 hours) that can help increase your understanding of how to use Canvas effectively available for you in the Catalog. https://catalog.pccsk12.com/

  • Canvas 1.0
  • Canvas 2.0
  • Canvas 3.0
  • Canvas in the Face to Face Classroom
  • Simplify and Streamline your Elementary Classroom with Canvas

As always, please submit a tech ticket if you have any questions. https://links.pccsk12.com/helpdesk

Cross-Listing Your Canvas Courses

Canvas crosslisting tips

As we approach the new school year, those of you who are teaching multiple sections of the same course might consider cross-listing in Canvas. Cross-listing allows you to move section enrollments from individual courses and combine them into one course. This feature is helpful for instructors who teach several sections of the same course and only want to manage course data in one location. So if you are a teacher that has multiple sections of one course or an elementary specialist that has many different sections, cross listing may be a great option for you and a big time saver. However, this action should only be done before a semester starts. Canvas recommends it be done before a course is published. If it is done after a course is published and notably student work has been submitted, that student work will be lost. Review the slideshow below carefully to help you decide if you want to do it.

Please review this slideshow carefully to review the pros and cons. The slideshow also walks you through the steps to cross-list your courses. Please note that teachers have the ability to cross-list courses but do not have the option to de-crosslist. To de-crosslist sections or for further assistance with cross-listing, submit a tech ticket.

Tips for Cross-Listed Courses

Whether you are new to crosslisting or have done it for awhile, review this list to help run it as efficiently as possible. Crosslisting should only be done at the beginning of a term (prior to any student submissions so to avoid their loss).

Be Sure To:

  • Keep “People” hidden on the Course Navigation Menu to protect student privacy
  • Change the course name so students don’t get confused if their scheduled section meets at a different time
  • If you want to use discussions, set it up as a group discussion so students are only interacting with people in their section

Streamline Your Workflow:

  • You can assign things (especially quizzes) per section to customize availability times and due dates
  • You can sort Speedgrader submissions by section
  • You can sort the Gradebook by section

Canvas Crosslisting Tips by kaelyn.bullock