September and October Updates to Canvas

 

There have been some recent updates to Canvas, as well as a few new updates coming in October to be excited about.  

An increase in analytics 

 

September saw an update to Canvas's analytics potential with the introduction of downloadable CSV files for missing assignments, late assignments, excused assignments, the class roster, and course activity data. 

 

This change provides instructors with table visualizations of essential course information via Canvas APIs into a consumable format.

 

The CSV format is especially helpful for instructors with large classes who may need to dig deeper into the data about their course to determine which students might be struggling or falling behind. 

 

This update will only affect instructors. Watch the screencast about the new feature below:

 

Global Navigation Update

 

This feature will be released on October 17th and will add an addition to the Global Navigation menu.  

 

The Recent History link will be located below the Inbox link and will allow users to access the most recent pages viewed in Canvas up to the last three weeks. 

 

This update will apply to all users. 

 

Updates to Notifications 

 

This is a minor update that will allow user-level notifications to match the design of the course-level Notifications page. Additional enhancements have been added to clarify notifications between each level.   

 

Additionally, for the Grades notification, the Send Scores in Emails option has also been added as a course-level notification preference.

 

This update will affect all users and be released on October 17th.  

New Zoom Features: Pinning Users, Breakout Rooms, and Muting Controls

Zoom has released a few new features for adding functionality to their platform. Two of these are useful in general, and one helps increase Zoom's accessibility for individuals who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. 

Pinning Users to the Meeting Screen

In an effort to increase accessibility, Zoom now gives users the option to "pin" certain users to their custom personal view, regardless of who may be speaking at the time. This is helpful students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing as it allows both the students and their sign language interpreters to always be visible on the screen. 

 

Changes to Breakout Rooms

Breakout rooms have been a standard in Zoom for a long time, but the newest update brings a few changes. Rather than being organized by the instructor, students can now select their own breakout rooms and move between the rooms if necessary. This can be useful for group-work where you want groups to be able to check in with each other without having to come back to the room at large to do so. 

 

More Control Over Muting

While muting and unmuting are usually controlled by meeting participants, a new feature allows hosts to selectively unmute user audio, as long as everyone in the meeting has that setting turned on. This is useful for users who have difficulty turning on their audio or remembering that they are muted.

 

 

What settings would you like to see in Zoom? Let Learning Technologies know in the comments below! 

Canvas Updates for August 2020

 

Canvas releases updates on the third Saturday of every month in sessions called sprints. There were a few new features released for August of 2020.

Bulk Delete Pages

Being new to building Canvas courses can often mean a lot of mistakes (or at least it does for the author!) Canvas has made it easier be free of these "mistakes" as multiple pages can be deleted at one time in the Pages Index page.  

Course Section Visibility

While all students are visible under the People area of each course, there is a column labeled Section that lets users know which student is in each section. This column can now be removed so that students cannot see who is in each section of the course. 

 

Some instructors use sections within a single course to create groups that have different due dates. Sometimes these due dates are based on a private, potentially identifying reason (illness, personal issue, etc.) that they might not want other students to know. By removing the section column, instructors can continue to use sections to group students without publicizing this information to the rest of the course. 

 

 

The Global Announcements Page

 

Global Announcements is a new option under the User Navigation Menu that allows users to view announcements that were previously dismissed from the Dashboard. 

The Global Announcements page defaults to the Current Announcements tab, which displays all active announcements for the institution. There is also a Recent tab that allows users to refer back to older announcements (as long as their end date has been within the past four months.)

 

 

Taking Attendance in Zoom

 

 

Almost all of us are using Zoom, but did you know you can use Zoom to take attendance? 

Checking attendance through Canvas

Note: This option is only available if you use the Canvas integration of Zoom.

To check attendance in Zoom meetings through Canvas:

1. Click on Zoom in the course navigation menu on the left-hand side of your course.  
2. Select the Previous Meetings tab. 
3. Find the meeting you want to take attendance for and then click Report on the right-hand side of your screen. 
4. View or download the attendance report.

Checking attendance through Zoom

1. Sign into your ESU Zoom account 
2. Select Reports from the navigation menu on the left.
3. Click Usage.
4. Find the meeting for which you are taking attendance.
   
5. Choose the blue, hyperlinked number under the Participants column.
6. View or export the meet's attendance report. 

And there you have it! You now have a record of all users who were in your meeting and can use it to assign attendance points.

Create Graphics Using Visme

 

As we move more content online, having clear, sharp graphics becomes of increasing importance. There are several different programs you can to create graphics, including the one use to make this blog post's (as well as the last one's) header: Visme.

Visme "is the world’s most versatile content creation tool, empowering individuals and leading brands to create and present compelling stories in the form of engaging presentations, infographics, documents, videos, graphics and everything in between." The program is free to use and is web-based; however, some features and artwork are part of Visme's Premium service and aren't available to basic account holders. I haven't found this to be an issue as there are so many options to choose from. 

You can sign up for your own free Visme account on their website and then choose the type of graphic you're wanting to make: a presentation, an infographic, document, printables, web graphics, or social media graphics. You can then choose one of Visme's free templates or select a blank template and then create your own using Visme's images or your own. 

After that, you're all set to play around, adding images, font, and other content. Give it a try! 

Using Google Meet for Videoconferencing in Canvas

 

About Google Meet

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Zoom has pretty well had the market cornered on videoconferencing technology. It integrated well with so many platforms that it became the default for online meetings. 

IT is proud to announce that there is a second option now for a videoconferencing platform both within and outside of Canvas called Google Meet. 

Google Meet was first released in 2017 and was an extension of Google Hangouts, billed as a videoconferencing app for up to 30 participants. Due to the pandemic, Google made several quick changes in early 2020 so that they could offer advanced capabilities to users. These capabilities include:

• Automatic Closed Captioning!
  
• Larger meetings of up to 250 participants per call
• Live streaming for up to 100,000 viewers within a domain
• The ability to record meetings and save them to Google Drive

They have extended these additional capabilities to all users through the end of September. Given the popularity of the product and the continuation of the pandemic, there is a chance that this benefit will be extended.

Why should you use Google Meet instead of Zoom? 

ESU students are already using the Google Suite applications for email, etc. They are frequently familiar with Google products. Also, Google Meet integrates with Canvas for a flawless experience for both instructors and students.  

Also, there is no time limit for meetings on Meet and everyone already has a "pro" account; no need to ask for an upgrade. Unlike Zoom, where we only have a set number of licenses, Meet licenses are unlimited. If the advanced capabilities are not extended after September 30th, Meet still allows for 60 minutes of videoconferencing vs. Zoom's 40 minute limit. 

Google Meet is also simpler and more user-friendly, with fewer settings that have to be manipulated without scrimping on features. Like Zoom, Google Meet allows users to share their screens, utilize breakout rooms, connect to conferencing equipment, and call in via a phone rather than a computer. 

How do I set up a Google Meet in Canvas?

Meet is already enabled in Canvas and adding a meeting to to an assignment or page is simple.  

Create an assignment or page in Canvas  

Select the Apps icon. 

 

Choose the Google Hangouts Meet option.

 

Then select which Google account you want to use. It will ask you if you want to give permissions to Google.

 

Once you allow the Meet LTI to work with your Google account, your meeting link is generated and automatically linked in the assignment or page. 

Let your students know when you will be meeting and then all you have to do is click the link to activate Google Meet and start your meeting.

We look forward to faculty and students trying out this new tool!

 

 

Recent Updates to Canvas

Most of the recent updates to Canvas have been "enforcements" of previously released features (meaning now you have to use them.)

One change has to do with rubrics, however. Previously located within the Outcomes section of each course, they have been moved to the Course Navigation Menu.

This allows faster access to rubrics and creates a more intuitive workflow. Rubrics in Canvas are increasingly important as more classes switch to hybrid, Hy-Flex, or fully online modalities, as they both simplify the grading process and help provide feedback to students.

There should be more updates coming in August, so keep visiting this space to learn more!