University of Minnesota Canvas Help: A Comprehensive Guide

Canvas is the University of Minnesota's learning management system (LMS), serving as a central hub for academic courses. All academic courses taught at the University of Minnesota have a Canvas course site that is automatically created. Even if you don’t use Canvas, your course site is available to you, and your students are automatically enrolled in the course site. Whether you're a student accessing course materials or an instructor designing an engaging online experience, understanding Canvas is crucial. This article provides a comprehensive overview of Canvas, offering guidance and resources for both students and instructors at the University of Minnesota.

Accessing Canvas and Finding Your Courses

The Canvas Dashboard displays all the course sites associated with you. There are a few ways to find the Canvas course sites that you have access to. Upon logging in, the Dashboard is the first thing you will see. The Card View Dashboard displays course cards for all your favorite courses. Even if you don’t use Canvas, your course site is available to you, and your students are automatically enrolled in the course site.

Student Support and IT Resources

For students encountering technology or administrative challenges with their courses, ITSS (Information Technology Student Services) offers comprehensive support. ITSS offers student support both in person and online for students having technology or administrative issues with their courses. ITSS can assist with:

Utilizing course-related tools like Canvas, Kaltura, or Google Apps to submit course assignments and multimedia projects.
Installing University-required software.
Seeking access to University resources, especially if you are unable to come to campus.

Note: ITSS does not offer TA services but can help troubleshoot technical issues.

UMN System Help: Always Available

Within Canvas, students can find immediate assistance by clicking the Help icon located on the lower left of the Global navigation bar (the maroon bar on the left). The phone and chat options are available 24/7. When seeking help, it's essential to provide a detailed description of the issue, including the course indicator, number, and section (e.g., WRIT 1000-001), and/or a link to the specific Canvas page where the problem occurs if your question is about Canvas. You can also call (218) 726-8847 for support.

Canvas Overview: Features and Functionality

Canvas is an online platform used by faculty and staff to provide learning materials and activities that may supplement a face-to-face or blended course, or deliver a fully online experience. Additional learning tools can be added on to Canvas to extend the core functionality and features of the system. It serves as a central hub for accessing course materials, submitting assignments, taking quizzes, viewing grades, and interacting with classmates and instructors through online discussions and direct messaging.

Key Features for Students

Accessing Course Material: Canvas allows students to easily access course materials provided by instructors.
Submitting Assignments: Students can submit assignments electronically through Canvas.
Taking Quizzes: Instructors can administer quizzes and exams through Canvas.
Viewing Grades: Canvas provides a centralized location for students to view their grades and feedback.
Interacting with Classmates and Instructors: Canvas facilitates communication and collaboration through online discussions and direct messaging.

Extending Canvas Functionality

Additional learning tools can be added on to Canvas to extend the core functionality and features of the system. Canvas integrates with various tools to enhance the learning experience, including:

Kaltura: A media management system that can be used to upload media files as well as to create webcam recordings.
VoiceThread: A collaborative, multimedia slideshow that holds images, documents, and videos.
NameCoach: A user-recorded name pronunciation tool available in Canvas.
Zoom for Canvas Integration: Allows you to start and join Zoom meetings from within Canvas.
Qualtrics LTI: The Qualtrics LTI allows you to integrate Qualtrics surveys into the Canvas learning experience.
Honorlock: Instructors may use Honorlock for exam proctoring in Canvas courses.
Elevator: Elevator has been approved for integration with Canvas.

Important Considerations

HIPAA Compliance: Note: Canvas is not HIPAA compliant; no enterprise LMS, that we are aware of, is HIPAA compliant. Therefore, PHI content should not be uploaded to Canvas.
Copyright Law: Downloading or sharing software, entertainment, or images may violate United States copyright law.

Course Content and Organization

There are a few different ways you can organize your course content in Canvas. Instructors have several options for organizing course content and communicating with students. There are multiple ways in Canvas to notify your student of course expectations, due dates, discussions, or disruptions that impact them. The Course Home Page is associated with the Home link in Course Navigation and is the first page seen for each course.

Announcements

You can view all replies in an announcement by scrolling or searching content.

Discussions

Instructors often use classroom discussions to promote sharing and ideas about a subject matter.

Read also: History of the Block 'M'

Video Content

Uploading a large video file is cumbersome, and navigating a video recording of a 50-minute (or longer) class is challenging for students. By chunking your lecture, you can create smaller files. This article covers why and when to use three different types of video to engage students in an online course site.

Assessments and Grading

Canvas offers a variety of tools for creating and managing assessments, as well as providing feedback to students.

Quizzes

You can create a quiz using a question group. If you need to edit a question in Canvas, you have to edit both the question as it is in a quiz and in its Question Bank. When a student views a timed quiz and time expire, Canvas auto-submits the quiz.

Gradebook

You can use the Gradebook to send messages to your students. A standard feature in Canvas permits students to view a Grade Distribution Graph (GDG) for individual assignments in the course Grades area. Canvas uses a 'running total' method of scores for a current Total score.

Feedback

Instructors give various kinds of feedback on assignments, quizzes and graded discussions in Canvas.

Read also: Legacy of Fordham University

Collaboration and Communication

Canvas provides several tools for facilitating collaboration and communication among students and instructors.

Groups

Canvas has two types of groups: student groups and groupsets. When you make a group within a Canvas course, Canvas automatically generates a group workspace. When self sign-up is enabled for a group, instructors are unable to prevent students from switching groups. This self-help guide is for instructors and students alike. It guides instructors on how to set up and facilitate Groups in their Canvas courses.

Surveys

You can use surveys to receive feedback from your students or give them some extra points by responding to a survey.

Customization and Settings

Canvas offers a variety of customization options for both instructors and students.

Course Settings

There is a whole host of course level settings you can choose.

Profile Settings

You can update your Canvas profile to include your personal pronouns.

Navigation

There is a button on the top of the Canvas page that allows you to hide or show the course navigation menu.

Instructor Resources and Tools

Canvas provides a range of tools and resources specifically for instructors to design and manage their courses effectively.

Course Import

You can import courses, modules, assignments, quizzes, discussions, pages, or files from Commons into your Canvas course.

PeopleSoft Proxy Enrollment

This article explains how to enroll a PeopleSoft Proxy into a Canvas course as a teacher.

Manual Section Enrollment Tool

Recently my campus notified Canvas admins and teachers that there was a new system for manual section enrollment where we could download a csv template, create sections then upload the csv to sort students into the chosen sections. In my program, we routinely sort hundreds of students into lots of different sections, so having his new feature will be a huge time saver!

Uploading a CSV with sections and enrollments

Go to the Course navigation menu and select Course Admin Tools.
Select the Manual Section Enrollment tool. The Manual Section Enrollment window appears.
Select the Import CSV tab.
Select the link to Download a pre-filled template. Add rows for TA, Non-Editing Instructor, or Undergraduate TA. A progress bar appears.

Rich Content Editor

You can embed images in the Rich Content Editor. The Rich Content Editor allows you to add alt text tags to embedded images.

Roll Call Attendance

The Roll Call Attendance tool is an external app (LTI) that instructors can use in Canvas to keep track of student course attendance electronically.

Student View

As an instructor or course designer, you will sometimes want to view and test a course site from the student's perspective.

UDOIT (Universal Design Online Inspection Tool)

UDOIT (pronounced, "You do it") scans online course content within a specific course site and creates a report that identifies possible accessibility issues.

Using Sample Letter Text

You can use and customize the sample letter text below to inform your students you will be using Canvas.

Grade Schemes

For undergraduate courses, you may wish to use the University of Minnesota Letter Grade Scheme.

Zoom Appointment Scheduler

Zoom Appointment Scheduler in Canvas allows instructors to create bookable appointment slots in Canvas.

Outcomes

Outcomes are used to track mastery in a course.

Getting Started Resources for Instructors

Canvas: Getting Started for Instructors is a streamlined checklist. Several online resources provide you with easy access to fundamental Canvas information. Canvas Essentials is a self-paced online training designed to provide instructors with fundamental Canvas information. The modules contain a blend of technical (how-to) resources and pedagogical recommendations on how to use Canvas tools and options for your course(s).

Additional Resources

Canvas: Find Your Course Site
Courses with online content that are delivered via the Training Hub should store that content in Canvas.
Leaving an Assignment unpublished allows it to remain in a draft state.
Everyone enrolled in a Canvas course site must be assigned a role.
When should you go to the trouble of designing a branching scenario?
A paper from ScienceDirect on Using online collaboration applications for group assignments.
This resource opens to a slide presentation give at an Educause Conference.
This comprehensive checklist is organized to support your upcoming semester preparation.
This study focuses on learner experiences in a real-time communication mediated by the Breeze web-based collaboration system.

tags: #university #of #minnesota #canvas #help