Navigating Utah State University's Canvas: A Comprehensive Guide

Utah State University (USU) uses Canvas as its primary learning management system (LMS). Canvas is used to provide course materials to students and to allow students to interact with the instructor and each other. This article provides a comprehensive overview of USU's Canvas system, covering everything from login procedures to advanced features and innovative applications like competency-based education.

Accessing USU Canvas: Your Gateway to Learning

The Dashboard is the first thing you will see when you log into Canvas. Enrollments in Banner are automatically populated in Canvas. When you are assigned as an instructor of a course, the course will be added to your Canvas account. The Dashboard will display a card for each course you are assigned to teach or added as a student (for support or training courses). Another option is to access a course through the Courses link on the global navigation menu.

Core Features and Functionalities

Canvas offers a range of features designed to streamline the learning experience. Here's a look at some key functionalities:

Course Content and Communication

The Syllabus helps your instructor communicate course expectations and information. Teachers will often communicate to their students through the Canvas announcements. Learn how to do an initial discussion post in your Canvas course. You can easily reply to any discussion.

Assignment Submissions and Peer Reviews

Your instructor may require your assignment to be peer reviewed by your classmates. Your instructor may require you to submit a peer review of another student's assignment. You can submit an assignment in Canvas using text entry. You can upload a file from Google Drive for an assignment.

Grading and Feedback

The Grades page in a course displays all current grades for all course assignments. You can view your rubric results for your assignment in the Grades page. Some browsers may not initially render comments correctly to view feedback. If your browser includes a built-in PDF viewer, select the option to view the PDF in the system viewer. You can also download PDF files with comments to view on your computer. The To Do list will be populated once students start submitting things to your class and those items need to be graded. Learn how to add personal to do items to your Canvas to do list.

Additional Tools and Resources

Tips for using the Kaltura or MyMedia. How to add third party cookies to Chrome and troubleshoot issues. This page describes how to install the Kaltura CaptureSpace Desktop recorder on a desktop or laptop. Atomic Search is a tool to make it easier to find specific content in Canvas.

USU's Innovative Use of Canvas: Competency-Based Education

Recognizing this shift in learning measurement, Utah State University (USU) launched a competency-based education initiative in 2018. Embracing this shift, Utah State University (USU) launched a pilot CBE program in 2019 for a group of Northrup Grumman employees to turn their vocation into a degree. USU relied on Canvas’ robust course-building and assessment tools to transition credit-based courses to competency-based ones. Canvas was critical in USU reaching its goal of advancing post-traditional students.

The Need for Competency-Based Education

Some 36 million Americans hold college credit but no degree. For these post-traditional students, many already in the workforce, a credit-hour-based degree is a hurdle. Competency-based education (CBE) allows students to demonstrate prior learning to progress quickly to their degree. Progress in higher education hinges on time - a four-year degree, a 16-credit semester, a one-hour lecture. But today’s employers don’t need to understand a student’s time in a classroom; they need proof of adequate knowledge and skills. In a competency-based education (CBE) model, time is variable.

Implementation and Challenges

Such a monumental change did not happen overnight. USU’s competency-based education leaders spent months seeking buy-in from administrators and faculty. Another year was spent mapping competencies and designing courses. Just as USU transitioned from a semester-based learning model to a mastery-based approach, the COVID-19 pandemic brought significant disruptions to its plan.

Canvas as the Hub of Learning

A successful CBE program largely depends on assessment tools. If a school can’t accurately measure mastery, how can students prove competencies? When developing their CBE program, USU leaders put significant energy toward finding the right experts and tools to measure learning. One thing was clear - they wanted Canvas to be the hub of learning. An early adopter of Canvas in 2011, USU uses Canvas Outcomes feature to track mastery in a course.

The Role of Instructional Design and Faculty Development

Amy Carpenter, a senior instructional designer, worked with faculty to map course competencies before shifting to CBE. Faculty who spent time building competency-based courses saw their teaching improve: “Using Outcomes in Canvas forces teachers to think through, ‘What does real mastery look like? When faculty created these tree-like competency maps for their courses, they realized they needed an additional assessment tool for such nuanced skill measurement.

Impact of the Pandemic

Even still, the legwork for launching a CBE program on Canvas proved useful for instructional designers during COVID shutdowns. Detailed course mapping and course design in Canvas gave faculty an easy template to work with. Marketing and communications e orts were critical to USU’s COVID-19 adjustment. The campus rolled out a USU Ready campaign, a resource for faculty and students. Did the pandemic pause USU’s CBE efforts? Not necessarily, it paused growth, but we could leverage what we learned to scale in other areas as the need for online increased, said Rene Eborn, assistant vice president of academic and instructional services.

Future Directions

USU is committed to growing its competency-based education offerings. But administrators recognize the significant effort it took to launch their first pilot of 30 students. The university’s next steps for scaling its competency-based education offerings are largely operational - building a sustain-able business model, determining faculty compensation, and enhancing the student experience.

Optimizing Your Canvas Experience

The following tips can help you make the most of USU's Canvas system:

Regularly check announcements: Stay informed about course updates and important information.
Utilize the Syllabus: Understand course expectations, grading policies, and assignment deadlines.
Engage in discussions: Participate actively to enhance your learning and connect with peers.
Explore available tools: Familiarize yourself with features like Kaltura and Atomic Search to improve efficiency.
Seek help when needed: Don't hesitate to contact your instructor or technical support for assistance.

tags: #utah #state #university #canvas #login