Using Canvas
| Official Learning Management System |
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In April 2018, SLCC Executive Cabinet approved Canvas as the official learning management system for SLCC. Canvas must be used for all face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses. The Discussion Team has determined that the minimum expectations for faculty using Canvas are to (1) post the course syllabus, (2) respond to Canvas messaging, and (3) use the grade book. Beginning Fall Semester 2018, faculty will be able to post grades from within Canvas, which will then import automatically into BANNER. This will eliminate the need for faculty to re-post final grades from Canvas to BANNER. Training for Canvas use will be provided via Faculty Development.
This requirement is consistent with the college’s practice of designating officially approved technology platforms for official, college-wide internal communication to faculty, staff, students, and administration. For example, Outlook and Bruinmail are the official email systems for SLCC internal communication. Banner is another fundamental technology at the institution.
- R. Adam Dastrup, President, Faculty Senate
- Clifton Sanders, Provost for Academic Affairs
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☑ Accessing Canvas
☑ Course Availability
Before the Term
New course sites are created for every course long before the semester starts, but an instructor will not have access to their site until they are listed in Banner as the instructor for that course (this timeline can vary by department). Additionally, when course shells for the upcoming semester are finalized by SLCC Canvas Administrators, the soonest you are typically able to access your assigned course is four work weeks before the semester begins. At that point, you can begin adding content to your Canvas course. Lastly, when students register for the course, they will be auto-enrolled or added as students into the Canvas shell.
During the Term
Just because you see the Canvas course does not mean your students see it. By default, a course site is unpublished (unavailable) until the start of the term and it is up to the instructor to publish it (i.e., make it available). Once a course is accessible to the instructor, however, the instructor can change a setting in the course to allow students to access it earlier if needed. We will talk more about how to publish a course in a later module. For more information, see: How do I publish a course?
After the Term
After the school term has ended, Canvas course sites are not archived but are available indefinitely. This serves as a stored record of course evidence. By default, each Canvas course has term start and end dates within the course settings. Outside that date range, most functions are limited to “view only.” Some components are not easily accessible after the term end date (grades, group pages, etc.) To help manage and keep course sites from continuing to build up within your course list, especially classes which are taught semester after semester, Canvas removes teachers periodically from courses that are a year old.
☑ Simple Syllabus
☑ Assignments and Gradebook
☑ Canvas Inbox
Additional Recommendations
☑ Course Content
- Navigation
- How do I manage Course Navigation links? (This will show you how to add tools like ‘Zoom’ and ‘Submit Final Grades’ to your course navigation. It can also guide you through removing elements you don’t need.)
- Importing Content
- Creating Content
☑ Home Page
☑ Course Settings
- Edit Course Settings
- As an instructor, you may have the ability to "open" your course early. You can do this by editing the course start date in the course settings. How do I change the start and end dates for a course? When you have made your changes click on the Update Course Details button at the bottom of the page. Remember that 12:00 AM is the beginning of the day, not the end.
- Publish Course and Content
☑ Notifications
☑ Additional Helpful Links
- ELearning Canvas Request Forms (This link opens to a list of forms, such as Access Request, Accessibility Request, Canvas Communication Request, Canvas Course Creation, Content Management, EdTech Data Request, Integration, Non-eLearning Request, Tranings and Consultations, and Troubleshooting/Errors)
End of semester: