Every month in Canvas Corner, we discuss the new features and enhancements available in Canvas. This month, we cover new WalkMe guides, updates to graded items in context cards, student text notifications, and file uploads and drop-down questions within the mobile app.
WalkMe Guides
We recently added some new WalkMe guides to Canvas. WalkMe provides real-time guidance
that is easy to follow by providing on-screen, step-by-step guidance that you can utilize to complete any task successfully. To access a WalkMe guide, simply click on the Canvas WalkThru menu and type in a question or task, then follow along as WalkMe shows you where to click, what settings to choose, and explains the options.
Here are some new WalkMe guides we’ve added to Canvas:
- How to embed audio into any RCE
- How to insert a table using any RCE
- How to Embed a video into any RCE
- What regrade options are available for a quiz
Canvas Updates
Context Card & Graded Items
When viewing a student’s context card, instructors can now view the name of a graded item, as the name of the assignment displays as part of the card details when hovering over the grade. These assignment names can also be read by screen readers.
Student-Performance Texts
The engineering and research teams at Canvas have been collaborating on a new feature designed to help students manage coursework by using text messaging. When a student opts into the new notification service, the student will begin receiving text notifications for the following:
- A reminder to turn in any unsubmitted online assignments that are still available after the due date
- A reminder to retry a quiz if a quiz contains multiple attempts and the highest score received was less than an A or 95%
These notifications will be sent once daily to students who meet the above criteria and, of course, no notification will be sent for assignments with due dates farther in the past than the previous 24 hours. Plus, only one notification will be sent for each assignment. Students can opt-out of these notifications at any time.
Updates to Canvas Mobile
File Upload and Multiple Dropdown Questions in Quizzes
The Canvas by Instructure app now natively supports File Upload and Multiple Dropdown quiz questions. The app is available for Android and iOS devices.
