In Canvas Corner, we discuss the new features and enhancements available in Canvas. All updates will be available in Canvas on the 3rd weekend of the month.
New Quizzes in Canvas Courses
In New Quizzes, the New Quizzes Item Bank has been changed from a piggy bank to a file folder.
In a new Quiz that has questions that need to be graded manually (for example an essay question), initially those questions are passed along as a grade of zero automatically until the instructor has graded them. If all the questions on a quiz require manual grading, a total score of zero is passed to the gradebook, until updated by the instructor.
Rich Content Editor (RCE) Icon Maker Options
When editing an icon in the Rich Content Editor Icon Maker, instructors have the option to check the Decorative Icon checkbox to disable alt text for an icon.
Feedback Box Updates
In each Canvas course, students have a Feedback Box navigational menu item where they can submit up to 1000-characters of text feedback to faculty.
Faculty also have a Feedback Box navigational menu item where they can view anonymized feedback, reply to the feedback, delete the feedback, or report abuse.
Updates to the Course Creation Process
All Canvas courses are created 90 days ahead of the start date and will now include their official start and end dates taken from my.SMU. Students will be able to see course content once the course is published, no matter the date; student participation aligns with the course’s official start and end dates. Instructors will continue to have full access to courses as soon as they are built, and will have an extended 14 days of access after the official course end date.
Canvas Community Feature Requests
Did you know you can submit new ideas to improve Canvas? Once an idea is submitted, Canvas users can vote on the feature request they would like to see added to the product. Below there are some ideas that might be of value to the SMU community that are open for voting.
- Show file size limit next to all file-upload type assessment submission buttons….
- New Quizzes: Grade by Question on one page
- New Quizzes: Add a Student Analysis report with the option to download
- New Quizzes: Add location for SpeedGrader Access
- Allow Past Enrollments to be Favorites on Dashboard
Canvas Boot Camp Returns!
Need Additional Help?
And you can always contact us for any help with Teaching Tools like Canvas and Zoom. Feel free to schedule an appointment with your school’s Academic Technology Service Director or contact the IT Help Desk.
