Canvas
The Fall 2014 semester is almost here and your Canvas course shells are ready to be set up. You can find Canvas support resources and workshop schedules at https://its.tcnj.edu/ under the Canvas menu. You can also reach these resources using the Canvas Help menu. Below are some tips and links to help you get started.
– Remove prior courses from your course menu by Customizing your Courses & Groups dropdown. This helps reduce the number of course options on many of the menus in Canvas.
– Check out the instructor quick start guide for a course check list and glossary of Canvas common terms.
– In order for students to access a course, the course needs to be published and the start date needs to have passed. The course start date is determined by the dates sent from PAWS. Most undergraduate courses are set to start August 26. Instructors can change the start date to allow early access to a course.
– To message your students in Canvas, make sure the course has been published. It takes some time for your course to appear in the inbox after publishing. Select multiple recipients by holding down the ctrl key while selecting.
– Merge courses by cross-listing them under your course settings.
– If you previously taught the course in Canvas, import previous course content into the new course.
– Hide Canvas tools you aren’t going to use from students.
For additional assistance, use Report a Problem through the Canvas Help menu or contact us through canvashelp@tcnj.edu. If you would like to schedule Canvas training for your department, please reach out to us to setup an appointment. We can work with you to create a training tailored to your needs.
New to Canvas
Draft State
Canvas has implemented a new Draft State feature that allows instructors to publish or unpublish specific course content. The unpublished feature is available in Assignments, Quizzes, Modules, Pages, and Discussions. Unpublished course content is not visible to students and is excluded from course grade calculations. Draft state has also added significant new user-interface elements in Canvas. Course content with a cloud next to it can be published/unpublished. Make sure the cloud is green if you want students to access it. More information …
NJVid Video Browser
TCNJ is excited to offer NJVid integration with Canvas. You will notice the new tool, NJVid Video Browser, in your Canvas courses. This tool allows you to create a gallery of videos from NJVid for your course. You can also upload your own videos or allow students to do so. Videos uploaded through Canvas will not be permanent, so make sure you keep your source files. More Information…
SOCS
SOCS will NOT contain any Fall 2014 courses. You will still have access to your old SOCS courses during the fall semester. SOCS will be shut down over the winter break.
Lunch’n Learns
We are happy to announce the return of the Lunch’n Learns! If you are not familiar with Lunch’n Learns, these are 1 hour events where faculty and staff presenters give an overview of cool things they are doing with technology (in or out of the classroom) while the rest of us have lunch. : ) Past sessions included A Look at RefWorks, Creating a Class Wiki and Video Conferencing Options @ TCNJ. For the Fall semester, we are looking to schedule one in October and one in November. If you would like to present or have suggestions, please contact us at its@tcnj.edu.