Notable changes to Canvas @ Yale environment, last updated 07/26/2024.
Also check out Canvas Updates for Summer 2024
Table of Contents
This article will address the following information:
Canvas Updates
Canvas's core functionality is continuously updated throughout the year. Here are some of the more notable changes you should be aware of.
- In the Sections tab of course settings, the Add a New Section field is relocated above the list of sections. Additionally, new sections are added to the top of the list, previously they were added at the bottom.
- In the Course Section tab, the course dates, term dates and section dates display. This update allows instructors to quickly view all important dates related to a course.
- In SpeedGrader Settings, instructors can randomize the order of students. This update improves prevention of grading fatigue and biases when grading students.
- When selecting roles using the Message Students Who feature in the Gradebook and modifying the Send Message To list, the displayed numbers update to reflect the current number of selected users.
- When Exporting Course Content, New Quizzes are included in Common Cartridge exports and Course Content export files as XML file type allowing the import of existing quizzes to New Quizzes.
- In the Global Navigation Courses Tray, SIS IDs and course term are displayed if available.
- The “Student View” button text is changed to “View as Student.”
- In Account Settings and Course Settings, the footer remains fixed on the page.
- In Announcements, a Mark all as read button is available.
- In Announcements, instructors can notify students when an announcement has been updated. After saving an edited announcement, a modal appears, giving instructors the option to either save without notifying students or to send a notification to students.
- In Announcements, the delayed posting field is changed to Available from and instructors can add Until dates.
- On the Account-level Courses page, status icons indicate whether a course is published, unpublished, or concluded.
- When personal pronouns are enabled for an institution and a user has set their pronouns in their profile, Inbox messages display the user’s pronouns. Additionally, pronouns display in the drop-down menu when composing a message and the Inbox search field.
- In SpeedGrader, after drafting a comment and moving on to another student, a Draft pill displays indicating that the comment has not been submitted.
- In Settings, when selecting a course to copy or course to cross- list the drop-down menus display the SIS ID and term with the course name in the list when available.
- On the Home page and Course Settings page, the Publish and Unpublish buttons are redesigned as a drop-down menu.
- On the People page, students enrolled in multiple sections are displayed in alphabetical order.
- In Discussions, instructors can assign ungraded discussions to students and sections.
- On the Modules page, instructors can assign students to an entire module and individual module items from the Modules page. Additionally, the Add Module and Edit Module Settings pages are redesigned as trays.
- Instructors can assign pages to students and set availability dates.
- In Assignments and Discussions, an Assign To button is available. In Assignments, Discussions and Quizzes, the Assign To user interface is redesigned in a tray. Additionally, student SIS IDs are displayed alongside student names when available.
Instructure Tier 1 Support Depreciation for Faculty & Staff
Starting July 1, 2024, Canvas @ Yale no longer subscribes to Instructure's tier 1 support. Tier 1 support provided faculty and staff with 24/7 chat and phone support with Instructure's help desk.
Faculty and staff looking for support can:
- Email [email protected] for questions and issues with Canvas.
- Email [email protected] for questions and consultations on using Canvas.
- In Canvas, click the "Help" icon in the Global Navigation and select the "Canvas @ Yale Scheduled Support (Faculty / Staff)" option to schedule a same-day consult with the Educational Technology team at the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning during weekday working hours.
Canvas External Application Updates
Canvas @ Yale has some changes to our external applications available for faculty and student use.
Educational Technology Pilot Update: Yuja
The original pilot of Yuja, an automated classroom lecture capture platform and media repository like Panopto (locally known as the Media Library in Canvas), was delayed and did not run this past Spring 2024 semester. The Yuja pilot will commence for the Fall 2024 semester and be available in select classrooms for automated lecture capture.
We are currently seeking participation from administrators who are familiar with the Panopto system. Also, if you have instructors interested in joining the Yuja pilot program, we welcome their involvement. Interest in using Yuja during this pilot period will require the instructor or staff member to reach out to the Poorvu Center’s Educational Technology & Media team at [email protected] to gain access to Yuja in their Canvas course site. Yuja will be available in select classrooms for lecture capture functionality during this pilot.
Support and training will be available before and during the Summer term for users at all levels, including local administrators. This support includes workshops conducted by Yuja, training sessions led by Poorvu staff, and one-on-one consultations provided by Poorvu staff. If you would like more information or are interested in participating in the pilot program, please contact [email protected]. We appreciate your interest and participation in advance.
External Application Update Reminders
There are many updates to our External Applications integrated with Canvas that took place at the end of May 2024, ahead of the Summer term. Please reference our Canvas Updates for Summer 2024 article for full details of the following updates:
- FeedbackFruits pilot conclusion and final licensed tools
- Blackboard Ally replaced with Panorama for accessibility checker, file remediation, and alternative document format generation
- PlayPosit end of life
- VoiceThread interface update