Start of Semester Checklist
Fall 2023 semester is about to begin! Use this comprehensive Canvas: Start-of-Semester Checklist to get your site ready for your students.
Zoom Notice for Health Sciences Users
Zoom training (15 minutes) is required for all new Health Sciences staff and students prior to the start of fall semester:
- Health Sciences staff or students new to the University of Minnesota must take Zoom: Understand HCC Requirements in order to attend classes or meetings on Zoom requiring authentication.
- Students who are transferring into the Health Sciences and already have a UMN Zoom account need to take Zoom: Understand HCC Requirements training.
- Once they complete the training, students should allow up to 30 minutes for their completion to be logged in our system.
- After the 30 minute period, they should log in to zoom.umn.edu.
- Finally, they will receive an email from Zoom asking them to transfer their existing UMN Zoom account to the UMN Health Sciences Zoom instance.
Action Required to Access Pearson and McGraw-Hill Textbooks
On September 1, 2023, Pearson MyLab/Mastering, McGraw-Hill Campus, and McGraw-Hill Connect will be updated in Canvas. To use these textbooks in fall 2023, instructors must enable the updated textbook tool in Canvas course navigation:
- Enable Access Pearson for Pearson MyLab/Mastering and Pearson Revel texts.
- Enable McGraw Hill Connect LTIA for McGraw Hill Connect texts; the vendor no longer supports an integration for Campus texts.
Contact your publisher sales representative for complete instructions on how to connect with your textbooks via the new integrations.
Canvas Updates
Improvements to New Quizzes
Instructure updated New Quizzes to use the same Rich Content Editor (RCE) as the rest of Canvas. Now you can embed media, access third-party tools, and use the accessibility checker. New Quizzes also supports zero-point quizzes which is great for practice quizzes and surveys. Use the zero-point quiz option to not include quiz results in the Gradebook.
Add a Rubric to an External Tool Assignment
Look for the +Rubric button when creating an assignment that uses an external tool. It's more convenient for instructors to apply a rubric, and it is more evident to students that there is a rubric associated with an external assignment.
Canvas Improvements Save You Clicks
Some recent Canvas updates can save you from making extra clicks on common tasks:
- Drag, drop, and paste multiple files to the RCE.
- Jump straight to SpeedGrader from more locations.
- Publish and unpublish module items in bulk.
Technology Help Can Submit an Assignment on Behalf of a Student
Technology Help can assist in submitting an assignment that students are struggling to upload to Canvas. An instructor or student can email [email protected] with the assignment attached and specifics on which assignment it should be submitted to. Read more about Submit an Assignment on a Student's Behalf in Extra Points.
Changes to Tools Integrated with Canvas
If you use various integrated tools (LTIs) in Canvas, bookmark this page, which displays a list of changes and migrations happening through the summer and fall.
Kaltura Updates
New Kaltura Recycle Bin
Any media that you delete in Kaltura in Canvas or MediaSpace will now be sent to the new Recycle Bin where it will be kept for 30 days. You can visit the Recycle Bin to restore deleted media back to My Media if you deleted it by accident. After 30 days, the item will be permanently deleted.
Create Chapters in Longer Videos
The ideal length for an instructional video is 5–7 minutes. If you have longer recordings in Kaltura, read how to add chapters to help students navigate and absorb your content.
Media Gallery Visible in Canvas Course Menu
Due to a Kaltura update, all Canvas course sites have the Media Gallery tool visible in the course navigation menu. If you previously hid the Media Gallery in a course, the recent upgrade added it back into the course navigation. Teachers, designers, and teaching assistants can move or hide the Media Gallery in course settings. If you use media in your course and would like to learn how to use Media Gallery, read how to add, remove, and import videos in the Media Gallery.
Set Publishing Schedules for Media in Kaltura/Canvas
You can now set a publishing schedule for media in Kaltura so that viewers can only access the media within a specific availability window. Read how to set a specific date/time range when viewers can access your media.
Zoom Updates
Send your Zoom Cloud Recordings Directly to Kaltura
You can have your new Zoom cloud recordings sent directly to Kaltura for long-term storage and quick publishing via Kaltura in Canvas and MediaSpace. This feature is unavailable to users in the Zoom HCC instance.
New Group and Section-Based Permissions Available
You can now limit access to meetings and subsequent recordings to Canvas Groups and Sections within courses.
Provide Library Course Materials Directly in a Canvas Page
You can now include citations from your Library Course Materials page reading list directly in your Canvas Pages. This new, and much-requested, functionality makes it easy to provide access to your course readings and materials within the flow of your Canvas course site. For more information, see How to integrate reading list items into a Canvas Page or contact Libraries Course Materials Services at [email protected].
Update Canvas Due Dates in Bulk
Quickly update all dues dates for the new semester in your Canvas course site using the bulk due date updater feature. If you previously assigned differentiated due dates for sections, students, or groups, you can bulk update these due dates within this area.
DiaLOG Tools Group Expanding Approvals to 3x per Year
Faculty, instructors, and staff can request tool integrations for Canvas; however, each tool must go through a formal evaluation, vetting, and approval process before the tool can be made available in a Canvas course. The DiaLOG Tools group is adding a third request cycle to its calendar. See Learning Tools for Canvas to learn more about the request process and schedule.
Refresher for Everything About Course Imports
If you are starting to get your course site ready for fall, make sure to check out Everything About Course Imports, which will help you make informed decisions around selecting which content to import into your course site.
Use UDOIT to Scan Your Site for Accessibility Issues
Want to get a general idea of any major accessibility issues within your fall course sites? UDOIT scans your course for accessibility issues, provides a full report of possible issues, and provides guidance within that report on how to fix those issues. Watch Cidi Labs UDOIT Overview video (3:10) to learn more about using this tool. Attend a 1-hour session (online via Zoom) to understand how to run it in your course, interpret the results, and make changes.
Spotlight
Instructors can now create office hours with the Zoom Appointment Scheduler in Canvas. This tool provides a simple way for students to attend office hours when they aren’t on campus. Start by enabling Zoom in your course. Use the Appointment Scheduler to:
- Identify blocks of time when you are available to meet with students,
- Determine how long individual meetings will be, and
- Create time slots students can book.
When creating office hours at the beginning of the term, keep in mind that the person who makes the office hours using the Zoom Appointment Scheduler is the only person who has the ability to start the Zoom meeting associated with the office hour. Therefore, do not have TAs set up office hours for faculty and vice versa! If TAs need to meet with students, they will need to schedule their own office hours.
Students tell us that they are much more likely to take advantage of office hours if their instructor makes a point of inviting the class. Be sure students can find information about your office hours on your home page or syllabus, and communicate that successful students seek help!
Learn how to Create and Manage Appointments Using Zoom Scheduler. Share information with your students about how to Book an Appointment with Zoom Scheduler.