January 2020 Canvas Update

January 18, 2020

Starting January 18, 2020, Canvas will receive a number of improvements and updates as part of the regularly-scheduled upgrade cycle by Instructure. Updates are made regularly to bring new features, improve user experience, and fix bugs. Such updates do not typically result in downtime. 

Changes

  • Responsive Layout
  • Direct Share
  • Gradebook: Postable Submission Comments
  • Do Not Count Toward Final Grade Settings Checkbox
  • Extend Access Tool
  • New Quizzes: Answer Shuffling
  • New Quizzes: Outcomes Search
  • Personal Pronouns

Responsive Layout

Canvas provides a more responsive experience for content scrolling according to web accessibility initiative guidelines. 

Previously…

Canvas’ interface displayed poorly on mobile devices, low-resolution monitors and at high zoom levels in browsers.

What’s new?

This update changes the way the Canvas theme appears.

How can this affect teaching and learning?

Students and instructor using mobile devices, or who require large print on their computer screen can more easily use Canvas.

Direct Share

Instructors can copy individual course items to another course and share individual items with other users.

Previously…

Course materials could be most directly shared through the import/export course content tools.

What’s new?

This change allows instructors to copy and share content directly in Canvas without having to use a secondary repository like Commons. 

How can this affect teaching and learning?

This change helps instructors share teaching and learning materials more easily across Canvas courses.

Gradebook: Postable Submission Comments

Instructors can post comments to assignments with a manual posting policy without posting a grade. How does postable submission comments work?

Previously…

Instructors needed to post grades for students to see feedback.

What’s new?

For manual posting policy assignments, instructors can create comments in the Gradebook or Speedgrader and make them visible to students.

How can this affect teaching and learning?

Students can view feedback from instructors before they receive a grade for an assignment.

Do Not Count Towards Final Grade Settings Checkbox

The Settings menu includes the option to not count the Attendance assignment toward the final grade.

Previously…

The Attendance tool automatically generated a 100 point assignment.

What’s new?

Instructors can omit the Attendance assignment from the students’ final grade.

How can this affect teaching and learning?

This change allows instructors to not count attendance toward the final grade without having to edit the assignment.

Extend Access Tool

Instructors can extend student access to Canvas after a semester term has concluded.

Previously…

Extending student access required special processing by CETL.

What’s new?

Instructors can manually extend student access to Canvas after a semester has concluded.

How can this affect teaching and learning?

The Extend Access tool helps instructors maintain control over the course assessment.

New Quizzes: Answer Shuffling

The New Quizzes Settings menu allows answers to be shuffled for each student in supported quizzes.

[NOTE: This feature update only applies to “New Quizzes.”]

Previously…

Answers could not be shuffled in New Quizzes.

What’s new?

This change allows quizzes to shuffle answers.

How can this affect teaching and learning?

This change expands the assessment options available to instructors in New Quizzes.

New Quizzes: Outcomes Search

Users can search course outcomes within New Quizzes.

[NOTE: This feature update only applies to “New Quizzes.”]

Previously…

Users could not search for outcomes within New Quizzes.

What’s new?

Users can now search for existing course outcomes within New Quizzes.

How can this affect teaching and learning?

This change allows users to search course outcomes when aligning outcomes to a new quiz or to individual quiz questions.

Personal Pronouns

Users can select pronouns for use in Canvas.

Previously…

Canvas did not allow for pronoun customization.

What’s new?

Users can associate their user profiles with pronouns, which will apply in any course where the user is enrolled.

How can this affect teaching and learning?

This feature supports greater personal expression in online learning environments.

Learn more

To learn more about this Canvas update, and to see how the changes may affect instructors’ and students’ work, refer to the audience-specific release note links.