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Welcome to Canvas Basics
	Learn the basic skills for setting up your Canvas course. Canvas Basics contains a list of "how-to" topics regarding the most commonly used tools in Canvas. There is a short video and downloadable instructions provided for each topic. This page is dedicated to both face-to-face and online faculty who need a quick refresher.

The Announcements page is used to communicate to all of your students as a group to remind them of upcoming assignments, to give them group feedback, to praise their work, or address questions in the class.

Announcements Script

Announcements Steps

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Assignments are activities that students do in Canvas for a grade. Assignments in Canvas can be used to challenge students' understanding and help assess competency by using a variety of media.

Assignments Script

Assignments

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The attendance (Roll Call) tool is used for taking attendance in Canvas courses. This tool can be used for online as well as face-to-face courses.

Attendance Script

Attendance

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The Chat in Canvas allows students and teachers to interact in real-time. This tool is a great way to interact with online students and answer questions about issues with which the class may be struggling. Instructors can use the chat tool to allow students to contact them when online, create virtual office hours, conduct group discussions or study sessions.

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The Conference is basically a video conferencing tool that you can use in Canvas. Communication is key in an online course. It is important to make sure the students do not feel “alone” in your virtual classroom". The conferences tool can be used for the following:

Tutoring
Demonstrations
Presentations
Chatting
Consulting
Live lecture
Group discussion with students
Personally proctoring an exam

Note: Recorded sessions are saved for 14 days before they are deleted.

Conferences Script

Conferences Steps

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Content Pages store content and educational resources that are part of a course but do not necessarily belong in an assignment. Pages can include text, video, and links to files and other pages.

Content Pages Script

Content Pages

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Course Navigation Menu is part of this training because it is important to have a standard look in all of our courses at NMJC so that it becomes familiar to the students no matter what courses they are taking.

Course Navigation Menu Transcript

Course Navigation Menu Steps

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Discussions allow for interactive communication between you and your students. Discussions also allow an opportunity for peer-to-peer conversations between students. Discussions can be created as an assignment for grading purposes or simply to serve as a forum for topical and current events.

Discussions Script

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File Preview - Files linked in the Rich Content Editor can be previewed in an overlay or inline.

Preview in overlay displays the existing file preview functionality, where the file preview opens and overlays the entire page.
Preview inline loads the displays the preview directly in the Rich Content Editor window once the file is clicked. If the option to expand the preview by default is also selected as an option, the file is automatically expanded on the page and the user does not need to click the file to view it. Instead, the user can close the preview by clicking the Minimize Preview link that displays along with the image.

Gradebook - It is important that the Gradebook is set up correctly for accurate grade calculations. Make sure that your GradeBook setup matches the grading policy stated in your syllabus.

Homepage - The Homepage for your course is the landing pad for students and as such, we have created a template for the homepage to provide a sense of unity and familiarity for the students. The Homepage provides valuable information about the course and instructor to the students before they even begin the course.

Homepage Script

Homepage

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Inbox is a messaging system within Canvas to help students communicate with instructors and peers. Be aware that the Canvas Inbox messaging system is separate from the NMJC email system.

Inbox Script

Inbox

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Modules are included in this training because it is the center of your online course. It is easy to create a module. Building it logically is another matter. When you start building, make sure that it matches your course outline in the syllabus. It will need to match the titles, the order, the group, and the pattern. Also, the layout will need to be clean with short, descriptive titles to avoid overwhelming your students visually.

New Quizzes is an assessment engine that has been built to replace the current "classic" quizzes functionality. The New Quiz tool brings new features, question types, and a new user interface to quizzes while keeping most of the features instructors are use to with classic quizzes. Below is a short overview video that will familiarize you with New Quizzes.

Additional Information

ReAssignment - In SpeedGrader, instructors can reassign an assignment with a due date to an individual student and ask them to redo their submission. This allows instructors to provide feedback and reassign an assignment to an individual student, which places the assignment back in the ListView Dashboard as another assignment to complete.

Respondus Lockdown Browser is a custom browser that locks down the environment within Canvas to increase the security of exam delivery. There are two options for using the Respondus Lockdown browser: you can use the browser by itself or record students via webcam by using Respondus + Monitor. Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor are both free for students to use.

Respondus Script

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QTIs xxxxxxxx

SmartEval App Instruction

SpeedGrader-Assignments Provide timely, substantive feedback to your students. The best way to evaluate your students is by using a rubric to fairly judge their performance.

Assignment Script

Assignments SpeedGrader Steps

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SpeedGrader-Classic Quizzes Provide timely, substantive feedback to your students. The best way to give them feedback specific to a quiz question is through the SpeedGrader.

Quiz SpeedGrader Script

Quiz SpeedGrader Steps

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SpeedGrader-Discussions Provide timely, substantive feedback to your students. The best way to evaluate your students is by using a rubric to fairly judge their performance.

Discussions Script

Discussions SpeedGrader Steps

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Student Annotation - Instructors can use an annotated assignment type to upload a file for students to annotate and submit directly in Canvas. This allows instructors to provide a file as an assignment and allow students to annotate the file directly in Canvas.

Canvas Studio is a communication tool that allows instructors and students to actively collaborate through video and audio media.

Studio Script

Studio Steps

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Turn It In is a web-based plagiarism detection software that is free to use. Faculty use Turnitin to facilitate peer review, to facilitate online grading of student writing, and for originality checks.

Turnitin Script

Turnitin

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Video Quiz The major elements of culture are symbols, language, norms, values, and artifacts.

Webcam Submission For File Upload assignments, students have the option to use their webcam for file uploads. The first time they use the feature, they will need to give permission to Canvas to access their computer webcam.

Finalizing Grades

Announcements Assignments Attendance

Chat Conference Content Pages

Course Navigation Discussions File Preview

Gradebook Homepage Inbox

Module New Quizzes Reassignment

Respondus QTIs SmartEval App

SpeedGrader(Assign) SpeedGrader(Quiz) SpeedGrader(Disc)

Student Annotation Studio Turn It In

Video Quiz Webcam Submission Finalizing Grades

Dropbox for Canvas Canvas Storage Immersive Reader

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