Canvas Tips

 Welcome back to another school year. As you get started, I hope you find some time to learn something new. The fact that you’re reading this means you already have. Yeah You! Did you know there are so many cool tools in Canvas? In this short article, I’m going to point out a few.  

 Announcement Tip

Announcements can be added to the Home Page

o   In a course, click on Settings on the bottom of the Navigation bar. Under Course Details scroll down, under Description click on Show recent announcements on Course home page. Then put in the number you want displayed, then Save.

 Communication Tips

To easily send an email to all students, on the Home Page, click on New Analytics, then click on the envelope to message all students. Or you can modify the grade, making the range from 0 – 50% and it will only email those students. How cool!

 Module Tips

Require students to at least click on content before moving forward

o   Click on the 3 dots next to the Module Heading, then click on Edit, then click on Requirements. Require that students View the page or even mark As Read. This will create a checklist for students.

o   Teachers can then view Student Progress by following these steps.

§  Select the Modules link in the Course Navigation Menu.

§  Click the View Progress button in the upper right corner.

§  Choose a student to view

§  View Module Progress. What?!

 Grading Tips

Automatically drop the lowest grade for every student

o   Go to Assignments, then click on the 3 dots in the Assignment Heading, then click on Edit. Then enter the number of low scores to ignore for each student, then Save.

In Speedgrader,

o   Use the Speech Recognition button to have Canvas type your comments.

o   Use the Comment Generator to record common feedback to use later.

o   Click on the Gear icon to hide names when grading

Support Tips

Canvas 24/7 support for faculty & students

o   Click on the Help button on the bottom of the Navigation bar, in the new window, scroll down until you see Email, Call or Chat.

24/7 support sends an AskPGCC ticket to eLearning

o   Follow the steps above, then click on Email, then Send to School Specific Canvas Support. This creates an AskPGCC ticket that goes to eLearning.

Canvas webinars & training

o   Click on the Help Button, then click on Training Services Portal 3 times! After the first time, scroll down and you’ll see Training Services Portal below the gray box, click it for the 2^nd time. Then Training Services Portal – Enter Here will appear, click for the 3^rd time. (I didn’t create it 😊) Then click on Authorize. Here you will find Courses, Webinars & a Live Training Calendar. Access them using the tabs at the top of the page.

 These are just a few of the amazing tools in Canvas. If you want to know more, attend one of the live Training Sessions mentioned above or feel free to reach out to me, Deborah Bowles. I hope this was helpful and take care!

 

 Improving Accessibility: It Benefits Everyone 

Accessibility is a word that is being used a lot lately, but do we know what it means and how to improve accessibility in online courses? In this article, we’ll define accessibility and look at how we can improve accessibility.  Accessibility refers to the design and implementation of systems, and content to ensure equitable access for everyone. What does this look like? It could mean that documents have headers so they can be read by screenreaders. Or videos have closed-captioning or an attached transcript, so people don’t always have to listen to the recording. It’s about making content accessible in a variety of ways. So how is this beneficial for students? 

 

Accommodates Various Learning Styles 

Accessibility not only benefits students with disabilities but also caters to diverse learning styles. Incorporating multiple modalities in teaching materials, such as providing transcripts for audio content or providing captions for videos, allows students to choose the format that best suits their learning preferences. This flexibility enhances the overall educational experience, fostering a more engaging and inclusive learning environment. 

 

Promotes Diversity and Inclusion 

Accessibility in higher education promotes diversity and inclusion. It sends a powerful message that all students, regardless of their abilities, are welcome and valued. A diverse student body enhances the overall learning experience by exposing everyone to different perspectives, backgrounds, and ways of thinking. 

 

Includes Digital Accessibility 

Digital technology plays a pivotal role in education. From online courses to digital learning platforms, colleges and universities are increasingly relying on technology to deliver educational content. Ensuring digital accessibility is crucial to accommodate students with diverse needs. This involves designing courses, documents, and other digital resources in a way that allows users to navigate and comprehend the content. 

 

Examples of Digital Accessibility  

When making content accessible, remember the acronym SILT. This stands for Structure, Images/Media, Links and Tables. So, what does this look like in practice? 

Structure – When writing a document, make sure to use the headings feature. This does more than just make the font bigger; it tags the words so a screen reader can skip from heading to heading. When making a list, use the bullets feature or the numbering feature in Word to tag the items, so a screen reader will read the items as a list.  

 

Images/Media – There should be alt tags with pictures. Videos should have closed captioning or an attached transcript.  

 

Links – A screen reader reads what is there, so the link should be meaningful, such as, read this article from the National Center on Disaility and Access to Education  to learn how to make documents more accessible. 

 

Tables – Make sure tables have properly identified headings. This allows the screen reader to identify a table and read the content correctly. 

Check Accessibility in Canvas 

In Canvas, you can click on the Ally Course Accessibility Report tab on the left Navigation Bar. This report will show you the Ally Accessibility Score for your course and how to improve it. Find more information about this by reading the Ask PGCC Ally Accessibility Article. 

 

Accessibility is not just a legal requirement but a fundamental principle that underpins the values of inclusivity, equal opportunity, and diversity. By prioritizing accessibility, we can create an environment where every student can fully engage in the learning process, fostering a culture of academic excellence. 

 

Did you know that Canvas has a built-in Screen Reader? Simply click on the Immersive Reader tab in the upper right hand corner.  

 

Did you know that Canvas has alternative ways for students to read the text? When students click to download a document, they can chose from a variety of alternative formats. See below.  

 

 

Still have questions or what to learn more? Send an email to eLearning at elearning@pgcc.edu