UHD TTLC Newsletter Canvas Special Edition

THE WAIT IS FINALLY OVER...

It’s here! Every faculty member now has access to our new Canvas Learning Management System. This newsletter provides a lot of information about what you’ll find in the sandbox, next steps, and what you can do now. Please review this information prior to logging in. The login can be found at this Canvas launch page.

Grow with Canvas - Asynchronous Training

TTLC is proud to present our Growing with Canvas course. This is a 3-4 hour guided tutorial that covers Canvas functionality. Inside the course, you will be exposed to various topics ranging from getting around Canvas to customizing your course to copying and sharing courses and so much more. NOTE: while it includes quizzes and stages designed for feedback, you need only complete the quizzes and you will move on; no one will be monitoring your progress or giving feedback. We highly recommend that you take time out and go through this course. Trust us, this will help you get very familiar with Canvas very quickly.

*There is also a Canvas Field Guide training course that while not as in depth as "Growing with Canvas", it will provide you a basic foundation in the functionalities of Canvas.

Throughout December and the beginning of January, the TTLC will also offer additional Canvas training and workshops. Stay tuned for more information and visit our TTLC Training Calendar HERE.

Resources for Recommended Course Components - Asynchronous Training

This course prepared by the CTLE contains information on pedagogical and course design strategies. In addition to learning the technology, we ask faculty to use this transition as an opportunity to implement some key best practices that are relevant in FTF as well as online courses. Our experience in the pandemic has taught us that we must be at least minimally functional within our learning management system regardless of the intended course delivery modality. Thus, please review these strategies and put them into your new Canvas-based courses.

Contact Us at CTLE

For more information regarding course design and QM Rubrics contact the folks at CTLE. They will be more than happy to assist with this endeavor relating to your journey moving into Canvas.

• Monday - Friday 7:00am - 4:00pm
• CTLE Support Email
• CTLE Homepage

CANVAS SANDBOXES FOR EVERYONE!!

After you log in to Canvas for the first time, you will receive access to an “unpublished” Empty Course Shell—this is your sandbox to practice in. A few notes:

• The course menu on the left side allows you to “hide” or “unhide” any of the menu items but you cannot change the actual labels. There are four menu items that we recommend stay visible for all courses in all modalities: syllabus, gradebook, homepage, and assignments. As a best practice for continuity of learning and student experience, we will be asking faculty to keep these common components in all courses as we move into Canvas.
• The Homepage includes a few items that we anticipate will be part of our effort to provide at least a minimal common framework. However, you are welcome to adapt that homepage in whatever other ways you find most appropriate for your course. We will also be seeking your feedback on these elements in the coming months before finalizing the long-term plans for common course elements.
• You can use this sandbox to build a full course, and it can move with you when we make the full transition. You can also request additional sandboxes to build other courses using this online form. At this time, we are not migrating any BB content into these sandboxes. You are welcome to take your own materials from BB and put them into Canvas but our full migration with tech support will not happen until mid-to-late Spring 2023.

CANVAS Resources for Faculty

Listed below are links to resources that elaborate different areas of Canvas. We have a Blackboard to Canvas comparison chart, migration tips, and so much more. We highly encourage you to check out these resources to become better acquainted with the ins-and-outs of Canvas.

• UHD Canvas Online Resources
• Canvas Faculty Migration Guide
• Blackboard to Canvas Comparison Chart
• Canvas Faculty Guide: Accessibility
• Canvas Instructor Training Videos

Please note that TTLC support staff will prioritize Canvas work with pilot faculty through the fall semester, so please be patient with requests related to Canvas.

NOTE: prior to full launch in Spring 2024, we will require faculty to participate in a training that includes key Canvas technology as well as best practices. The training will be developed with input from pilot faculty and other faculty groups before it is finalized.

Design with Accessibility in Mind

A social trend that benefits everybody, not just people with disabilities.

Accessibility of course materials remains a priority. Our goal is for Canvas courses to be as fully accessible as possible. That means building courses with intentionality, while using Ally as a tool in Blackboard to ensure that documents are accessible before transferring documents to Canvas. Please note that Ally will not be available in Canvas at this time, though we anticipate it will be fully integrated in the near future. Here are some Blackboard Ally resources:

• Blackboard Ally General Information
• Blackboard Ally Help Topics
• Blackboard Ally Help Request Form

Issues with Scanned PDFs? You can use the OCR scanner located in the Library or GSB314 Accessibility Lab to convert your pdfs into accessible friendly documents. You can also contact the TTLC for additional resources.

The Great Migration of Blackboard Content 2023

We are working with Canvas to secure support for a large-scale migration of BB content into Canvas. The first migration will likely not occur until mid-to-late spring 2023.

Our current plan is to migrate all BB courses from Fall 2019 forward. All previous content (before Fall 2019) will be archived but not migrated. Thus, it could be accessible if absolutely needed but not live in Canvas. The “migration” means that each course in BB will be moved into a new course shell in Canvas. We will provide more information on what this will look like as we work with Canvas. While we want to provide a seamless migration, there will be work for you to get everything set up for a final version of your new courses.

Until the migration, you are welcome to move your own materials from BB into your sandbox(es) as you need them. The TTLC staff will support the larger migration for all faculty in the spring but for the next few weeks, the TTLC team will be prioritizing Canvas support for Pilot faculty. As always, general technical assistance for BB or Canvas is available at ttlchelp@uhd.edu (new email!).

Wrap Up: What can you do TODAY?

Listed below are things you can do to start preparing for the coming change:

• Get into Canvas and play/practice as often as you can, reviewing not just the technology but also the best practices resources. You can login into Canvas through this link.
• Clean up your current BB shells so that only what you want to keep will be moved in the migration.
• Look for training opportunities from TTLC and CTLE starting in December with more available in the Spring semester. You can also find training via LinkedIn Learning and Canvas Community.
• Use this transition to improve your own skill sets and find new ways to work in the LMS to maximize the learning opportunities for students.
• Design with continuity in mind. Learning Management Systems often serve as our source of continuity in emergency contexts and other situations that disrupt normal operations.
• Design with accessibility in mind. Accessibility benefits everybody, not just the disabled. Create an inclusive course for everyone!