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Important Notices
Summer Canvas Course Shells are Open
Summer 2014 course shells have been opened in Canvas. You will find links to all your summer courses on your Course List under Future Enrollments. TIP: Customize your course menu to include summer courses in your quick pick list.
The ongoing Daylight Savings Time (DST) issue that delayed summer course shells has been resolved and instructors will be able to copy courses from one semester to the next without having to worry about due dates/times changing when dates fall over DST. TIP: It is still best practice for faculty to review all of their due dates/times each semester.
Fall 2014 course shells will be created within the next few weeks.
Canvas Proactively Addresses ‘Heartbleed’
You may have heard recently of the ‘Heartbleed’ security vulnerability. Canvas IS NOT considered to be a high target threat, but nonetheless they have reported their security notice and are working proactively to address any potential security concerns. The MCCCD District IT is working with Canvas to ensure that Canvas and our student and instructional data remains safe and secure. There is no imminent threat to Canvas security.
What can you do to help with security?
Although we do not anticipate any issues with security, we can all take regular preventative steps to ensure that our data is safe. We recommend that you update your MEID password every few months and never, ever give your password to anyone under any conditions. MEID Password Maintenance Instructions.
Scheduled Maintenance Event April 16
Wednesday, April 16, 2014 between 2:00 AM and 3:00 AMMountain Time, Canvas will perform a very brief (<10 minutes) scheduled maintenance event. The purpose of the event is to install upgrades to key databases supporting the Canvas application.
Canvas Connections User Group
Don’t miss the next meeting Wednesday, April 16, 12 noon – 1:00pm, CTL Team Spot – AS Bldg
Discussion: Best Practices Using the New Draft State
This informal user-focused group will meet bi-monthly to discuss: Features, Best Practices, Upcoming Changes, Issues/Bugs, Teaching Strategies, Design and Feature Requests.
Users should bring their own lunch. Snacks and desserts may be provided.
Join Now!
Canvas Update Cycle
Canvas is on a 3-week update-release cycle. The next beta (preview) release is on 4/21, production notes will follow on 4/28 with the release and documentation to be published on 5/3. For information about Canvas updates follow the release page.
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Don’t Miss Out! Canvas Conversations: Creating Your Masterpiece Program Announced
Hosted by Gateway Community College
Gateway Community College, Copper Room
Friday, January 31, 2014
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Register Today: http://mcli.maricopa.edu/events/canvas-conversationsconference
Description: Please join us for the 2nd Annual Canvas Conversations. Now that nine colleges have officially migrated to Canvas, it is time to reflect on our experiences, learn best practices and fine-tune your Canvas courses. Faculty will present their lessons learned, engage in round-table conversations and dialogue with Canvas experts.
Conference Program:
| Time |
Event |
Location |
| 8:15 am |
Registration Begins |
Outside Copper Room(IE 1302) |
| 9:00 am – 9:15 am |
Welcome from Gateway Community College |
Copper Room |
| 9:15 am – 10:00 am |
Webinar from InstructureHear about Canvas updates from the Instructure crew. |
Copper Room |
| 10:15 am – 11:00 am |
Concurrent Sessions |
Reference Schedule Below |
| 11:15 am – 12:00 pm |
Roundtable Topics |
Copper Room |
| 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm |
LunchLunch generously hosted by MCLI and SMCC |
Copper Room/Outside(your choice) |
| 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm |
Concurrent Sessions |
Reference Schedule Below |
| 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm |
Concurrent Sessions |
Reference Schedule Below |
| 2:45 pm – 3:00 pm |
Closing remarks and raffle prizesTurn in your name badge at 2:45 in the Copper Room for a chance to win great prizes, including a massage, lunch at the PC Cafe Oso and Canvas swag. Must be present to win! |
Copper Room |
The Mesa Community College Center for Teaching & Learning is offering an exciting variety of learning opportunities planned to help you start your semester out right.
Our Start-Up Learning Guide:
See our Start-Up Guide Book for descriptions and dates for more of all of our upcoming opportunities. Check our calendar for updates.
A Registration System Designed to Track Your Growth:
CTL sessions use HRMS (Time & Labor) for our registration system. The system allows for an up-to-date attendance system that integrates with your employee record and allows for wait-lists for busy sessions. Each opportunity has a unique course and session number to make it easy to identify and register for. Please feel free to contact us, ctl@mesacc.edu, if you have any questions or concerns about how to register with this new system.
Register through HRMS – http://tinyurl.com/MCCRegisterNOW
Registration Instructions HRMS – http://tinyurl.com/hrmsregister
Learning Opportunities for August 22 – August 31:
Thursday, August 22, 2013
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. 10 Steps to Getting Started in Canvas (C.A.F.E. Credit)
HRMS Course #001839, Section #0004; CTL AS Building – Room 175
Did you know that Canvas can benefit any course format – face-to-face, hybrid and online? Learn how to communicate with your students, post course materials/syllabus, set-up assignments and grades within Canvas in just 10 easy steps.
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. What’s New in Canvas? (C.A.F.E. Credit)
HRMS Course #001826, Section #0003; CTL AS Building – Room 175
Explore the new features and updates to our learning management system, Canvas. Join us for a session dedicated to all things new in Canvas!
Friday, August 23, 2013
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Attending to Participation & Canvas Roll Call (C.A.F.E. Credit)
HRMS Course #001963, Section #0002; CTL AS Building – Room 175
How should we measure attendance in a course? Should it be based on a student’s physical presence, participation or a combination of both? In this session we will explore different pedagogical ways of monitoring attendance and how these may affect student success. Work with colleagues to draft an attendance policy and review the features of the NEW Roll Call tool in Canvas to help you implement it.
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. 10 Steps to Getting Started in Canvas (C.A.F.E. Credit)
HRMS Course #001839, Section #0005; CTL AS Building – Room 175
Did you know that Canvas can benefit any course format – face-to-face, hybrid and online? Learn how to communicate with your students, post course materials/syllabus, set-up assignments and grades within Canvas in just 10 easy steps.
Important Notices
- NEW Course Copy: The course copy process has been changed. It can take up to 2 hours for copies of courses from one semester to another to be completed (size and traffic determine speed). Feel free to leave the copy page or logout of Canvas while the copy is being made. Additionally, Canvas has added a copy error notice. Carefully review any errors reported and take corrective action. Errors will most often be related to broken links or empty pages found in the copy process. Please see our new copy guidelines to get you started.
- Course Publish: Don’t forget to publish your course to make it available to students. To publish the course find the publish notice dialog box on the course home page. Select Publish and follow the screen prompts. Once a course is published you can continue to make changes and updates as needed. Courses cannot be unpublished. Directions for publishing courses.
Canvas Update Cycle
Canvas is on a 3-week update-release cycle. The next beta (preview) release is on 8/12, production notes will follow on 8/19 with the release and documentation to follow on 8/19. For information about Canvas updates follow the release page.
Recent Updates
If you did not teach this summer you may notice that there have been lots of new additions and changes to Canvas. Here’s a list of highlights:
Attendance is on! Canvas now has an attendance-participation feature called Roll Call. Instructors can use this tool to take daily attendance-participation. Instructors can choose to assign points or simply use the tool to monitor and track student attendance-participation. Watch this brief video for more information and use the Quick Reference Guide to get started.
Chat is Back! Canvas has released a new Chat tool. Chat allows for real-time collaboration and discussion. Each course has one permanent chat room available. Instructors can enable or disable the feature in the navigation and view chat history at any time. To use Chat in a course instructors can leave the Chat area open at all times OR make it available for specific opportunities like online office hours, synchronous class discussions and more. Learn more about Chat.
Discussions are Better! The Discussion Index is now organized by category: Discussions, Pinned Discussions or Closed for Comments. Instructors can pin discussions that they want students to see at the top of the discussion page and rearrange discussions in each category. Discussions have been streamlined leaving more room on the page to view the conversation and added features make it easier for users to mark discussions that have been read. Additionally students and instructors can subscribe to discussions to stay in the loop even when they are not logged into Canvas. Learn more about Discussion Subscriptions.
Canvas Training
Canvas Training opportunities are available throughout August and September.Getting Started with Canvas in 10 Steps Did you know that Canvas can benefit any course format face-to-face, hybrid and online? Learn how to communicate with your students, post course materials/syllabus, set-up assignments and grades within Canvas in just 10 easy steps.
- Thursday, Aug 22 9:00 – 10:30am, Room 175 AS Building Southern & Dobson Campus; COURSE #001839, Session #0004
- Friday, Aug 23 3:00 – 4:30pm, Room 175 AS Building Southern & Dobson Campus; COURSE #001839, Session #0005
Register through HRMS Registration Instructions
What’s New in Canvas? Explore the new features and updates to our learning management system, Canvas. Join us for a session dedicated to all things new in Canvas!
- Thursday, Aug 22 3:00 – 4:30pm, Room 175 AS Building Southern & Dobson Campus; COURSE #001826, Session #0003
- Monday, Aug 26 9:00 – 10:30am, Room 175 AS Building Southern & Dobson Campus; COURSE #001826, Session #0004
Register through HRMS Registration Instructions
View our full calendar for more sessions.
Online Resources, Tutorials & Guides
- Canvas 101 is an open enrollment course that will walk you through the basics of setting up a new course in Canvas. To enroll, simply click on the “Join this course” button on the Course Home Page. There is no facilitator, but it is a good series of self-paced exercises.
- Canvas Guides – These guides cover all major features of Canvas by question topic. They are easy to navigate and mostly image-based walk thru demonstrations of how to use a particular feature.
Did You Know?
Canvas App Center
Canvas has improved the integration of teaching tools with the introduction of the App Center. Each instructor can enable specific learning tools in their course with just one-click. Apps include tools to:
Find content
- Khan Academy
- TedEd
- YouTube
Assess learners
- Quizlet
- Open Tapestry
- StudyMate
Collaboration
Learn More
Get Started
CIS 236 & 237 are Now Offered as Open Entry
Interested in teaching online (or hybrid), but never taught these formats before? The CIS 236 and CIS 237 series, now offered as open enrollment, may help you get started in teaching & learning online. Experience the ‘student’ perspective in CIS 236 and then explore course design and content creation in CIS 237. If you have difficulties registering or have questions about these courses, contact the instructor(s) listed below.
Tuition Waivers may apply for Spring / Summer I faculty: http://www.maricopa.edu/publicstewardship/resources/tw.php
Melanie Kroening (mkroening@mesacc.edu) – CIS236
Helice Agria (helice.agria@mesacc.edu) – CIS237
CIS 236: Web Based Teaching & Learning I (2 credits)
Experience using a web-based learning environment from an online student’s perspective. Use communication tools, submit assignments, use evaluation tools, and navigate an online-learning environment. Introduction to the basics of online pedagogy. Hands-on experience with a web-based learning environment. Prerequisites: CIS133CA or CIS 133DA, or permission of instructor. Contact instructor for override code.
- Offered fully online during Summer I (Open Entry/Open Exit)
CIS 237: Web Based Teaching & Learning II (3 credits)
Discuss theories, methods, and best practices for designing, developing, and delivering an online course. Create an online or hybrid course module using a web-based learning environment. Prerequisites: CIS 236, or permission of instructor.
- Offered fully online during Summer I (Open Entry/Open Exit)
Get Ready Campers! Camp Innovate is Almost Here!
Monday, May 20 – Thursday, May 23
The Mesa Community College Center for Teaching & Learning will be holding its 4th Annual Camp Innovate training camp Monday, May 20 – Thursday, May 23 on the MCC Southern and Dobson Campus. Jump start your summer with this exciting week of activities to support teaching & learning at MCC. The week will consist of sessions that address excellence in education, technology, teaching and learning.
Schedule of Events
Topics will include Designing for Canvas, Digital Tools, ePortfolios, YouTube Essentials, Microlecturing, Lesson Design, Quality Feedback, Library eResources, Self-Graded Assessments, Accessibility, Photoshop and more! See the Camp Innovate Full Week Guide for a day-to-day listing and description of all events. All sessions are C.A.F.E. Credit eligible.
All sessions will be hosted in the CTL Workshop Room, AS Building; Southern & Dobson Campus. All MCCCD faculty and staff welcome. Attend one session, attend one day or attend all, we hope to see you there! Space is limited, so register soon.
Is Camping Gear Required?
No! We won’t actually be camping. Just bring you and maybe a friend or two to enjoy the learning and community. Provisions will be provided at the Lunch N Share event on Thursday, May 23, 12:30 – 1:30pm. Register for the lunch event.
Earn a Digital Badge for Participation and More
“Campers” can earn digital badges for participating in sessions, bringing guests and evaluating the event. These digital badges can be added to your professional portfolio. The MCC Center for Teaching & Learning will track and award badges based on the individual badge criteria.
1st Time Camper Badge – Attend 1 Session
Avid Camper Badge – Attend 3 or More Sessions
Camp Inspector – Submit Evaluation for Week
Happy Camper – Bring a Friend to Camp
Learn more about using digital badges in education.
Register Now!
Register through the HRMS (Time & Labor System)
Registration Instructions
Having Trouble? Call us at (480) 461-7331 and we will register you. Questions? Send us an email at ctl@mesacc.edu.
Learning Opportunities in the CTL
Register through HRMS (Time & Labor System)
Registration Instructions
Having Trouble? Call us at (480) 461-7331 and we will register you.
See our Full Workshop Guide for descriptions and more!
Adobe CS Suite, Photoshop Basics
Learn the basics of Photoshop in these hands-on and engaging sessions:
Tuesday, February 26
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Picture Perfect: Basic Photo Editing with Photoshop Pt. 2, Intermediate; Working with Selections
CTL Workshop Room, Course/Session#: 001754/0003
Thursday, February 28
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Picture Perfect: Basic Photo Editing with Photoshop Pt. 2, Intermediate; Working with Selections
CTL Workshop Room, Course/Session#: 001754/0004
Friday, March 1
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Picture Perfect: Basic Photo Editing with Photoshop Pt. 3, Advanced; Correcting & Manipulating Photos
CTL Workshop Room, Course/Session#: 001755/0003
Tuesday, March 5 Photoshop Open Lab, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00p.m.
Drop in during any time of the open lab to access resources and help with your Photoshop projects! CTL Staff will be available to answer questions as you work on your projects. Handouts and computers are available so that you can come in and work and ask questions as you go.
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The Gold Star Pilot is getting ready to begin. A faculty selection committee met to review the 25 Gold Star applications using the rubric presented at the Gold Star website. The following courses were anonymously selected for participation in Track 1, the Gold Star Pilot Redesign Program:
- CIS 105 – Chris Held
- PSY 132 – Maria Chavira
- CIS 162 AD – Juan Marquez
- CIS 233 DA – Lo-An Tabar-Gaul
- PHI 101 – Sandra Woien
- SPA 102 – Elizabeth Atencia-Oliden
- MHL 153 – Kelly Lake
- MAT 121 – Shawn Wood, Kimberly Johnson, Karen Appel
The following faculty members are serving as Mentors to the above course designers:
- Greg Pratt
- Beth Alsen
- Jennifer Caldwell
- Annapurna Ganesh
- Shelley Rodrigo
- Bonnie Black
- Sharon McLaughlin
- Sheila Merritt
- Jennifer Strickland
