CTL Blog
Important Notices – March 30th Release
‘Sticky’ Gradebook 2 Column Customizations: Gradebook 2 columns will now remain (sticky) when they are rearranged in a custom order, i.e. by assignment due date or assignment group. Rearranging assignments in the Gradebook view will not affect the order on the assignments page, however, rearranging assignments on the assignments page will continue to change the Gradebook view order. Note: Changes are browser specific, so customizations to the Canvas Gradebook made in one browser will not be reflected when opening it in another browser.
Quiz Settings Alignment: Quiz settings will be relocated to the Gear Icon. Tools related to quiz functions, but not specifically settings, such as Quiz Statistics, Moderation and SpeedGrader will be displayed in the right sidebar.
Future Enrollments: Students will now be able to see upcoming enrollment in Canvas. Students will not have access to view the course material until it is published, but they will be able to confirm their enrollment in an unpublished course.
What is a Bug? And How Are Bugs Fixed?
A bug is a glitch or error in intended software functioning. Whereas a feature is a “like to have” a bug is a “need to fix”.
Known Bugs in the Canvas Inbox: Currently there are a few bugs in the Canvas Inbox that Instructure is working on. These include issues with filtering messages AND sending messages to students no longer enrolled when messaging an entire class.
March 30th Bug Fixes:
- Instructors are now prompted to re-publish a quiz after adding or changing a question group.
- Image ALT attributes can now be edited correctly in the Rich Content Editor.
- Grades will now display scores correctly on student pages, and grades will always round-up to two decimal places.
(more…)
MCC Book Club Features Live Chat with Author
Mesa Community College’s Book Club (Southern and Dobson) is currently featuring Help Me to Find My People: The African American Search for Family Lost in Slavery by Heather Andrea Williams. The author will Skype-in live to take questions on Wednesday, April 3 from 2:45-4:15 p.m. in the Southwest Reading Room on the 3rd floor of the Library.
William’s book addresses the separation of family during slavery and the emotional journey that many took to reunite. Through letters, public records, narratives and historical documents, the author re-constructs the turmoil and agony of lives separated by slavery and hatred. Hear the story and read an excerpt from the book on NPR.
Anyone interested in the slave era or post-Civil War era is invited to attend. For more information, contact: katemohler@mesacc.edu.
Canvas Conversations
Please join our Maricopa Canvas Training Team for a fun, informative day of open learning sessions to assist you as we continue our transition to Canvas. The Canvas Conversations Day event is at South Mountain Community College, March 29th, 9:00am – 2:00pm. Come and go as you please, as you learn from your colleagues and MCCCD technical training team about everything Canvas!
Event Agenda
| Topics |
Room # |
| Canvas Overview9:30am-10:00am, 10:30am-11:00am, 11:30am-12:00pm, 1:00pm-1:30pm |
L162/L163 |
| Canvas AssessmentGrades, SpeedGrader, Rubrics, Quizzes, Assignments, Crocodoc |
BE151 |
| Canvas Communication and CollaborationConferences, Collaboration, Conversations, Announcements, Discussion Boards |
SMCL208 |
| Canvas Course DesignModules, Pages, Files, Instructional Alignment |
TC157 |
| Bye-Bye BlackboardGrade Center Backup, Content Retrieval, Export Quizzes, Export Content Collection |
L101Beginning at 11:30am |
| Odds and Ends – (I Don’t Know What I Don’t Know)Any general Canvas questions – Basic to Advanced |
BE150Beginning at 12:00pm |
| Birds of a Feather – Tips, Tricks, and FAQs |
SMCL235 |
Please review the attached flyer for event details, as well as a SM Campus Map, and restaurant ideas.
Saturday, March 23, 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
CTL Workshop Room, Southern and Dobson Campus
Course #: 001761 Section: 0003 Eligible for C.A.F.E. Program
Interactive Whiteboard Activities
Learn about Mesa Community College’s new Whiteboard Classroom Engagement Program. Discover how collaborative whiteboard activities can change a classroom dynamic by giving students a way to connect with content and work together. Build critical thinking skills, problem solving and creative risk taking using this classic classroom tool turned active engagement strategy. Be entered in a special prize drawing for a set of whiteboards by presenting how you will utilize this engagement tool in your class lessons. BYOL (Bring Your Own Lesson) to create activities to take back to the classroom and use!
(more…)
Maximizing Library Resources in eLearning
Special eLCoP: eLearning Community of Practice Session at Mesa Community College
Friday, March 22, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Sponsored by the MCC Center for Teaching & Learning
Register Now: http://tinyurl.com/eLCoPMarch
eLCoP is composed of faculty and staff dedicated to the research, discussion and dissemination of best practices for eLearning at MCCCD. eLearning includes courses taught both online as well as hybrid, and those using Canvas and alternative delivery methods for teaching and learning. eLCoP is open to all faculty and staff who are interested in positively impacting student learning outcomes through the creation and adoption of eLearning best practices.
(more…)
Important Notices – March 9th Release
- Varied Due Dates for Combined Sections: Instructors can now add different due dates for sections of courses combined into one course. If you teach a MWF and a T/Th class you can set different due dates for each.
- Turn off Announcement Comments globally: When posting an Announcement if you prefer to not allow students to respond publicly to the announcement, look for this option in the course Settings.
- Turn off Editing/Deleting of Discussion Posts: If you prefer students to not edit or delete their postings you can now turn this option off within the course Settings or from the main Discussions area.
- Updated Interface: The look and feel of the Assignments Quizzes, and Discussions will change slightly in Canvas on March 9th. The result is an even more intuitive interface. Additionally, the date settings for Discussions is now consistent with Quizzes and Assignments. You can now pre-program a specific start and end date on Discussions.
Get in the Game! March Learning Madness March 18 – 23, 2013
Re-energize your classroom with this week of engaging sessions designed to help you defeat the Spring Break letdown.
Join us for a week of learning activities to re-energize the classroom after Spring Break. Session topics include Canvas (Design, Discussion Boards); Digital Tools (Surveys/Polls, YouTube, Alternative Presentation Tools); and Pedagogy (Discovery Learning, Reading/Comprehension Strategies, Accessibility, Social Media and PowerPoint for teaching); and even more!
Register through HRMS (Time & Labor System)
Registration Instructions
Having Trouble? Call us at (480) 461-7331 and we will register you.
View & Print the Flyer: March Learning Madness
Monday, March 18, 2013
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. The Wide World of Mobile Learning (C.A.F.E. Credit)
HRMS Course #001588, Session #0001; CTL Workshop Room AS Building
Mobile technology is so integrated into our daily lives the devices have become (for many) an extension and expression of ourselves. In this session we explore ways you can embrace the relationship students have with these devices to engage them as learners. From useful applications and web browsing to interactive polling, mobile devices can be a rich connection to content and understanding rather than an annoying distraction.
2:00p.m. – 4:00p.m. Beyond Highlighting: Reading Graphic Organizers (C.A.F.E. Credit)
HRMS Course #001848, Session #0001; CTL Workshop Room AS Building
Reading Graphic Organizers can help students construct meaning from their content reading. These visual tools can help them make connections, understand processes and see patterns. Explore several Reading Graphic Organizers and teaching strategies for students to comprehend content and their own thinking for better understanding and success.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Discovery Learning with Scavenger Hunts (C.A.F.E. Credit)
HRMS Course #001811 Session #0002; CTL Workshop Room AS Building
Make learning a journey with just a few tools and tips! In this workshop we will explore scavenger hunt assignment techniques such as QR codes, SCVNGER and more.
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Assessing Learning with Surveys and Polls (C.A.F.E. Credit)
HRMS Course #001452, Session #0004; CTL Workshop Room AS Building
Surveying and polls are a great way to collect summative and formative feedback, but there are so many survey and polling tools. Which one’s are good, FREE and easy to use? In this session we will explore a variety of survey and polling tools including Google Forms, Canvas Quizzes, Poll Everywhere and more to collect valuable learning data from students and other audiences.
(more…)
What is Quality Matters?
Quality Matters (QM) is a nationally recognized, faculty-centered, peer review process designed to acknowledge the quality of online/hybrid courses. The QM framework is about course design, and making your course navigation and structure intuitive, so that students’ questions will be more focused on the content of your course. QM recognized courses improve both student learning outcomes, student success, and retention.
Applying the Quality Matters Rubric – ONLINE COURSE
Monday, March 18th – Monday April 5th (3 weeks)
COURSE#001817, Section #0002; Register Now
The Quality Matters course is designed to help you prepare your course for QM certification and is a prerequisite for the QM Peer Reviewer Certification Course. This in-depth workshop explains each of the QM standards through interactive activities and assignments. Participants will complete the training with tools and ideas to design your course to meet QM and skills to become a Quality Matters peer reviewer.
How do I register for the Quality Matters at MCC course? Who can register?
Use the link above or here to register for this course. Registration is through the HRMS (MCCCD Time & Labor) system. View detailed registration instructions. Anyone interested in the QM Process and Rubric is welcome to attend.
Visit Our Quality Learning Site | Learn More About the MCC CTL | See Our Full Calendar
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.
(more…)
Important Notices
- Changes to Withdrawn/Dropped students in Canvas: Soon you may notice a change in how we handle Withdrawn and Dropped students in Canvas. No longer will they appear in the ‘completed’ state in Analytics and Grades within your courses. Withdrawn and Dropped students will be completely removed from the course. If you need to see their data or if the student is re-added to the course (through SIS) all of their work and grades will reappear. This is a change the district has made from the current processes.
Current Updates – January/February Release
- Closed Captioning: Instructors can now add closed captioning to any video created or uploaded in Canvas and students can add captioning to their own videos. Note: Videos embedded from YouTube or other sources will have to include captioning from the source file.
- Improvements for iOS Devices: The majority of videos in Canvas will now play on iOS Devices, like iPads making it easier for all students to access your content across devices.
- Convenient Discussion Settings: Discussion board settings are now linked from the discussion board page making it easier for instructors to set specific permissions like file attachments or allowing students to create their own discussion topics. These settings were previously only available in the Course Settings area.
- All the Small Things! A new Printer Friendly Option has been added to the student gradebook making it easier for students and faculty to print grades. Students are also able to quickly move from one course grade view to another.
