Canvas at UIW

Once you're familiar with logging into Canvas via Cardinal Apps, start by downloading and reviewing the Canvas Highlights and Best Practices document below. Within, you'll get a glance at the most important aspects of building and managing a course in Canvas.

• Canvas Highlights and Best Practices (PDF)

What is a Sandbox and why do you need one?

A sandbox is a new, empty course shell created solely for you that nobody else can see. Sandboxes are self-contained, so there are no stakes involved and no reason to worry about messing anything up.

Use your sandbox to learn, experiment, or build an entire course along with other pieces of learning content. At any point, you can copy any of your work to your live course. Use the link below to submit a ticket and request a Sandbox in Canvas.

Request a Sandbox

Personalize the UIW Blueprint is an asynchronous training course designed to walk you through the minimal use requirements expected of all Canvas courses at UIW. It’s the perfect companion to learning Canvas the first time or as a refresher the next time you set up your course.

Use the link below to access the course. Once you've finished with Personalize the UIW Canvas Blueprint, move on to to next course in the tile below.

• Personalize the UIW Canvas Blueprint: An intro to UIW's consistent format and features for all courses.

Are you learning Canvas without building a course using the UIW Blueprint? Maybe you've completed the Personalize the UIW Blueprint training and need a refresher on how Canvas features work. This training is for you! Review the basic features and practice along in your Sandbox course.

Use the link below to access the course. Once you've finished with The Canvas Basics, move on to to next course in the tile below.

• The Canvas Basics: Introductory Training and Refresher Resources

Once you have a basic understanding of using Canvas, this asynchronous training takes you through the steps to building a robust, online course experience. Additionally, there are accompanying companion guides for each topic in the course. You may find these guides below, as well as within the course in the appropriate areas.

Use the link below to access the course. Once you've finished with How to Build a Canvas Course, you will be finished with the asynchronous guides provided by UIW. Please, explore the rest of the resources found on this page.

• How to Build a Canvas Course: A complete guide for building a robust course experience.

The Canvas mobile app is a version that helps you stay current with your courses anywhere you go. It's FREE and offers some convenient functionality such as...

• Grading assignments on the go
• Send messages/announcements to your classes from anywhere
• Edit pages, and files, and upload content to your course

Download the Teacher app on your desired platform with the links below!

• Download the Canvas Instructor App for iOS
  • Canvas Teacher for iOS guide

• Download the Canvas Instructor App for Android
  • Canvas Teacher for Android guide

Canvas Studio is a media tool for short videos. Studio allows students and instructors to upload, create, edit, manage, share, and discuss audio and video files. Existing files can be uploaded, or new videos can be created with Studio's capture and editing tools. For recording purposes, some notable features are as follows:

• Video recordings can be created with screen capture, webcam, or both.
• Users can upload existing video files to their studio library.
• Automatic closed captioning and transcripts for uploaded video content.
• Videos can be embedded or shared with a link.
• Canvas Studio has a robust set of tools for adding captions, which can be added in multiple languages.
• The quiz tool exists to insert questions into your videos, which can be graded items that push right to the grade book.

To learn more about Canvas Studio, you can view the entire guide on Instructure's website. For more specific guides to get started:

• What is Canvas Studio?
• How do I use Canvas Studio in a course?
• How do I record my screen with Canvas Studio?

What is cross-listing? Why cross-list?

Cross-listing allows instructors to combine Canvas courses into one "parent" course to save time and effort. This process allows you to teach in a single online space rather than in multiple separate sections. 

• Cross-listing multiple courses in Canvas

Once you've built a course, save time by copying content instead of starting from scratch.

• How to Copy Course Content in Canvas.

The Office of Teaching, Learning, & Technology houses useful resources for instructors to provide to students. Include them within the introduction module of your course or distribute them throughout the semester.

• Available Software for Students
• Learning Online at UIW
• Getting started with Microsoft Teams at UIW

Respondus LockDown Browser is a custom browser that locks down a student's testing environment so that they are unable to navigate to other web pages or open other applications on the device they are taking the exam on. Lockdown Browser is available in Canvas for instructors to enable with Canvas Quizzes.

Instructor Resources

Instructors may follow the resources below to learn about the LockDown Browser, best practices, and how to turn it on for Canvas Quizzes. It's highly recommended to deploy a practice quiz before your first exam, so students can make sure they are familiar with the environment and have devices that work properly. Leave the quiz available for the duration of the course, with unlimited attempts, so students can access it again if they use a different computer.

• Understanding the Respondus LockDown Browser for Instructors (PDF)
• Learn more about the Respondus suite of services, such as exam proctoring, recording, and study materials.

Student Guides

Students will have different experience depending on whether the quiz in Canvas is a Classic or New quiz. If students experience issues, they should contact Respondus support directly or the UIW Help Desk.

• Student guide to Respondus for Classic quizzes (PDF)
• Student experience for Respondus in New quizzes

Love Canvas and want to stay on top of new features? Canvas Release Notes communicate changes, with reason statements and often short video demonstrations. Canvas release updates happen on the third Saturday of every month.

Canvas Release Notes

As an instructor, you can upload files to a Canvas course or use a variety of third-party apps to easily display content.

How do I add files to Canvas?

In Canvas, the Rich Content Editor (RCE) and the Files feature allow you to upload files to your course.

Either RCE or Files will get materials into your course, but files uploaded through the RCE are automatically added to an Uploaded Media general folder. To stay more organized, upload to Files first and then add links throughout your course with the RCE. This way, Files offers you folder organization control exactly like your computer's desktop or your OneDrive. 

What file types must be saved in Canvas?

All images need to be uploaded to your course using one of two methods:

• Add images from Files - upload images to Files first to control folder organization 
• Add images with the RCE - saves to a general Uploaded Media folder in Files

Which documents are best uploaded to Canvas?

Syllabi, course outlines, and any other typical Word, Excel, or pdf documents work well as files uploaded directly in Canvas courses.

What files types are not recommended uploaded to Canvas?

PowerPoints, videos, and any large files are better managed using the OneDrive app. This app allows you to easily share a copy of any files saved in your UIW OneDrive or SharePoints. 

Students can manage submitting work using the OneDrive for Students app or the OneDrive file upload assignment option.

Yes, each Canvas course has a storage limit of 2GB.

The 2GB course storage space is ideal for Word documents,  PDFs, images, and smaller PowerPoint files used to deliver content within a standard academic term.

Canvas course storage is not recommended for long-term documentation, which is better managed by individuals in OneDrive or by collaborative teams in SharePoint.

Media-rich PowerPoints, all videos, and any large files are best saved in OneDrive, then linked or embedded in your course with the OneDrive app, or managed with a third-party tool.

Hosting audio and video files outside of Canvas not only saves storage space, but provides transcript and caption features offered by MS Stream or other third-party tools. Transcripts and captions are media accessibility standards that ensure all learners can consume your course materials.

Additional considerations:

• Image files and documents uploaded through the RCE, the Files feature, or the import tool count against the course storage limit.
• Course copies, profile pictures, user files, and group files do not count against the course storage limit.
• Attachments to discussions count against the course storage limit, but attachments to replies do not count.
• Course export packages over 2GB will not import into a course.
• Instructors bulk adding 50 or more files to a course must first zip the files, then upload the zipped folder and use the prompt in Canvas to unzip the files.

Yes, each person has 200MB of individual storage in Canvas.

• Profile pictures, attachments to ungraded discussions, and files added using the RCE in quiz responses count against the user storage limit. 
• Quiz questions or assignments requiring a file upload, attachments added to graded discussions, and attachments to submission comments do not count against the user storage limit.
• File types that do not count against the user storage limit still display in the user files.
• OneDrive apps are available in Canvas to facilitate sharing content without impacting any storage limits.
  • OneDrive
  • OneDrive for Students

Yes, each group has 50MB of storage in Canvas.

• Files uploaded using the RCE in Groups count against the group storage limit.
• Attachments as part of graded group assignment submissions and group discussions do not count against the group storage limit.
• File types that do not count against the group storage limit still display in the group files.