August 2024 technology updates
In our technology updates we announce the latest developments in UoA supported tools for teaching and learning.
This month we feature improvements to Inspera, Canvas Announcements, Assignments, SpeedGrader and more, and finally, Learning Essentials for students.
Inspera
Updated Dashboard Header
Inspera has refreshed the Dashboard Header with new branding colors and improved accessibility features.
- Darker Blue Background: Matches Inspera’s new branding.
- Updated Home Icon: A refreshed icon for better navigation.
- Improved Color Contrast/Accessibility: Enhanced color contrast to improve accessibility for all users.
Inspera dashboard header showing the navigation items and icons for announcements and settings.
More flexibility for group submissions
Inspera now offers more flexibility for managing group submissions, even after a test has been activated.
- Clarified group changes: Clear guidelines on what happens to existing drafts when a candidate is moved to a different group.
- Group creation post-activation: You can now create groups even after a test has been activated, streamlining group management and handling group changes more efficiently.
Inspera submission options dropdown list showing options for either an individual submission or a group submission.
Canvas
‘Assign to’ feature
Canvas has introduced an updated ‘assign to’ feature for Assignments, Discussions, and Quizzes. This update includes a redesigned user interface and the addition of student SIS IDs next to their names (when available).
- Quick management: You can now use the ‘Assign To’ button to efficiently manage due dates and availability dates for assignments and graded discussions.
- Redesigned interface: When editing an assignment, discussion, or quiz, click the ‘Manage Assign To’ link. The new tray interface allows for easy differentiation of assignments and management of due dates and availability.
- Student SIS IDs: Student SIS IDs will be displayed in the ‘Assign To’ tray when available, providing additional context..
- Inherited assignments: If applicable, inherited assignments will be visible in the ‘Assign To’ tray during editing.
- Save changes: After making changes, a reminder button will appear indicating that changes are not yet saved. Be sure to click the ‘Save’ button to finalise your updates.
See the Canvas release notes
Canvas’ assignments options showing an ‘assign to’ button above the assignment instructions.
Canvas’ ‘assign to’ feature opens a side panel allowing you to choose what student groups or individuals to assign the assessment task to.
Module and assignment differentiation
Canvas now allows for entire modules or individual module items to be assigned to specific students or sections directly from the Modules page. The ‘Add Module’ and ‘Edit Module Settings’ pages have also been redesigned for a more user-friendly experience.
This feature enhances the ability to differentiate modules, creating a more dynamic and adaptive learning environment tailored to individual student needs.
This feature enhances the ability to differentiate modules, creating a more dynamic and adaptive learning environment tailored to individual student needs.
- Creating and editing modules: When creating a new module, the ‘Add Module’ modal now appears as a tray. Similarly, when editing a module, the ‘Edit Module Settings’ display as a tray with two tabs: ‘Settings’ and ‘Assign To’.
- Assigning modules: You can set module visibility to everyone or assign it to specific students or sections using the ‘Assign To’ tab. Simply select students or sections from the drop-down menu, type in student names, SIS IDs (if available), or section names, and click the ‘Save’ button.
- Module Item assignment: On the Modules page, you can assign specific module items to students by clicking the Options icon and selecting the Assign To link. This opens a tray where assignment availability dates and due dates can be differentiated.
- Visibility and review: When a module is differentiated for specific students, a ‘View Assign To’ link will display, allowing you to easily review or edit visibility settings. This link does not appear if the module is assigned to everyone.
Pages and ungraded discussions: You can also edit and differentiate visibility dates for pages, although pages and ungraded discussions cannot be assigned due dates.
The module settings in Canvas opens a side panel where you can select the ‘Assign To’ tab.
The ‘Assign To’ settings in Canvas Modules allows you to choose a section, group or a selection of students to assign the module to.
This feature was demonstrated at the July Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Forum, which you can watch here.
Pages – ‘assign to’ feature
Pages can now also be assigned to specific students and set availability dates. This allows for more tailored instruction and better management of content visibility.
- When viewing a page, click the Assign To button to manage availability dates and assign the page to students.
- When editing or creating a page, click the Manage Assign To link.
- In the Assign To tray, differentiate pages and manage availability dates.
- Click Apply to save your changes.
- After closing the tray, a notification will appear indicating that changes are not yet saved.
- Click the Save button to finalise your changes.
Note: Pages cannot be assigned due dates.
View the Canvas release notes
The ‘Assign To’ button is available above the editor on a Canvas page.
The ‘Assign To’ settings in Canvas Pages enables teachers to choose a group or a collection of students.
Announcements – notifications for changed content
You now notify students when an announcement has been updated. This ensures that students are always aware of the latest information.
- After editing an announcement, a modal will appear.
- Choose to either:
- Save without notifying students.
- Send a notification to students.
Additional Details:
- This modal does not appear when editing an announcement with a delayed posting date.
- This update coincides with the Announcement/Discussion redesign which has been enforced as of July 20, 2024.
This feature helps prevent missed information, allowing students to respond promptly and appropriately to new updates.
Review the Canvas release notes
Canvas’ notify users setting allows teachers to notify students that an announcement has been updated.
Announcements – availability dates
You can now set specific availability dates for announcements. This includes setting a start date (available from) and an end date (until) for when the announcement will be visible to students.
- In an Announcement, set the Available From date and time.
- Optionally, set the Until date and time.
Notes:
- The Available From date is when the announcement is published.
- If no Until date is set, the announcement remains visible indefinitely.
- Once the Until date is reached, the announcement will no longer be visible to students.
Additional Details:
- This feature is available for course-level announcements only.
- This update is available only when the Announcement/Discussion Redesign feature is enabled.
- This update coincides with the Announcement/Discussion Redesign which has been enforced as of July 20, 2024.
This update allows you to control the visibility of announcements, ensuring that information is available to students only when needed.
Canvas’ Announcement options now shows a from and until date for when the announcement is published.
SpeedGrader comment drafts
Canvas has introduced a new feature in SpeedGrader that helps keep track of assessment comments. Now, if you draft a comment and move on to another student without submitting it, a ‘Draft’ button will appear to remind you that the comment hasn’t been submitted yet.
This update improves the user experience by providing a clear indication when a comment is still in draft form, ensuring that no feedback is accidentally left unsent.
- Draft indicator: When you draft a comment in SpeedGrader and navigate to another student, a ‘Draft’ button will display, indicating that the comment has not been submitted.
The SpeedGrader window will alert you with a button saying “DRAFT” if you try to navigate away from it without submitting the assignment comment.
Introducing Learning Essentials
Support your students with Learning Essentials!
Learning Essentials is your go-to resource for supporting students’ transition to university and developing essential academic skills. By embedding these resources directly into your Canvas course pages, you can provide students with:
- Academic Skill Overviews: Quick guides on key academic skills.
- Study Techniques and Strategies: Practical tips to enhance their studies.
- Further Resources and Services: Links to additional support if needed.
- Academic Skills Video Series: Bite-sized, self-paced videos on topics like critical thinking and time management.
Discipline-Focused Hubs: Tailored academic skills resources for specific disciplines.
A laptop icon with the Learning Essentials home screen superimposed onto it.
How to Integrate:
- Add links to Learning Essentials within your Canvas course pages or modules.
- Import the pre-made Academic Skills module from Canvas Commons.
For more information, please refer to this guide on Learning Essentials (courtesy of Te Tumu Herenga | Libraries and Learning Services)
May these enhancements continue to empower you as teachers in your commitment to fostering collaboration and engagement with your students.
As always, should you have any questions or require assistance, seek support from IT Connect and Ranga Auaha Ako, Learning and Teaching Design Team. We’re here to help.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog post is accurate as of 26 July 2024. Please note that the features and updates mentioned above are based on available information at the time of writing, and there may have been further developments since then.