Frequently Asked Questions

Assignments

• Why can’t students see their course or course assignments?

  By default, courses inherit term dates for our institution imports in Banner however, faculty have the ability to change the visibility and availability of courses in their course setting.  This is not recommended and can cause issues with our institutional settings.  Please do not add any dates in the Start and End Date fields your course settings.

  In Course Navigation sidebar, click the Settings link.

  

  Click the Course Details tab at the top of the page.

  

  Scroll down to the Change course dates area.  Do not update/input dates here:

  

• Can you give extra credit?
  There are a number of ways you can assign extra credits within a course. Visit the How do I give extra credit in a course? and the Extra credit using weighted assignment groups Canvas Guides for more information.
• When using Google Drive, is the document live or a snapshot?
  According to the following Canvas Guide, a Microsoft counterpart version (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) of the document will be uploaded - How do I upload a file from Google Drive as an assignment submission in Canvas?
• Can you adjust the grade for an individual group member for a group assignment?
  Start by keeping the "Assign Grades to Each Student Individually" NOT selected. Once everyone has submitted the assignments and you have graded them, go back and select the "Assign Grades to Each Student Individually". You can now change the grade of individual students if you wish. If you plan to use this assignment again in the future (i.e. copy it into a future course), be sure to unselect the "Assign Grades to Each Student Individually" again.
• Can you create assignments for students to submit individually or as a group?
  • You can create a self sign up group set and allow students to enroll in a ‘group’ on their own, if working individually (i.e. they’d be a ‘group’ of 1). 
  • Important: students need to be added to their groups before the group assignment is published. Read more about group assignments in the ‘How do I assign an assignment to a course group’ Canvas Guide.
• Which files can be annotated in SpeedGrader?
  • Common formats include PDF, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Text, and RichText
  • For more information, refer to the ‘What types of files can be previewed in Canvas?’ Canvas Guide.
• Can the Turnitin integration be used with group assignments in Canvas?
  Yes. You can learn more by checking the ‘Plagiarism Framework’ column in this External Tool Vs. Plagiarism Framework resource from Turnitin.

Quizzes

• How does the quiz timer work?
  If a quiz has a timer and a ‘display until’ date, the quiz will automatically submit at the end of the timer (if one was set), or at the ‘display until date’ (whichever is first). For more information, view the How do I make a quiz available before or after the due date? Canvas Guide.
• Can you remove some generated choices from formula questions (unwanted x, y combinations for example)?
  We don’t think this is possible.
• Can you randomize the order of all questions on a quiz/test?
  Question groups can be used if students will need to answer a certain number of questions out of a larger group of questions, or to randomize the order of questions. Furthermore, answer options can be shuffled in quiz settings.
• Can a grading rubric for a quiz (or quiz question) be created but set as not visible to students?
  No, once a rubric is posted, students will have access to it. You can wait to post the rubric until after the availability end date, so that students will only be able to see it after it has closed. For more information, visit the Do students have access to rubrics? Canvas Community post.
• Can you change the quiz timer while students are writing the quiz?
  “If you change the quiz settings while a student is taking a quiz, the new settings will not apply until the student has completed the current attempt” - Taken from the Once I publish a quiz, how do I use the Moderate Quiz page? Canvas Guide.
• Can you copy quizzes within a course with different settings?
  • Yes, if you copy a quiz, it will create a completely separate quiz.
  • To copy a quiz: select the Quizzes tab, select the 3 vertical dots to the right of the title of the Quiz and select ‘Copy to…’. Then select a course to copy the quiz to -- it could be the same course. 
  • You can then set one of the quizzes to Require Respondus LockDown Browser, if you wish
  • To assign the quiz to specific people, use the “Assign to” area in the Details tab of the quiz. The following Canvas Guide includes more information: How do I assign a quiz to an individual student?
• Can you link a spreadsheet in a Canvas quiz that requires Respondus Lockdown Browser?
  Yes. The following resource includes steps for this: How to Link a Spreadsheet in a Canvas Quiz That Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

Gradebook

• Can I view the number of students in my Canvas Gradebook?
  Yes, you can view secondary info such as Student ID (referred to as Login ID) in the Gradebook by clicking on the three vertical dots to the right of the Student Name header, then selecting secondary info, then Login ID. For more information, please refer to the How do I sort and display student data in the Gradebook? Canvas Guide.
• Is there a way to split first name and last name into separate columns (for example, when the grade columns are exported to open in Excel)?
  We don’t think this is possible.

Copying/Moving Content

• Can I copy course content from one term to a new course?
  The right side of page 4 of the following Canvas Instructor Tip Sheet provides information on importing course content from another course in Canvas.
• How do you move an item from one module to another?
  Selecting the three vertical dots to the right of the title of the assignment in the current module in which it is placed should allow you to select ‘Move to’ so you can move the assignment to a different module or location. Within a given module, you can also select module items to move them up or down.
• Can a course set up and contents be copied from one instructor to another?
  • You can export a course as a zip package and share it with another instructor. For instructions, visit the How do I export a Canvas course? Canvas Guide.
  • The instructor can then import the exported course package you shared with them. For instructions, visit the What is the Course Import Tool? Canvas Guide.
• Will copying and pasting images and links from one Canvas course to another work?
  Students will not likely be able to view the images or links correctly if they are manually copied and pasted from another Canvas course.

Communication Tools

• How do you prevent messages from being sent to my email?
  Notification settings can be accessed by navigating to Account (near the top/left of the screen), and selecting Notifications. Locate the Conversations section to make changes in this area.
• If the instructor responds to a message directly from email, will it still be received within the Canvas inbox by the recipient of the message?
  Yes.

Miscellaneous

• Why is my course shell empty?

  Here are some possible reasons why your shell is empty

  • When a course is offered over two terms (extended term), the second term Canvas site may be cross-listed with the first term; this is where all the content will be housed. For example, if a Winter 2020 course shell is empty please look at the Fall 2019 XLIST course for the materials.
  • The course may be cross-listed as one part of another course, potentially delivered by different instructors, different days, etc
  • A course was requested through the Registrar’s office and an instructor was assigned but the course didn’t run
  • It may be related to the transition from Blackboard to Canvas: in instances where you see two versions of the same course, look at the version where the alpha name comes before the term code.
  • You may have access to a test shell (i.e., used by IT when creating/setting up Canvas *these shells are periodically reviewed and cleaned up).

  If your shell is empty and not related to any of the above reasons, please get in touch with the Service Desk at servicedesk@dc-uoit.ca 

  Reminder: Fall course CRN start with 7*****, Winter with 4*****, and Spring/Summer with 1*****. 

• Is there an optimal size for images added in Canvas?
  We are not aware of optimal image sizes; however, you can save the page to preview it and ensure it appears the way you intended before publishing it.
• What is the maximum file size for student uploads?
  • Students should not encounter file size limitations uploading assignments.
  • All users are still recommended to follow best practices to keep file sizes manageable (example: zipping large files).
• Can a TA work with a group of instructors, with multiple sections of a course?
  Our understanding is yes, but we require some clarification to fully understand what is being asked.
• Is there a limit on the length of videos included through Kaltura?
  • Shorter videos are ideal, however, you can record up to 3 hours with Kaltura Capture.
  • Kaltura Virtual Classroom has a recording limit of 3 hours.
• How do I use the Kaltura Virtual Classroom?
  Please see Exploring the Kaltura Virtual Classroom
• How do I use the new Rich Content Editor in Canvas?
  The content editor has been updated in Canvas. Resources are available at the following Canvas Guide: What is the Rich Content Editor?