What are student groups and how do students interact with groups in Canvas?

In this blog, we will show you the basics of what students groups are and how students interact with groups inside their Canvas courses.

What are Student Groups?:

Groups are like a smaller version of your course and can be used as a tool for students to work together on projects and assignments.  For example, if an Instructor wanted to create groups specific for Discussions, they could create several small student groups to discuss specific topics assigned to them.

How do students interact with their groups:

First, select the People tab:

Next, select Groups:

Then, locate your group and enter your group by clicking Visit:

To then collaborate with your group members (in this case with a discussion) click the Discussions tab on the left & then select the "+ Discussion" tab

To go back to the course’s home page, navigate backwards by selecting the blue hyperlinked icons until you reach the course name:

For a more in depth look on Student Groups, please visit the Canvas guides article here:  https://goo.gl/mAK6kr

                                 

How do I add a single question to a quiz build with question banks?

In this blog, we will show you how to add one or more single questions to a quiz that is built on questions banks.

Let’s take a quiz that is already populated with several groups of questions.  There are two groups, each pulling 10 random questions that are worth 2 points each.

Next you’re going to click on New Question to add a question to this quiz:

I want to add an essay question onto the end of the quiz that I want everyone to have the same one. 

1.  From the drop-down select Essay Question

2.  Give the question a point value

3.  Give the directions for the essay

4.  Click on Update Question

As you see the new essay question is at the bottom, so it will be the last question on the quiz for the students after the two groups of 10 random questions.  All of the students have the same 10 point essay question.

If you have any questions you can always submit a ticket here and one of our staff will assist you. 

SpeedGrader / Crocodoc Save Comments Feature

 

Do you want to know how to save all of your SpeedGrader/Crocodoc comments in the gradebook?  Does the last one “drop off” unexpectedly when you are putting the student's grade in the grade field?  

SpeedGrader/Crocodoc comments do not have a "save" button!!

(1)  Each comment is saved when you finish with it and ...
(2)  create a new one.  The last comment will only be saved...
(3)  if you click just outside of the last comment in the Crocodoc screen. 
(4)  Once you have completed your comments, you can navigate to the Canvas submit screen to enter the student's grade, or enter further comments in the "Add a Comment" box (text or media),or attach a file.  The Submit Comment button in the lower right is for the "Add a Comment" not for Crocodoc.

Draft State: How to hide course content from students.

 

In the DRAFT STATE FEATURE, instructors may now hide individual content items in the draft state or Unpublish/Publish feature. 

 

 

UNPUBLISHED ITEM:  Select the cloud to the right of the item you wish to Unpublish (hide) and the screen tip will show you the Unpublish command with a red cloud and white X and the final result will be a grayed out cloud:

  

 

 

Students will not see the Unpublished items ...

 

... and when assignments are published within an Unpublished Module, they will not be able to open any assignments--instead, they see a message that the assignment is unpublished and is not available yet.  Student view:

 

 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at to eLearning@tacomacc.edu or call at 253-566-5176.

 

 

How to Use the Course Gradebook Notes Column

How to Use

the Course Gradebook

Notes Column

From within your Canvas Course Gradebook page, you can add a notes column for private information about your student(s) rather than using the Faculty Journal (which is accessible to the student and to all Teachers who might ever have that student in their classes).

The Gradebook Notes column allows for a private comment for each student viewable only within that course and only by the people who have access to the Gradebook (Teacher, Designer, TA).  This comment is not visible to the student.

To set up a Notes column, follow these instructions:

To add a note (up to 255 characters), click within the Notes column on the same row as the student and begin typing: