Category Archives: For Instructors

Canvas Update (03/20/2021)

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On Saturday, March 20, Instructure will deploy the latest release to the Canvas environment.  The highlights of this release are listed below.  The full release notes are also available.

  • Assignments – Webcam Submissions: File upload assignments that allow for the upload of a .png file will allow students to use their webcam to take a photo.
  • Course Settings – Course Availability Date Enhancements: When an instructor views the Participation section in the Course Settings page, the Participation section displays a menu that defaults to Term dates for new courses. This option sets student course participation to the start and end dates defined for the term.
  • Modules – New Quiz Support: When an instructor adds an item to a module and selects a quiz, the Create Quiz option displays both the New Quizzes and Classic Quizzes quiz engines. New Quizzes is the default, but instructors can switch to Classic Quizzes and create a name for the quiz.
  • Outcomes – Learning Mastery Gradebook Student Filters: The Learning Mastery Gradebook includes filters for inactive and concluded enrollments. This change allows instructors to view outcomes data in the Learning Mastery Gradebook for students who no longer have an active enrollment in their course.
  • Rich Content Editor – File Preview Enhancements: Files linked in the Rich Content Editor can be previewed in an overlay or inline. This change allows users to control the display of the file preview. Previously all file previews opened in a new browser tab.
  • SpeedGrader – Submission Reassignments: In SpeedGrader, instructors can reassign an assignment to an individual student and ask them to redo their submission, as long as the student has submissions remaining on the assignment.

UW-Whitewater Updates

  • Resolved Issue – Webex Meeting Password required: Students joining a Webex Meeting from Canvas using the web browser were being prompted for a meeting password. This issue has been resolved. For additional details, please see our post.
  • Additional Canvas Personal Pronoun Options – March 23rd. UW-System will be enabling additional personal pronouns inside of Canvas on Tuesday March 23rd. For additional details and the full list of pronouns, please see this announcement.

If you have any questions or concerns about the service pack updates, please contact UW-W Canvas Support.

[RESOLVED] Canvas / Webex Meeting Password Required – Known Issue

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Issue Resolved. Cisco Webex support was able to correct the issue over the weekend. Joining Webex Meetings from the web browser is now working as expected.

What’s the issue?

Students joining a Webex Meeting from Canvas using the web browser are currently prompted for a meeting password. This password is not available to the student and they will not be able to join using the web browser. Students joining using the Webex Desktop App or Webex Apps on mobile devices are not impacted by this issue.

What’s the workaround?

Students using Chromebooks must use workaround 2 below. Please contact your instructor for the direct Webex meeting link.

Workaround 1: We recommend students download and join using the Webex Desktop App. This will provide the best user experience for the student during the meeting. Additional information is available at: Download the Cisco Webex Meetings Desktop App.

Workaround 2: Instructors can provide the direct Webex meeting join link to students. Follow this guide: Inviting a User to a Webex Meeting in Canvas. Note: If you are Tracking Attendance with Webex Meetings in Canvas this workaround will cause attendance to not be automatically recorded inside of Canvas.

What’s the fix?

Cisco Webex Support has notified us that this is scheduled to be fixed on April 7th with the Webex 41.4 software release. Cisco Webex Support was able to deploy a patch on March 13th which corrected the issue. Joining Webex meetings from Canvas using your web browser is now working as expected.

If you have additional questions about this issue please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

[RESOLVED] Canvas Unplanned Outage

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RESOLVED: Between roughly 3:29PM and 4:31PM on Wednesday March 3rd, 2021 users may have received an error message when accessing Canvas. The issue has been resolved. Please reach out to Canvas 24/7 support for any additional issues.

Original Message:

Several users have reported “504 Gateway Error” and other related errors when trying to access Canvas and Lockdown Browser. The Instructure Canvas vendor is aware of this issue and they are working towards a resolution.

Resolved: 4:31PM. The issues has been resolved.

Monitoring: 4:07PM. A fix has been deployed, and the Instructure vendor is monitoring results.

Update 4:00PM. The issue has been identified and a fix is in process.

Update 3:50PM. Canvas developers are investigating the cause of the errors. Thank you for your patience.

We will update this post as soon as the services have been restored.

Call for Participants: Canvas Skill Mastery Certification Opportunity

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Canvas Certified Educator - Higher Ed Badge

The UWSA Office of Learning and Information Technology (OLIT) is pleased to issue this call for participants for the new Canvas skill mastery certification program offered by Instructure.

This professional development program for educators includes a series of six courses designed to strengthen knowledge and use of Canvas through hands-on experiences that lead to certification of their skill in using the Canvas platform. Courses are entirely run by Instructure’s Canvas Learning Services team, not by UW System Administration. Each of the courses takes approximately six weeks to complete. The estimated time commitment to complete a course and a reflection activity is 16 – 22 hours per course. One UW System cohort of 37 participants will launch Monday, March 29, 2021. More details about these courses are located in the Call for Participants – Canvas Certified Educator Program (Higher Education Track).

To qualify for the program, applicants must:

  • have reviewed this Call for Participants and understand the program expectations
  • have a full-time faculty or teaching academic staff appointment at a UW System institution (except UW-Madison) during the Spring 2021 semester
  • already have a working knowledge of using Canvas
  • demonstrate a keen interest in taking full advantage of Canvas in teaching your courses

The application process is very simple and requires applicants to submit a completed survey available at https://uwsystemadmin.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3IwuM04nwiiUy7r by Friday, March 5, 2021. Scholarship awards will be announced by Friday, March 12, 2021. We urge applicants to carefully consider their ability to accommodate the time commitment.  

Questions about the program may be directed to Renee Pfeifer-Luckett, Director, Learning Technology Development for the University of Wisconsin System Administration (e: rpfeifer-luckett@uwsa.edu;  t: 608-265-9559).

2021 Cisco/Presidio Teaching with Technology Honorarium

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The Cisco/Presidio Teaching with Technology Innovator Honorarium is a recognition that will be bestowed upon an instructor who displays an outstanding commitment to leveraging learning technologies to solve common teaching challenges related to creating rich learning experiences to increase student success.

For 2021, finalists for this award need to be willing to present an interactive virtual session at the Celebration of Teaching and Learning on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.  The instructor selected as the Teaching with Technology Innovator will receive a $1000 honorarium.  The other finalists will receive $250 honorariums.  These awards are paid for by private donated funds.

Eligibility and Expectations

There is an open call for applicants for this recognition. Any individual who applies must have taught at least six credits for the past year to be eligible. If selected as a finalist for the Teaching with Technology Innovator, the individual will receive a $250 honorarium and must agree to present an interactive session at the Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference (May 19, 2021), where they will also be recognized.

The individual selected as the 2021 Teaching with Technology Innovator will receive a $1000 honorarium (instead of the $250 for finalists) and must also agree to the following conditions:

  • Have their name and picture highlighted in a Learning Technology Center blog post and in the ConnectIT newsletter;
  • Have their name and photograph displayed in the Learning Technology Center
  • Partner with the Learning Technology Center to highlight their work during the Fall 2021 and/or Spring 2022 semester.  

Please note: this honorarium counts toward the 20% base salary overload maximum. 

Submission of Application Materials

  • Application packages must include a: Personal reflection (1-2 pages) that includes the applicant’s teaching philosophy and the role technology plays in it, specifically discussing how they have demonstrated the innovative and effective use of learning technologies to create rich learning experiences for students that work to increase retention and success. 
  • Portfolio of 3-5 items that serve as evidence of their teaching philosophy and the role technology plays in it, as well as ways their use of technology contributes to student learning and success. Possible items include, but are not limited to: 
    • Letters of support from students, colleagues, or leadership.
    • Course evaluation data. 
    • Evidence of student impact (e.g., grades, learning, etc.) after trying a technology intervention. 
    • Examples of how the instructor contributes to their college, campus community, and beyond related to teaching and learning with technology.

Materials must be submitted through Qualtrics (http://uwwhitewater.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3eflnjKb810emUt) by March 5, 2021 March 14, 2021. If materials are missing, an individual’s application may not be considered.

Selection Process

Application packages will be reviewed by a committee composed of Learning Technology Center (LTC) Staff and members of the LTC Advisory Group (which is composed of 1-2 instructors from each college) after the deadline.  Notifications of the selected finalists will be made by March 31, 2021.  Finalists will be expected to submit a description of an interactive, synchronous virtual session to be presented at the Celebration of Teaching and Learning event.

About the Sponsors 

This award is sponsored by Presidio and Cisco Systems in conjunction with UWW’s Division of Instructional, Communication, and Information Technology (ICIT) and iCIT’s Learning Technology Center (LTC). Presidio and Cisco are proud of their work with institutions of higher education to inspire learning and connect campuses to enhance student outcomes. ICIT and the LTC are dedicated to working with instructors to understand teaching challenges, explore solutions, implement strategies, and evaluate their effectiveness.

Questions? If you have questions, please reach out to the Learning Technology Center

Spring 2021 LTC Training and Workshops

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The LTC is offering a full roster of learning opportunities ranging from training on Webex and Canvas to rethinking the possibilities of learning, teaching, and working with technology. Please visit the LTC’s calendar to see all sessions, descriptions, and dates.

Can’t join at scheduled times? No problem, email ltc@uww.edu to request a personal or department session. Links to previously recorded sessions are also often available.  

Don’t see a session on something you’d like to learn? Let us know! We look forward to meeting your needs as best we can — email ltc@uww.edu with your request. And, don’t forget, LinkedIn Learning offers on-demand classes on many topics!

Instructional Workshops:

Webex:

Canvas:

General Campus Technology:

If you have any questions, please reach out to the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Online Teaching Institute Spring 2021 Applications Open

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Let's look forward to spring and computing
The Call for the Spring 2021 Online Teaching Institute is now open.

The UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center (LTC) is pleased to announce that applications are now open for a Spring 2021 Online Teaching Institute. The overall goal of the institute is to align quality course design with best practices in online teaching, preparing faculty for online course development, and online/hybrid teaching in future academic terms.

This Spring Institute is designed to be fully asynchronous and completed over a ten week, work at your own pace, timeline. The course models a fully online course including readings, materials, and short homework assignments. Participants will be required to build a fully online unit of a course they could teach. There will be several optional synchronous workshops, including an orientation, student panel, and peer review session.

We will be accepting up to 25 applicants. Preference will be given to those faculty and full-time instructional academic staff in a first come, first serve basis. To ensure we can serve the entire UW-Whitewater community, we will also prioritize individuals who have not previously completed the Online / Blended teaching Institute since the summer of 2018.  Approved applicants will be emailed regarding their acceptance on Thursday, February 4th, 2021 and be enrolled in the Canvas course site.  Rolling applications will be accepted until March 1st . The Canvas course will open for participants on Monday, February 8th and final submission of work will be due April 16, 2021. 

The application takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. We recommend completing the application on a computer, as some questions involve typed responses.

For any additional information or questions, please contact the LTC.
Learning Technology Center
(262) 472-1004
ltc@uww.edu

Apply here: http://uwwhitewater.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9BQ4lxejeFD0A0C


Documentation Updates from the LTC

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We are in the process of moving our documentation, tutorials, and how-to pages from spaces.uww.edu into ServiceNow. As the pages are moved and complete, a redirect message with the updated link will be placed on the old pages. The old pages will continue to work through the Spring 2021 semester.

Example image of the redirect links

You can browse and search through the documentation pages by going to http://uww.service-now.com/kb

Image of the Service Now knowledge base.

What is ServiceNow?

ServiceNow is the help desk platform that is available on campus. Canvas support request should still be routed through the Canvas 24/7/365 support.

Why are we moving the pages?

Moving the content into ServiceNow will allow for a better overall user experience, and more robust search feature.

Can I still link to the pages in ServiceNow?

Yes! Follow this guide to copy the link to place in your own materials: Linking to a ServiceNow KB Article.

Please contact the Learning Technology Center if you have any questions about this change.

What Students Want in Canvas

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There are many good ways to set up a Canvas course, but how can you know which things students want in every one of their courses? Well, to help you the LTC asked them! Based on multiple student panels, here are the most common requests for your Canvas course:

  1. Match your Assignments and Grades area to your course syllabus.
  2. Reorganize Modules to a chronological layout.
  3. Populate assignments and tasks to student calendars.
  4. Utilize the description area of Quizzes and Assignments.
  5. When deciding between timely feedback and deep feedback, choose timely.
  6. Keep grades up to date, including entering 0s.

While each of these require additional work, none of them are outside of your reach. The recording below will walk you through making adjustments in Canvas to address the first four points.

Students understand their instructors can feel crunched for time, just like they do. When this occurs they’ve found that timely feedback best helps their progress through the course. They asked that if you are put into a position where you need to choose between providing timely feedback versus deep feedback, that you choose timely. Too often, by the time they received feedback on an assessment they had already moved on to the next lessons, building on a foundation they later found out isn’t as solid as they thought.

Keeping grades up to date ties in with providing timely feedback. Students want to know how they are doing, and when each instructor handles their grades differently, it means the only system that is going to feel intuitive to your students is an up-to-date grades area. This includes entering 0’s for any assignment that counts against their final grade. As a benefit, entering 0’s by setting a default grade at the time the assignment is being graded means less work for you.

If you have any questions or concerns about this update, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

VBrick Rev (Streaming.uww.edu) Video Cleanup

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VBrick Rev (streaming.uww.edu) videos that were created prior to 2019 AND have not been accessed since 2019 will be removed on February 1st.  Please review the videos associated with your account using the link below.  If the videos are still in use, please mark them accordingly in the application and they will not be removed.

https://www.uww.edu/apps/ltc/rev-cleanup

The Fall 2020 semester saw an increase in video usage, and we are proactively cleaning up unused videos to make sure we have adequate space for the Spring 2021 semester.

If you have any questions, please contact the Learning Technology Center.