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August 20, 2024
"Assign To" - For Modules!
Instructors can now designate a module to be "assigned to" a specific student, students, or section, the same way you have always been able to do with Assignments, Quizzes and Graded Discussions. When you assign a module to specific student, when published, it will only be visible to that student. Unlike with Assignments, currently, you cannot designate different due dates or availability dates for modules: the module is either visible to a student or not. Some possible use cases for this feature include: courses with multiple populations such as graduate, undergraduate, dual enrollment, various licensure tracks, honors students, etc.
As a bonus: "Assign to" is now also available for pages and ungraded discussions!
Note: Instructors cannot create and populate "sections" within a course independently. Contact eto@framingham.edu if you are interested in using sections.
Screen Capture in Media comments
You can now capture your screen while leaving video feedback (media comment) for a student submission in Speedgrader. One possible use for this feature would be to narrate as you "mark up" the student's submission using the annotation tools in Speedgrader. Note: When you select the screen you are currently on, you will initially see an infinitely nested "screen within a screen" effect - don't worry, this will go away once you click "Start Recording".
All Canvas users now have access to the Lucid Education Suite, a powerful visual collaboration solution, right in the Canvas LMS, and at no additional cost. The Lucid Education Suite includes Lucidspark, a collaborative virtual whiteboard that’s the official replacement for Google’s Jamboard, and Lucidchart, an intelligent diagramming application.
Right now, Lucid is available anywhere you find the Rich Content Editor (RCE) in Canvas - so that means Pages, Assignment instructions, Announcements and more. Just look for the "L" icon right next to the electrical plug in order to embed a Lucid document.
Instructors can also select Lucid as an External Tool submission option for Canvas Assignments. With this workflow, instructors can create a Lucid template, assign it to students, have students complete it, and send a copy back as their submission. Have students complete a graphic organizer, get them started on concept map... the possibilities are endless!
Hide Quantitative Data
"Hide Quantitative Data" has been available in course settings since Summer 2024. This is feature will likely not be used by a large number of instructors, but could be a game-changer for those that employ alternative grading systems in their courses. Instructors could already choose to display a score as Complete/Incomplete, or use a custom "letter grade" scheme (such as pass/fail), but it has been difficult to completely hide points from students. A Pass/Fail grading scheme might be coded as 1 = Pass, 0 = Fail on the backend, which might make the student interpret the assignment as "worth one point." Well now, with "Hide Quantitative Data" enabled, the student will see no numerical values associated with any assignment (or category totals, or final grade). This is a setting that can only be applied to an entire course, not assignment-by-assignment.
Video Demonstration (2 min) from Instructure
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What's New in Canvas? is a semesterly article that highlights the latest features and enhancements in our Canvas learning management system, along with cool, existing features that can enhance your teaching experience. Brought to you by the Education Technology Office (ETO).