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Canvas Update - Summer 2024

Here’s what’s new for Summer 2024

(Additional updates will be added throughout the quarter. Newest updates at the top.)

SpeedGrader Comment Updates

Starting 9/11/24, when grading a submission in SpeedGrader, there will be certain RCE features will be available for SpeedGrader comments, including Heading, Bold, Italic, Underline, Font color, Insert Hyperlink, and Bullets.
Also, instructors will be able to edit SpeedGrader comment drafts without first publishing the draft and then editing.

Sections Added to Course Tray

In addition to the recent addition of adding SIS ID beneath the course name in the Courses tray, starting 8/14, courses with sections will also be displayed in the Courses tray. Unlike the SIS ID update, this feature will apply to instructors and students.

Discussions: Line Separation Between Posts

Starting 8/14, discussions will have lines separating each reply to help distinguish between each reply. This includes threaded replies.

Discussions: Disallow Threaded Replies

Starting 8/14, instructors can Disallow threaded replies for discussion threads. All replies will be at the same level and threaded replies will not be possible. If there are already threaded replies, instructors will not be able to select this option.

Files: Availability Times

Starting 8/14, when scheduling availability dates for course files and folders, instructors can now also set availability times. Students will not see the file names until the date/time has arrived, but students can see folder names with a calendar icon before the date/time has arrived. However, students will not be able to access the folder until the date/time.

Delete Assignment Calendar Event Modal

When instructors delete an assignment event from the Canvas Calendar, the Confirm Deletion modal text is updated. “Deleting this event will also delete the associated assignment.” was added to make it more clear that the assignment is also deleted. 

+Syllabus Button on Instructor Dashboards

Instructors, TAs, and Course Admins will see a +Syllabus button on their course cards when going to their Canvas dashboard. The button will only appear for official courses with an SIS ID AND when no content has been added to the Syllabus tool. Once a course is published, the button is removed.

Discussion Summaries

Instructors can use the Summarize button in Discussions to get a summary of the main points, questions, and ideas in a discussion thread. Instructors can also enter a question in the text field to get an AI summary response.

Discussions Create and Edit Page Update

A discussion’s Create and Edit pages will have an updated user interface. Functionality will not change but will have a new look and feel starting July 20. 

Multi-Tool Assign To

9/29/24 UPDATE: The Assign To functionality has partially been rolled back. When creating or editing an assginment, discussion, quiz, or page, the assign to dates will appear immediately on the page, without clicking a link to open up a tray. 

Starting July 20, Discussions, Assignments, Quizzes, Pages, and Modules will allow instructors to assign content and entire modules to specific students and sections. There will be an Assign To button when viewing a discussion, assignment, quiz, or page. There will also be a Manage Assign To link in the edit mode of those same tools. When clicked on, a tray will open to the right side of the page, allowing for student and section awareness.

Assign To button:

Manage Assign To link with tray: 

Note that if a student is assigned to an entire module, but only specific items within that module, the student can only view the items they are assigned. Be sure to save your changes in the right-hand tray prior to closing out the tray, or your edits will not be saved. 

Discussions Redesign: Sorting Change

Starting  July 17, Discussion Redesign replies will be ordered and sorted based solely on the original posting date/time. Currently, replies with Discussions Redesign will reorder based on the latest reply or threaded reply. After July 17, the sorting order will no longer be reordered based on threaded reply timestamps, as was introduced when the feature was first announced. This upcoming behavior change will match the behavior of Classic Discussions. 

Discussions Redesign: Mark as Read link

Instructure is releasing a one-click Mark as Read/Mark as Unread link for discussion replies on July 17. This change is to address ongoing feedback around the loss of functionality for one-click mark as read that was possible in Classic Discussions.

People: List Sections in Alphabetical Order

Starting July 17, when viewing the People page in Canvas, students who are enrolled in multiple sections will have sections displayed in alphabetical order.

SpeedGrader Comment Drafts

A red Draft pill will display next to a comment drafted in SpeedGrader that has not yet been posted. Instructors must click on the Submit button next to the comment before students can view the assignment comment. 

Announcements: Notifications for Changed Content

Starting July 20, when editing an announcement that has already been posted, instructors can choose whether to re-notify students of the announcement or to save it and not force a new notification to go out to students. The Modal with these options will not appear if a future available date is set for the announcement.

Announcements: Availability Dates

Instructors can set Available From and Until dates and times for announcements. Once the Until date/time has arrived, the announcement will no longer be available on the main Announcements page.

Note: There is a current bug where the announcement will still appear on a student's To-Do list, Recent Activity, and they can access the announcement if they have a link. The Stanford Canvas team has reported the bug to Instructure (the company that owns and operates Canvas, and they are working to solve the bug)

Announcements: Mark all as Read

A new Mark all as read button is available in the Announcements tool. When marking all announcements as read, a confirmation will appear at the top of the page, confirming that all announcements have been marked as read.

Course Settings: Fixed Footer

When going to the Canvas course Settings page, there is now a fixed footer. This eliminates the need to scroll down to update course details after making a change.

Sort Course List

Users can now sort courses based on the desired column from their All Courses list. A Favorite header is added to the first column.

SIS ID Added to Courses Tray

The course SIS ID is added to the Canvas Global navigation Courses tray for admins and teaching team members. Students will only see the term associated with a course, no SIS ID.

Gradescope LTI 1.3 Upgrade

The Stanford Canvas team is planning to upgrade the Canvas Gradescope integration to the latest standard (LTI 1.3) on September 3, 2024. For those using Gradescrope, there will be an improved workflow with the assignment creation process starting in Canvas. Gradescope will appear directly within Canvas, rather than opening in a new tab, making for a more seamless experience. See the Gradescope Integration Upgrade post for the most important information needed to prepare for this upgrade.

Easy Course Import

On June 20, 2024, the Stanford Canvas Team released the custom Easy Course Import feature. This feature is similar to the native Canvas Import Course Content feature, but a simplified process with only two steps and focused on selecting specific content. This feature will prevent instructors from accidentally importing unwanted content and being intentional with which pieces of content to import. Review our Getting Started with Easy Course Import guide for steps on how to use it in your course.  

Discussions Redesign Upgrade

On June 19, 2024, the Canvas Discussions and Announcements Redesign was enabled in all Stanford Canvas courses. Instructors and students will now experience a new look and feel when viewing discussion threads and announcements. The redesign will also add new functionality to discussions. More information can be found on the Discussions/Assignments Redesign help guide.

Zoom LTI 1.3 Upgrade

The Canvas Zoom integration was upgraded to Zoom LTI 1.3 on June 19, 2024. With the upgrade, it is now possible to auto-import course rosters into breakout rooms. For more information about Zoom in Canvas, check out the Create Zoom meetings in Canvas guide and the Using Zoom in Canvas guide.

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