For staff: new Canvas modules for the autumn semester

It’s beginning to look a lot like Summer, which means the autumn semester is not too far away. See below for a sneak preview of what’s coming up next semester in your Canvas module.

Release dates for autumn semester Canvas modules

The autumn semester modules (2022/3) will be released in the week commencing 13th June. Modules marked ‘complete’ in Single Source of Course (SSOC) will be auto generated from Mon 13th June. After this date modules will auto create in Canvas the day after they are marked ‘complete’ in SSOC.

We have produced a step-by-step guide which will enable you to transition your materials smoothly and build your module for the coming academic year. We have also highlighted some areas that could be problematic and provided guidance on how to move these resources.

Changes to the autumn semester template

  • The Canvas standard template will be changing slightly, mainly to accommodate a new navigation button on the homepage called ‘Classes’. This will link to a page where you can add details of classes and seminars along with any relevant Teams meeting links, and so make it easier for students to find. 

Coming soon! Some upcoming developments for autumn

Microsoft Teams Meeting Integration & Classrooms in Canvas  

We are planning to remove the integration with Microsoft Teams Meetings in Canvas as this was found to have several issues. The Microsoft Teams Classes integration will remain in Canvas and staff can also continue to use the Teams Meetings option in the Canvas Rich Text Editor to set up meetings.  

Microsoft Teams Meeting Recordings – New Save Location 

Microsoft are no longer using Microsoft Stream to store recordings of Teams meetings. From Thursday 7th July, recordings will appear in a dedicated ‘Recordings’ folder in SharePoint and OneDrive from where they can be shared or downloaded in a similar way. Further information can be found in UniDesk Self-Service.

Microsoft Teams Integration with Panopto 

A Teams integration with Panopto is also coming soon, which will mean that Teams meetings’ recordings can appear in the relevant Panopto folders too. 

Poll Everywhere 

We now have an institutional licence for Poll Everywhere. Poll Everywhere is a learner response tool which can be used to collect instant learner feedback. Further information can be found in our Learner Response and Engagement section in UniDesk Self-Service.  

How to Succeed in your Module 

We are currently developing a set of pages called ‘Week 0 – How to Succeed in your Module’ for optional import into your module from Canvas Commons. These resources were first developed and used in FNS last year and we are looking to promote them more widely this year. They comprise of a set of short customisable pages that can be dropped into your module for the benefit of your students. They summarise some key facts relating to your module and study at Stirling (e.g. how to get their timetable, IT setup, intro to plagiarism, intro to employability and skills). More to follow on this.

Support

Support will be available throughout the summer from both Academic Development and the Digital Learning Team. Both teams can be contacted directly or via the Information Centre if you’re not sure who to contact.