Canvas Updates Copy

 In the Assignment Details page, the Show Rubric and View Feedback links indicate when new comments have been added as an annotation or in a rubric.  This new feature now allows students to see when an instructor has added comments to a submission. 

The word count for assignment text submissions is displayed in SpeedGrader. Teachers will now be able to see the word count in the assignment submission box. Note:  Currently this is only for text entry assignment submissions and does not apply to any other submission type, such as graded discussions. At this time students do not have a word count display; it is only on the teacher's side. 

The Account, Course, and User Navigation Menus remain "sticky" to allow people to access the menus at anytime when scrolling.  Video Overview Links to an external site.

Allows graders to change the submission status for a student’s assignment directly in SpeedGrader.  Video Overview. Links to an external site.

Allows assignments to be searched in addition to student names.  Video Overview. Links to an external site.

The User Notifications page displays all notification options for a user’s entire account. However, if a user has any active course enrollments, the menu displays the name of each course. Users can navigate between their courses and set specific notification options for each course, if preferred.

Any updated notifications also sync to the course-level Notifications page.

The Microsoft Immersive Reader button can be enabled in User Settings, if not already enabled. Additionally, the Reader is now supported in Assignments, the Course Home Page, and the Syllabus.  Video Overview. Links to an external site.

This feature is now on by default and shows content creators when accessibility concerns are detected without needing to open the Accessibility Checker. 

The “Excused” status displays in the Grades Field field in SpeedGrader when added in the Gradebook for a students assignment.  This is a change that provides consistency when viewing Excused in the Gradebook and SpeedGrader.  When Excused is added, the grade displays as an “EX”, with the field greyed out. 

Microsoft Immersive Reader has been changed from an Account Feature Preview, which must be enabled by admins, to an accessibility feature that individual users can enable in their User Settings.  This will allow teachers at the course to enable the Immersive Reader functionality.  FYI: Microsoft Immersive Reader enhances the reading experience within Canvas by improving accessibility and boosting reading comprehension. When enabled, Microsoft Immersive Reader displays a reader button in course pages.  Screencast. Links to an external site.

Within a module, New Quizzes includes a link to the quiz Build page.  This is a more efficient workflow to building quizzes bypassing the assignment details page. (Less clicks!)

This improvement allows users to make more meaningful decisions as they import, organize and edit outcomes in their account and courses.  The Improved Outcomes Management feature replaces current outcome listings in accounts and courses with a better creation, navigation, search and import experiences. For full details about this feature, please see the Canvas Feature Preview: Improved Outcomes Management document Links to an external site..

It is the end of life for SMS/Text Notifications for Announcements and Grading on July 31st, 2021.  However, Canvas Apps will not be affected.

The Quiz build page includes options to print the quiz with and without answers.  Teachers will be able to print quizzes.  This is great for accommodations and offline accessibility.  

Overview Video Links to an external site.

Supports grading periods in the Dashboard.
Supports a Course Nickname.
Hide the View All Pages button.
Improve course banner uploads.
Set assignment important dates from calendar.
The Canvas for Elementary team is listening and making adjustments to this new interface. Keep updated by subscribing to the Canvas for Elementary User Group Links to an external site.. 

The Rich Content Editor indicates when accessibility concerns are detected in the Accessibility Checker. This will be a visual cue that invites content creators to improve the accessibility of their content. This indicator helps users know about issues without having to open the Accessibility Checker.

The Upload Media window allows the name of the file to be changed before the file is added to the Rich Content Editor.

This change allows a file name to be updated without having to remove the file, rename the file, and upload the file again. The name of the file generates the alt text used by screen readers.

The Reassign Assignment button is supported in Student Annotation submissions.

Discussion topics display an updated design with small usability enhancements.

These changes ensure page responsiveness and prepare the interface for feature functionality improvements. Note this feature must be enabled in the Canvas through the Course Setting feature option. For full details about the Discussions Redesign feature, please see the Canvas Release: Discussions Redesign Links to an external site. document.

For institutions using New Quizzes, item banks can be shared with the entire account as well as one or more courses. Additionally, item banks can be shared as view-only.

This change allows item bank editors to increase collaboration and disseminate quiz content in either a view-only or edit permission state.

Comments can be added and saved for reuse within SpeedGrader.

This change allows graders to save frequently used comments in SpeedGrader and be reused across multiple students and assignments.

The submission choice drop-down box has been replaced with icons for students to select the submission type they would like to use. 

This change simplifies the submission process for students and is more visually appealing.  For some students icons are more identifiable than text, making submitting more accessible.

The Discussions toolbar (that includes: search bar, mark as unread, subscribe button, etc.) now remains at the top of the page as users scroll down the window. 

This is all about better accessibility.  Now screen readers will better be able to read discussion board posts.

Instructors can now use an annotated assignment type (one of the Online submission types) to upload a file for students to annotate on and submit to Canvas. Students will use the DocViewer annotation tools (think Speedgrader for instructors) to complete the Assignment. Peer Reviews are available for this submission type, but not anonymous peer reviews. Instructors can also select the Usage Rights of the file they have attached to the Annotation Assignment, including who the copyright holder is. 

• Usage Rights include: I hold the copyright; I have obtained permission to use this file; The material is in the public domain; The material is subject to an exception - e.g. fair use, the right to quote, or others under applicable copyright laws; or The material is licensed under Creative Commons

This is a great addition for instructors who may be used to using a 3rd party tool to annotate on PDFs or other file types. Communication to instructors, students, and any observers will be important to do with this release as it should be a popular submission option for teaching/learning. Be mindful that this submission type is not currently supported on mobile devices (or the Canvas mobile app) but instructors can use the File Upload submission type in conjunction with the Annotation Assignment so that students can annotate using the mobile app File Upload features. 

The feature is to release (again). Save = draft version of New Quizzes; Build = launches question builder in New Quizzes

The link to the Assignment Rubric is now below the Assignment Details area and above the Submission Type Choice area, making it easier for students to locate the Rubric on the enhanced assignments interface.

When students begin a submission attempt, a Cancel Attempt button appears so that the student can back out of their Assignment submission.