Here’s a helpful list of resources and items to consider as you prepare your courses for the Fall Quarter. If at any point you need help with Canvas, send us a message at canvas@northwestern.edu and a member of the Teaching & Learning Technologies (TLT) team will be in touch.
Support Options
Have a quick Canvas question? Ask the Canvas Support Chatbot for answers to common Canvas questions (and ask it to do things like create a prep site or increase the storage limit for your course).
Register for a 15-minute consultation with one of the Teaching & Learning Technologies staff to review your Fall course or ask Canvas and Zoom questions.
If you have more detailed questions or would prefer a longer session, request a 60-minute consultation.
If you need assistance outside of University business hours, Canvas Support through Instructure (the company behind Canvas) is available 24/7 via the live chat located in the Help section of the left-hand navigation bar in Canvas or through the toll-free helpline at 1-833-879-0860.
Course Combines and Custom Course Sites
If you need to request a course combine for a multi-section course or a custom course site, please be sure to make those requests as soon as possible. It takes two to five business days to complete these requests.
CUSTOM COURSE SITE REQUEST FORM
When setting up courses in Canvas, it’s easy to pull content from a previous course you’ve taught into a new one. You can import course content, from a single item, such as a specific quiz or assignment, up to an entire course.
Workshops
Synchronous live training led by a member of Teaching & Learning Technologies on a variety of topics is offered regularly over Zoom. The Intro to Canvas and Intro to Zoom workshops are strongly recommended for new instructors. Click the button below for the list of all upcoming workshops.
REGISTER FOR AN UPCOMING WORKSHOP
Install a Learning App in Your Canvas Course
Wondering what other educational software is available to you in Canvas? A tab for Northwestern Learning Apps can now be found on the left-hand navigation in every Canvas course. It contains a listing of all available options, with descriptions and directions to install. Most of the apps only require one click on the INSTALL NOW button to install in each course.
On-Demand Training Sites
Teaching & Learning Technologies has recently launched on-demand training that matches four of our core live workshops. Our on-demand training will give you access to the information you need to navigate Canvas, Zoom, and Panopto with confidence. Access the training sites via the links below.
GRADING, ASSIGNMENTS, & QUIZZES IN CANVAS
INTRODUCTION TO ZOOM FOR INSTRUCTORS
Collaborative Course Evaluation Service
If you’re interested in discussing how your course learning objectives and assessments connect to and support student learning, try the new Collaborative Course Evaluation Service. The service is for instructors who:
- have mapped out an upcoming course,
- are looking for feedback on an existing course,
- or are just beginning the process of updating an existing class.
An initial consultation will be followed by 1-2 meetings with your TLT Learning Engineer consultant to discuss the pedagogical and technological options surfaced by your proposed updates. The goal is for you to walk away with concrete advice about how to modify your course design and improve your students’ experience.
SIGN-UP FOR THE EVALUATION SERVICE
Selectively Sharing Content in Canvas
Here are a few scenarios you may encounter during the fall and suggested next steps for each:
- Record your class and make it available to student(s) for a limited amount of time who had to miss class for health reasons. Instructions for providing student-specific access to recordings.
- Create an absentee package to grant students access based on their health status. Following each class, place lecture slides, lecture notes, and any handouts in a secured location. Instructions for providing student-specific access to the content.
A Few Additional Things You Can Do Now
- Review recommended syllabus language from the Office of the Registrar.
- Review the guidelines for recording classes from the Office of the Provost.
- Make some easy-to-implement updates to your Canvas courses (the linked article includes an estimated time commitment for each).
- Utilize NU Worldwide to easily see which of your students are in different time zones and NameCoach to make sure you are correctly pronouncing student names.
- Consider how you provide feedback to your students in Canvas and maximize the tools available to you.
- Set up a Manual Posting Policy to control when grades and comments are released to students.
- Bookmark the Canvas Learning Center, Zoom Learning Center, and Keep Teaching pages in your browser of choice to keep helpful resources close at hand.
- Consider your options for final evaluations and the potential of alternative formats.