Close Out Fall Quarter and Prepare for Winter

Here’s a helpful list of resources and items to consider as you prepare your courses for the winter 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.

Complete Fall Quarter

Submit Grades to CAESAR by 3 P.M. CT on Monday, December 13

The Teaching & Learning Technologies team has created a quick guide to help you navigate the Canvas gradebook. In addition, Canvas Support also has helpful guides on adding and editing grades as well as how to access SpeedGrader from the Gradebook.

Instead of manually entering each grade individually in CAESAR, you also have the option to enable GradeSync in your course which will automatically send your final grades to CAESAR with the push of a button. It can be used more than once throughout the grading period, allowing you to submit grades in batches or to adjust as you go. CAESAR will always reflect the most recent GradeSync submission.

HOW TO USE GRADESYNC

Update Box Links on Course Sites

As part of preparations for the Box migration, Northwestern IT is asking instructors to review their Canvas course sites for hyperlinks connecting to Box content. This proactive step is intended to prevent broken links once Box content is migrated.   

For details on updating URLs, please view the “Updating Box Links on Canvas Course Sites” article in the Canvas Learning Center. If you have questions about updating Box links, please contact your local IT support staff or the IT Service Desk at BOX-Migration@northwestern.edu or 847-491-4357 (1-HELP). 

Delete or Move Old Zoom Recordings

If you recorded lectures in Zoom during the quarter in which students are not present, it is recommended that you move the recordings to Panopto, Northwestern IT’s lecture capture and video content management service, to avoid automatic deletion over the summer. Directions for this can be accessed below.

• Which recordings should you save? Any asynchronous lectures recorded and shared through Zoom (including in Canvas courses).
• Which recordings should be deleted? Synchronous class sessions or recordings where students are present. These recordings should be deleted from Zoom at the conclusion of every term in accordance with guidelines from the Office of the Provost.

In addition, if you are copying a previous course into your new Canvas course, calendar links to previous Zoom meetings will appear on your Syllabus page once the course is published. The directions below will show you how to delete these past Zoom events from your current Syllabus page.

MOVE ZOOM RECORDINGS TO PANOPTO

REMOVE OLD ZOOM MEETINGS FROM IMPORTED COURSE CONTENT

Prepare for Winter Quarter

Set Up Your Canvas Courses

Now that course sites for Winter 2022 are available in Canvas, put in your requests for multi-section course combines or custom course sites as soon as possible.

COURSE COMBINE REQUEST FORM

CUSTOM COURSE SITE REQUEST FORM

When setting up your new course site, it’s easy to pull content from previous courses you’ve taught. You can import course content, from a single item, such as a specific quiz or assignment, up to an entire course’s content. If you find you need extra space for your files, you can also ask the Canvas Support Chatbot to increase the storage limit for your course.

A few additional things you can do now include:

• Review recommended syllabus language from the Office of the Registrar.
• 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.

Install a Learning App in Your Canvas Course

Wondering what other educational software is available for you to use in Canvas? A tab for Northwestern Learning Apps can now be found within 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

Review the On-Demand Training Sites

Teaching & Learning Technologies provides on-demand training sites that match four of our core live workshops. Access the training sites via the links below for the information you need to navigate Canvas, Zoom, and Panopto with confidence:

INTRODUCTION TO CANVAS

PANOPTO

GRADING, ASSIGNMENTS, & QUIZZES IN CANVAS

INTRODUCTION TO ZOOM FOR INSTRUCTORS

Check if Your Assigned Classroom is Setup for Lecture Capture

The General Purpose Classroom Directory page on the Office of the Registrar website is a helpful resource that can quickly tell you whether the room is enabled for lecture capture or if the equipment is needed to be brought in to enable it. Use the drop-down menus to find the room and look for “Lecture Capture” in the Features column.

Not seeing “Lecture Capture” listed as a feature of your room?

You can work with the Registrar or your department administrator to request that your class be moved to a room equipped for lecture capture if you plan to record regularly. If you will record occasionally, ask that a mobile Zoom cart be brought to your classroom.

Assigned to a lecture capture-enabled room and know in advance you want to make a recording?

Need help with Canvas? Send us a message at canvas@northwestern.edu and a member of the Teaching & Learning Technologies team will be in touch. 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.