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Canvas is built using web standards and runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, or any other device with an up-to-date web browser. Canvas supports the latest two versions of every browser release and plugin. It is highly recommended that all users update to the newest version of their preferred internet browser and plug-ins.
*Due to some performance and display issues, Safari is not currently recommended, but Canvas engineers are working on a solution.
For more information and links to download the latest internet browsers, please see the Canvas help guide on browser support.
Canvas requires the following browser plug-ins for certain actions:
*Adobe Flash Player is integrated with the Chrome browser and enabled by default
**If you have trouble installing the Java file for screen sharing in Conferences, you may need to update Java to the most recent version.
Depending on your use of Canvas, some files and media may require downloading and viewing with free external software:
Canvas requirements mostly impact your internet browser version and plug-ins. In fact, any operating system capable of supporting the most recent versions of common internet browsers should meet minimum Canvas requirements:
Professors often find that incorporating rich media interactions into their course can increase student engagement. Canvas supports web conferencing, media-rich discussion threads and media assignment submissions. The following hardware is recommended to take advantage of these engaging tools:
ITS does not provide microphones, speakers or webcams with standard desktop systems. Users are responsible typically for obtaining their own hardware if needed, though during COVID-19, ITS may be able to provide webcams and headsets to faculty for teaching. Multimedia hardware is often available in classrooms where there are workstations present.
Note: Canvas is accessible through Chrome and Firefox mobile web browsers (currently, Safari users may have performance and display issues so is not currently recommended). However, Canvas is not officially supported on mobile web browsers and some features may not function as expected. Faculty are encouraged to use the Teacher app on mobile devices.
You can use the Canvas Teacher app to grade assignments with text, audio/video, and rubric feedback for your students, create and manage course discussions, view quiz submissions, create course announcements, and send personal messages to students.
Note: Canvas is accessible through Chrome, Firefox, and other mobile web browsers. However, Canvas is not officially supported on mobile web browsers and some features may not function as expected. Faculty are encouraged to use the Teacher app on mobile devices.
You can use the Canvas Teacher app to grade assignments with text, audio/video, and rubric feedback for your students, create and manage course discussions, view quiz submissions, create course announcements, and send personal messages to students.
Official course shells with student enrollments are automatically created eight to ten weeks in advance of the beginning of each term.
After logging in, click Courses menu in your Canvas navigation menu, and then scroll to the bottom to locate the "All Courses" link. You should find your official course shell under the heading "Unpublished Courses." You may want to customize your course list to give you easier access to one or more of your courses.
If you would like to begin preparing a course in Canvas before the official course shell with student enrollments is available, you can request a Prep Space site that doesn't have student enrollments. All Prep Space course content, activities and settings can be quickly copied into the official course shell where your students are enrolled.
No. Student enrollments are processed automatically based on information from the Registrar's office. Multiple updates each day will keep enrollments up to date based on student adds and drops from the Registrar's office. Should you encounter a delay of more than 24 hours please contact the Canvas Faculty support team at (833)250-2081 or email support@instructure.com.
Officially enrolled students can access a course when a faculty member publishes their course. Faculty can publish their course once enrollments have been processed eight to ten weeks prior to each term.
Once a term ends, courses go into "read only" mode for students unless access is restricted by instructors. To enable incomplete students to submit work after the term has concluded, instructors will need need to override the term dates by going into course settings to extend student access to the course.
Faculty who are assigned to a course and listed in the Registrar’s databases may add fellow faculty, teaching assistants, course designers and librarians to their course using the People tab.
Note: Canvas use is restricted to Seattle University Faculty, Staff and Students. Faculty are responsible for ensuring that all individuals who are added in roles other than “Student” have completed FERPA training. Faculty may not manually add or remove individuals as “Student” into their course, please see the Can I add and remove students from my course? FAQ for more information.
Guide
The photo roster is now provided through InformSU. Refer to the Faculty Guide - Course Photo Roster.
Each course in Canvas has a file storage quota of 500 MB. If you reach this limit, you may get a message stating, “Error: File Size Exceeds Quota.” Occasionally, the error does not appear but you will be unable to upload files. The following guide will help you manage and reduce your storage usage if necessary.
A new policy is being developed by the Office of the Provost to ensure merge requests comply with FERPA.
In the interim, all merge requests should follow the process listed below:
Officially cross-listed courses are merged into one Canvas site automatically based on records from the Office of the Registrar. Please review your course information on SU Online to verify that your course is cross-listed. If there is a crosslisting error in Canvas please contact CDLI.
Note: Merge Canvas course sites before the quarter begins. Student submission data could be lost if merging occurs after students have interacted inside your Canvas course site.
Application integrations are the process of bringing data or functionality from an external application into Canvas. Integrations can be advantageous to expand the core capabilities of Canvas and many applications now have this ability.
However, because Canvas contains FERPA-protected data and integrations can significantly modify how Canvas works, CDLI, the CIO, and the Office of the University Counsel must evaluate and approve integrations.
Many resources from Seattle University's Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons can be incorporated into Canvas, including direct links to full text articles and ebooks, library research (subject) guides and a library course guide customized for your class.
Tip: Liaison Librarians can also be added to a Canvas course to assist faculty and students. Please see the Can I add and remove additional faculty, TA's, designers and librarians to a course? FAQ for more information.
Canvas course titles are based on official records from The Office of the Registrar.
Please review your course information on SU Online to verify that your course title has been input incorrectly through the Registrar. If so, contact your department's administrative assistant to correct this error. Once the change is made, Canvas will automatically update with the correct title within the next business day.
If SU Online shows the correct course title, the Canvas Faculty support team at (833)250-2081 or email support@instructure.com to request assistance with your Canvas course.
Access to Seattle University Systems, including Canvas, is dependent on the Faculty Services/Human Resources on-boarding processes. Due to a number of legal and policy reasons, access to Canvas is not provided until new faculty have completed the on-boarding process. At the request of sponsoring departments, Faculty Services has options for providing new faculty access to SU systems (Canvas, SU email, etc.) up to six weeks in advance of the contracted term. Please contact Faculty Services to discuss options.
In the meantime, new faculty can create an account on Instructure’s Canvas Free-for-Teachers service, and then create a course and build out course materials on that platform. The Free-for-Teachers Canvas site does not have all of the same features as SU Canvas but contains the same core functionality as the SU Canvas environment (but without SU student enrollments).
Course materials developed in Canvas Free-for-Teachers can be exported from that platform and then imported into Seattle University’s Canvas course sites after the SU faculty on-boarding process is complete.
Non-Course Groups in Canvas are intended to support activities related to for-credit academic courses within Canvas that cannot be fit within the constraints of a standard course shell.
Acceptable examples might include creating a non-course site with internship materials and use of assignments to facilitate student submissions, academic program-related orientation or cohort sites, or sites that facilitate cross-course/cross-term student project based work that is part of a for-credit program. Like Canvas courses, Non-Course Groups provide participants the ability to submit assignments, have discussions, review pages and take quizzes.
Canvas Non-Course Group requests will not be approved when there are more appropriate campus technologies available. These include use of Microsoft 365 tools such as Teams, SharePoint and Forms for business working groups, document storage, collaboration and information sharing, Qualtrics for surveys, EngageSU for required training and workforce development activities, and ConnectSU for student club activities.
Non-Course Group sites require manual setup, identification of a designated group administrator(s), and they have an approval process. To request a non-course group review and complete the Canvas Non-Course Group Request Form. Once created, the Non-Course Group administrator(s) are responsible for adding/removing participants.
