Updated as of November 4, 2024.
Canvas Updates:
Discussion Redesign
The Discussion tool in Canvas has been redesigned. Some of the highlights are:
- the default order of replies being reversed (newest at top)
- new sorting options
- role labels (identifying posts by the Teacher, TA, or the discussion’s author)
- highlighting of the searched text
- anonymous ungraded discussions
- Discussion Summary: Instructors can choose to opt-in to use this feature. It is especially useful for large-enrollment courses. Instructors can quickly generate a summary of students’ posts to stay informed of student conversations. They can also customize the search results. These summaries are only visible to the instructors.
If you have not explored this feature yet, please see the How do I use Discussions Redesign guide.
Speedgrader
- SpeedGrader: Sorting Options
In SpeedGrader Settings, instructors can randomize the order of students within submission status. This update helps prevent grading fatigue and biases when assessing students by sorting randomly. Additionally, it provides grading efficiency by randomly sorting within submission status. - SpeedGrader: Draft Comments
In SpeedGrader, after drafting a comment and moving on to grade another student, Draft now displays before a comment, indicating it has not been submitted. A Submit button is also available after the comment to finalize the comment submission.
Student View
To view a course as a student, instructors previously clicked the Student View button at the top right of a course. This button has been updated to read View as Student and retains the same functionality.
Using and Sharing Quiz Item Banks
Updates to the New Quiz Item Banks allow you to share your question bank with other users and courses. See How do I share an item bank in New Quizzes? for details.
New Canvas Integrations for External Assignment Tools
Creating and linking your assignments to external tools in Canvas now requires different steps. Any previously created assignments for the following external tools must be re-created using the new integration.
RCE Find and Replace
In the Rich Content Editor (available in Pages, Discussions, Announcements, etc.), Find and Replace functionality has been added. To use this feature, from the RCE, select Tools -> Find and Replace or use the keys CTRL/CMD+F. For more details, please see the Canvas guide.
Inbox: Auto-replies and Signatures
The Canvas Inbox tool has been updated to include features common to other email platforms: auto-replies and signatures. To learn more about setting auto-replies in the Inbox, see Add Auto Response to Messages. To learn more about using signatures in the Inbox, see Add Signature to Messages.
More Updates
- Assignable Modules and Pages
The ability to assign Pages and Modules to specific students or sections in a course has been added. To assign a page to a specific section or student, see the Manage Assignment Settings section on the How do I create a new page in a course guide.
To assign a module to specific students/sections, see the Canvas guide. - Rubrics Redesign
The Rubrics interface in Canvas has been updated to provide a better user experience. Noticeable differences include a searchbar for quickly finding rubrics, rubric sorting options, an Options menu to easily edit, duplicate, archive, or delete rubrics, listings of where a rubric is used in a course
To view a course as a student, instructors previously clicked the Student View button at the top right of a course. This button has been updated to read View as Student and retains the same functionality.
Gradescope Updates:
New Canvas Integration features:
There is a new workflow for creating a Gradescope assignment.
Re-sync rosters in Gradescope (go to gradescope.com with your Cornell NetID login) to connect properly to your Canvas Gradebook.
Turnitin Updates:
Turnitin Assignment Workflow:
There is a new method for creating a Turnitin assignment for those wanting to grade and mark up submitted papers – use the link from the ellipses (three dots ….) in the upper-right corner of the Assignments page.
NOTE: Plagiarism Review with Turnitin is still available on the Canvas Assignment configuration page.
Turnitin DraftCoach
Turnitin’s DraftCoach is an online guide using Turnitin’s similarity, citation, and grammar-checking tools while you are writing. Check it out at: https://guides.turnitin.com/hc/en-us/articles/21993823262989-Adding-Draft-Coach-to-a-Google-Doc
FeedbackFruits Updates:
A plagiarism check option is available when setting up submission details for a FeedbackFruits assignment.
Media Accessibility enhancements: Both teachers and students are now able to request an accessible alternative file from any multimedia file submitted or attached by both teachers and students within Submissions, Comments, Review comments, and Instructions.
Panopto Updates:
Minor Updates:
Panopto has several minor updates, with one notable update being the ability to download a transcript of a Panopto recording. See the Panopto Quarterly Release Notes for more details and the full list of updates.
Kaltura Updates:
Kaltura, one of the video streaming services integrated with Canvas, will be upgrading to a new Kaltura Player (Player V7). More information can be found at: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/what-are-the-differences-between-the-players. If you have any questions, please reach out to canvas@cornell.edu.
