Canvas Tips

Go to your login screen:

http://lms.pls3rdlearning.com/login - PLS 3rd Learning PD Center and Graduate Courses

http://prodlms.exdev.pdesas.org/login - PDE SAS PDCenter

Use your registration email and password to access your course content. You may wish to bookmark this page.

Canvas is flexible enough to let you choose how and for what events you'd like to be notified. When things happen in your courses you can choose to be emailed or texted to your cell immediately, daily, or weekly. You can check/revise your notification preferences at any time. Access Notification Preferences by choosing Settings at the top right of the screen, then Notifications from the left menu.

Upon logging in, the User Dashboard will display Recent Activity, To Do, Coming Up, and Recent Feedback lists. The Global Navigation and Help Bar are accessible from the User Dashboard, allowing you to access your courses and other Canvas features. You can return to the User Dashboard at any time by clicking the logo at the top left of the screen.

The Global Navigation menu at the top of the screen provides access to each of your Courses, Assignments, Grades, and the Calendar.

Hover over Courses in the Global Navigation menu to see your customized My Courses list. Choose the course you wish to access by clicking on its name. You can click on “View All Courses” at the bottom of your customized list if you do not see the course you for which are looking. Depending on the version of Canvas you are using, clicking on the Global Navigation item “Courses” will show a list of My Courses, Past Enrollments, and Future Enrollments.

When you click Assignments using the Global Navigation (top bar), a page with Upcoming and Undated Assignments for all of your courses displays. Instructors may also see assignments To Grade. Using the list labeled “Show Only Assignments from” in the Sidebar (right side), you can filter to Assignments within the course you are currently viewing. From within a course, you can use the Course Navigation (left side), to get to Assignments within the course you are currently viewing. Selecting a link from either list takes you directly to that Assignment link within the course workflow.

Depending on the version of Canvas you are using, there may be drop down items listed when you hover over the Global Navigation Assignments link. You can select individual items and go directly to that Assignment within the course workflow.

All Assignments within your course are graded either in points or as incomplete/complete. They may include reflective writing, product/presentation creation, or discussion participation, to name a few. “Activities” and Assignments are synonymous. Assignments will be graded by your instructor. If you do not meet the minimum score required to pass the assignment according to the customized rubric, your instructor will contact you with further instructions on resubmission. By navigating in a linear fashion using the Previous and Next buttons found at the bottom of the content page, where available, you can ensure that you do not miss any Assignments or activities. All Assignments must be successfully completed to earn credit for the course.

**Note: Not all courses will include this option for participants in the Course Navigation menu.

When you click Grades using the Global Navigation (top bar), you will see a list of “Courses I'm Taking” and “Courses I'm Teaching.” By clicking on one of the courses listed, you can enter the Grading tool for that course.
From there, you can view your participant list (and filter by section), all graded assignments (including Assignment Details and SpeedGrader), Add Comments, Message Students, Set Default Grade, and more. An Assignment percentage and Total percentage (which can be switched to points from the dropdown in the Total column) are also visible to the instructor. Using the gear icon at the upper left, the instructor can View Grading History, Download Scores (.csv), and more.

Grades can be added within the assignment or in the gradebook. By clicking into a cell in the gradebook, instructors can add or modify a score. If the assignment is complete/incomplete or pass/fail, a checkmark/X can be added to the gradebook by double clicking in the appropriate cell. Comments can be added by clicking on the upper right corner of a cell . The SpeedGrader tool can also be accessed by clicking on the upper right corner of a cell. By choosing “More details in SpeedGrader” from the dialog box, you can view the assignment, the customized rubric, and additional details for grading the assignment.

You can also access Grades from the Course Navigation menu within a course.

When you click Grades using the Global Navigation (top bar), you will see a list of “Courses I'm Taking.” By clicking on one of the courses listed, you can enter the Grades tool for that course.

From there you can see all completed assignments and corresponding grades, as well as any assignments you still need to complete.

You can also access Grades from the Course Navigation menu within a course.

Choose Calendar from the Global Navigation (top bar) to see the current week or month of My Calendar, showing each Assignment that has been assigned a due date within your courses.

By selecting a date on the calendar, a pop-up window with the options to Create a New Event, Change the Date of an Event/Assignment, or Delete an Event/Assignment. (Please refrain from using Delete an Event/Assignment if you teach anything other than the Framework for Leadership courses. All Assignments are carefully planned, aligned to outcomes, and correlated to course points.) If you need to add/change the date of an assignment, go to the individual assignment to make changes and they will transfer automatically onto the Calendar.

You can filter your Calendars using the colored Events bar below the month/day calendar that is displayed in the Sidebar at the right of the screen.

Choose Calendar from the Global Navigation (top bar) to see the current week or month of My Calendar, showing each Assignment that has been assigned a due date within your courses. Personal items can be added to each participant account by selecting a date on the calendar and completing the short pop-up form. Be sure to identify which calendar to place the new event on by using the Calendar drop down menu.

You can filter your Calendars using the colored Events bar below the month/day calendar that is displayed in the Sidebar at the right of the screen.

The Help Corner (upper right) allows you to view your Profile, access your Inbox, change your Settings, Logout of the LMS, and access additional Help options.

The Inbox located in the Help Corner is available for communication with instructors and participants inside the Canvas LMS. You may view by course, filter by item type, and/or Compose a new message (with attachments, if needed).

Settings, located in the Help Corner, provides the opportunity to personalize your display settings for your Profile, Notifications, and more. It is best practice to complete your profile by supplying full name and contact information, adding a picture or avatar, and submitting a forwarding email address to stay connected with instructors and participants. These efforts will help to ensure that course communication is straightforward and seamless.

A variety of web tools may be utilized within the coursework. Your instructor will let you know if you will need to have specific accounts with outside services to complete your course. By registering for services like Skype, Google Docs, Delicious, or Diigo, participants can set up unique notification preferences and collaborate with other participants both in and out of the Canvas LMS.

In the Help Corner, you will find Logout. It is best practice to logout of all online applications when you are finished or at least at the end of the night to maintain the integrity and security of your online work and profiles.

In the Help Corner, you will find Help. Various resources and additional links are available from the help link. If you cannot find what you need, or have additional questions, please contact your instructor.

Notification Preferences can be set for a variety of items within Course Activities, Discussions, Conversations, Scheduling, Groups, and Alerts. These notifications will be delivered to the email address that you added in the right side bar in Settings. Options for notification include:

Notify me right away

Send daily summary

Send weekly summary

Do not send me anything

Your preference for each item can be set individually to assist in the timely delivery of changes, additions, grading, and other updates.

Access Notification Preferences by choosing Settings at the top right of the screen, then Notifications from the left menu.

Please refer to the “Navigation Quick Tips” heading to view information on the Inbox.

The Announcements tool allows instructors to advise participants of current activities, events, and items of interest. For example, you may use it to post notices about meeting times and locations and to advise participants of important changes in deadlines. You may also attach web page URLs, text documents, photos, and other items to your announcements. In addition, you may choose to delay posting an announcement, require users to post before seeing replies, and enable podcast feed (including Replies) for an announcement.

Participants should check Announcements regularly.

**Note: Not all courses will include this option for participants in the Course Navigation menu.

The Course Navigation menu is located on the left-hand side of your screen and may display a variety of items available within your course. They may include:

This menu is course-specific and may vary for those taking multiple courses.

The Home, or Front Page, is where you enter each course. It may include a course description, learning outcomes, menus, or instructions specific to your course. Using the Modules navigation in the Course Navigation menu at the left of the screen, or navigation provide within the course in the Content Area in the center of the screen, you can begin moving beyond this page into the content and assignments of your course.

**Note: For some courses Next/Previous buttons may appear at the bottom of the Content Area within your coursework.

Please refer to the “Communication Tools” heading to view information on Announcements.

Please refer to the “Navigation Quick Tips” heading to view information on assignments.

Discussions can be accessed by clicking Discussions in the Course Navigation menu at the left of the screen. Not every Discussion will be graded, but if it is, it will show up both in Discussions and Assignments, if they are available within your Course Navigation menu. By navigating in a linear fashion using the Previous and Next buttons found at the bottom of the content page in some courses, you can ensure that you do not miss any Discussions or assigned activities within your coursework.

**Note: Not all courses will include this option for participants in the Course Navigation menu.

Please refer to the “Navigation Quick Tips” heading to view information on grades for instructors.

Please refer to the “Navigation Quick Tips” heading to view information on grades for participants.

Customized rubrics have been created for all coursework and are attached to each assignment.

See a list of currently enrolled participants and instructors using People in the Course Navigation menu. View their profile by selecting their name or course image.

**Note: Not all courses will include this option for participants in the Course Navigation menu.

The Syllabus tab in the Course Navigation menu may include a descriptive syllabus and/or Course Details with Calendar due dates.

**Note: Not all courses will include this option for participants in the Course Navigation menu.

The Quizzes tab in the Course Navigation menu will display all quizzes/surveys/polls that you have within a specific course. Quizzes may also show up under Assignments.

**Note: Not all courses will include this option for participants in the Course Navigation menu.

The Files item in the Course Navigation menu will display all individual and shared files that you have within a specific course. Not all courses will have Files availability/access.

If yours does, you may have the ability to add files and folders to your courses and/or groups. Courses with access have up to 50 MB of storage per courses. You may add files and folders as needed. Additionally, importing and exporting zipped files may be available.

**Note: Not all courses will include this option for participants in the Course Navigation menu.

All current collaborations will be listed in the Collaboration tab in your Course Navigation. Instructors or participants can set up group collaborations using free online web tools like Google Docs. Be sure to register the service in your Settings. These tools offer an excellent place for participants to work on group projects or papers, take shared notes, etc. The most current collaboration will be at the top of the list.

**Note: Not all courses will include this option for participants in the Course Navigation menu.

Instructors may start a Conference from the Course Navigation menu. Conferences can be long-running or set to automatically close after a certain duration of time. All or selected participants may be invited to attend. BigBlueButton (BBB) is the service that is used for this online synchronous meeting space. A shared whiteboard with tools, audio and video feed, and chat features are included.

While BBB archives audio recording and shared whiteboard activity, it does not currently save the text Chat you have entered. If you need a copy of this Chat, highlight and copy/paste into a document/email as instructed by your instructor.

**Note: Not all courses will include this option for participants in the Course Navigation menu..

Each time you enter a course, you will land on the Home/Front page. From here you can navigate through the course in a variety of ways. Using the Content Navigation (at the top of the Content area), you can select the section to which you want to start/continue. Using the Previous/Next buttons if they appear at the bottom of the content area will provide linear navigation (suggested) through the coursework. Additionally, if your course Navigation (left side) allows, you can use the Modules option for navigation to specific pages or activities within the coursework.

All course content will be displayed in the center (largest) area in the LMS. Here, you will find everything from a course description and learning outcomes to content videos, ebooks, support, and other resources. You will also find all activities and assignments placed inline with content to ensure that you are properly prepared to complete/participate in these.

Creating an ePortfolio may be part of your course. Your instructor will notify you if this is a requirement for your course and will provide more information when applicable. ePortfolios are mandatory in AAIE courses.

Select Settings from the Help Corner (top right) and select Profile. Update your profile’s image/avatar, Ways to contact you, Bio, and personal external Links (to professional blogs, wikis, websites, etc.). All participants and instructors for your course(s) will be able to see this information. Use your Profile information to facilitate connections with classmates and instructors.

Please refer to the “Communication Tools” heading to view information on notifications.

Please visit this link to view the technical requirements: https://plsclasses.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

A variety of web tools may be utilized within the coursework. Your instructor will let you know if you will need to have specific accounts with outside services to complete your course. By registering for services like Skype, Google Docs, Delicious, or Diigo, participants can set up unique notification preferences and collaborate with other participants both in and out of the Canvas LMS.

Mobile access to your courses is available through your mobile browser ONLY. Your courses WILL NOT be accessible through the Canvas App available on your device’s App Store or Marketplace.

If you are accessing your coursework via the mobile browser on a tablet and there is an interactive activity, it may not be compatible with all mobile devices. If not, you can view it online through your laptop or desktop computer. In some cases you may be able to view it on your mobile device through the Articulate Mobile Player App available in the App Store. If so, this will be noted.