Issue 1:10 Prepping Your Canvas Class for Fall

This issue is all about getting ready for fall!  We have loved seeing many of you in our trainings over the last few weeks, and look forward to connecting with you more as we move towards fall semester.  We wanted to make sure you knew everything we know about the fall course roll out, so see below for details!

This is a long email, and covers three main points.  Feel free to use these links to jump to the relevant sections:

• Course Roll Out
• Canvas Commons
• Instructional Design Needs

Course Roll Out

This year, our roll out process will be a little different because there is NO automatic roll out from the template.  Leads will be giving their faculty access to the template course in Canvas, and non-leads will need to manually roll out their own course.  Don’t worry, this only takes a few minutes; Ann and Becky have been testing it out, and it’s quite easy.

Please see the attached document for full, step-by-step instructions for leads on how to prepare their template, and for non-leads on how to import course content.  We are also covering this information in our Social Work Online 101 trainings.

Feel free to contact Becky if you need help getting your course rolled out!

Canvas Commons

We have created a module shared to the Canvas Commons with Social Work resources that you might want in your course.  This includes the updated department policies pages for BSSW and MSW, and suggested language for syllabus statements around synchronous learning, different tech tools you might be using, and other useful resources.  You can just copy these items directly into your Canvas shell- it makes it super easy to share resources with the department.

Here’s how you can access these resources:

1. Log into Canvas
2. In the far left (blue colored) menu, you’ll see a symbol that looks like a C with an Arrow- please click on this Commons link.
3. You can search for this department resource, which is called “Social Work MSW BSSW Syllabus Statements”  I also searched for just MSW or BSSW, and it was the first item that popped up for me.  If you’ve found it once, you can click on the star to add it to your favorites so you can easily find it again.
4. From here, you’ll be able to view the resources we’ve put together for you, and can either copy and paste directly from these pages, or you can click the Import/Download button to the right and import specific items directly into your course.
5. While the policies should stay the way they are presented, the syllabus language is just a suggestion for you, and you should feel free to edit and personalize these statements for your own classes.
6. If you are using other tools, or have other preferred syllabus language, please send me an email, and I’ll add it to this shared resource- we love to have examples of how you are using tools, and talking about them in your course!

Instructional Design Needs

As you saw in an email from Jess yesterday, we are developing our processes around who to contact with questions about your course design needs.  Here’s some of what she said:

Thanks to all of you for engaging in Canvas trainings to get your courses set up. CTLD is experiencing an influx of faculty emails and calls from across the university. For the time being, please go to Becky first with non-urgent questions and/or about how to design and set up your new Canvas courses.

Please continue to contact IT ([email protected] or the 24/7 support number 303-352-7548) for your IT needs or urgent course needs after hours and Canvas 24/7 helpline (877-433-5878) and chat line (linked inside your Canvas Course under Help) for all things Canvas.

You will continue to attend all CTLD, Accessibility, and ACT 20 trainings but know that Becky is your first stop on the course design and online teaching train in our Department! 

Best Way to Contact Becky: email for appointment or to ask a question at [email protected] or through Teams.

To address timely needs, go to drop in support hours via Teams*:

• Next week: Ann ([email protected]) is available for drop in on Tuesday 8/4 from 12-2 and Becky ([email protected]) on Friday 8/7 from 2-4
• Becky’s regular drop in Hours Starting August 10^th:
  • Tuesdays at 4pm
  • Thursdays at 1pm
  • Fridays at 9am

*If you’d like to “drop-in”, send a message on the Teams app to initiate the video call.