Professional Development for grades 9-12 educators. Topic: LMS Canvas best practices for eLearning.

1. Canvas Best
Practices for
eLearning

2. “
You know more than you think!
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Raise your hand if...
You have taken an online course
before.
You have designed an online course
before.

3. Teacher TakeAways
◎ I can add content to a Canvas Module in a logical and
consistent method to promote student wayfinding.
◎ I can create an assignment in Canvas where students
can submit their work digitally.
◎ I can create a Canvas quiz and adjust the settings in
Canvas.
◎ I can create a Canvas discussion and adjust the
settings in Canvas.
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4. Best Practices in eLearning
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◎ Encourage wayfinding by organizing your course in a
consistent manner
◎ Provide clear instructions for navigating and the order
you want tasks completed
○ Even better, create a screencast showing students
how to navigate your course
◎ Post learning outcomes in a prominent area so
students know what they are working towards

5. 1.
Designing Online Content
Pages, URLs, Files, etc.
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6. Adding Content
Content is best added directly
into your Canvas module. You
can add content as a:
◎ Page
◎ File
◎ External URL
◎ External Tool
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7. 2.
Organizing Content
Tips and Tricks
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8. 8
Pro tip: always create things within a module.
For example, don’t go to “Assignments” to create a new
assignment. Create a module first, then click the add
button (+) and choose assignment.
This ensures that anything you create (page,
assignment, discussion, etc.) is categorized
automatically in the module.
Don’t fret! You can easily add things that
already exist to a module by clicking the “+”
within the module. Add all of that valuable stuff
that you’ve already created in there!

9. Using Text Headers to Organize Modules
Content
◎ Documents
◎ Videos
◎ Examples
◎ Study guides
◎ External URLs
◎ Pages of info
◎ Video of short
lecture
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Assessments
◎ Quizzes
◎ Discussions
◎ Tests
◎ Essays
◎ Video uploads
Practice
◎ Practice quizzes
◎ Graphic organizers
◎ Outlines for essays
◎ Diagrams
◎ Practice problems
◎ Discussions
◎ Video uploads

10. Option 1: Organizing Modules Chronologically
◎ Utilize headers to lead
students
chronologically
through the week
○ Objectives
○ Content
○ Activities
○ Content
Check/Assignments
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11. Option 2: Organizing Modules by Chapter or Unit
◎ Utilize headers to lead
students through the
unit or chapter
○ Videos
○ Slides
○ Resources
○ Assignments
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12. Adding Requirements to Modules
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1. Edit Module
2. Add Requirement
3. Select Requirement Type

13. 3.
Assigning Work in Canvas
Assignments, Quizzes, Discussion
Boards
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14. Ways to Make Assignments Work Remotely
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How can you take the classwork they
would normally complete and transform
it into something they can submit
digitally?

15. Discussions as assessment
The Canvas discussion tool is a great
place to start when wanting to dip
your toes into online discussions.
◎ Easy to set up
◎ Familiar tools
◎ Can be quickly graded
◎ Able to filter by student to check
engagement
◎ Ensures students are putting forth
effort
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16. 16
Create Groups in Canvas
Step 1: Click
on “People”
in your menu
Step 2: Click “+Group Set”
Step 3: Create name
and rules for group
set.

17. Create Groups
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Step 4: Click “+Group” in
your new group set
Step 5: Create different group names. You can
leave “Limit groups to” blank and it will
default to Group Set max that you already set

18. Resources to Help Setting Up Groups Tasks in Canvas
◎ How do I add an assignment group in a course?
◎ How do I create a group discussion in a course?
◎ Additional help in creating Groups in Canvas
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19. 4.
Collecting and Assessing
Student Work
Canvas Assignments, Gradebook,
LTIs
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20. Canvas Assignments - Online Submissions
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● Click the drop down menu
and select ‘Online’
● Choose the Options for
submission. Recommended:
○ Website URL
○ File Uploads

21. Canvas Assignments - External Tool (LTI)
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● External Tool allows external
apps to integrate with the
Canvas Gradebook.
Including:
○ Turnitin
○ EdPuzzle
○ Flipgrid
○ Gizmos
○ Pearson MyLab
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22. Canvas Quizzes
◎ Create a Quiz by clicking ‘Quizzes’ then
◎ Select ‘New Quizzes’
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Video Tutorials:
◎ Quiz Settings
(begin at 0:45)
◎ Adding Quiz Questions

23. Automating Accommodations in Canvas Quizzes
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24. Automating Accommodations in Canvas Quizzes
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25. Question banks- the lifesaver of distance learning
What is a question bank?
Kind of what it sounds like--a bank of questions
that you create from which Canvas will randomly
draw to create one-of-a-kind quizzes for each
student.
How do you do it? Head to “Quizzes” in your
menu.
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26. Question banks
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27. Last word of advice...
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