Canvas New Features and Updates

November 15, 2022 / The Department of Digital Learning / Tags: Canvas, Canvas Updates, Canvas Releases

Canvas is widely used across all modalities and depending on your specific teaching strategies, how you use the features/tools offered in Canvas may vary. Although use may vary, one constant is the frequency of updates to Canvas tools and features.

Digital Learning and ITS meet monthly to discuss the updates, stay informed of the changes, test new features/updates, plan and schedule enabling of new features, etc. In addition to the monthly Canvas Release Notes that are available by Canvas support, a few times a year we identify updates that stand out from others. This article is a summary of the updates from the past several months.

For all Canvas users:

Summer 2022

- Assignment Availability Window Display Update - For assignments with a 24-hour or less availability window, students can view in hours and minutes the total time an assignment is available.
- Override assignment due dates for individual students - Individual student due date overrides take precedence over other due dates and display on assignments.
- Gradebook filtered view is reflected in CSV download - Instructors can download CSV files with selected current Gradebook filters.
- Calendar Event Title Tooltip - Long event titles in the calendar have a Tool Tip that displays the full event title in the monthly view.
- Vector Button in Equation Editor - Instructors and students can include vector arrows with a button when creating an equation in the Equation Editor.
- Syllabus view update - A unique icon displays in the Course Summary to indicate updates made to assignments, discussions, and quizzes.

Fall 2022

- BigBlueButton Conference Update - When using BigBlueButton, users can enable a waiting room in Conferences Settings. Additionally, in Conferences, users can add conferences to the calendar and update or sync attendees.
- Schedule Page Publication - When the Schedule Page Publication feature option is enabled, instructors can delay pages for publication on a specific date and time.
- SpeedGrader: Multi-File Submissions Display as Single Submission for Third-Party Tools – When using third-party tools to upload assignments, multiple files submitted together will display as a single submission in Speedgrader.
- Rich Content Editor: External Link Icon Updated – The icon identifying the use of external links has been updated.
- Rich Content Editor Icon Maker – Instructors can upload and crop custom images and course images in the Rich Content Editor Icon Maker.
- Calendar: Edit Event Start and End Time Drop-Down Menu Update – When editing a calendar event, the start and end time drop-down menus have been updated to include 5-minute intervals.

New Quizzes

For faculty who have chosen to enable Canvas New Quizzes*:

Canvas Release Notes 2022-05-21

- Rich Content Editor made available for Fill in the Blank Question Type to allow formulas and tables to be added to questions.
- New Quizzes submissions requiring manual grading appear on the To Do List of instructors Dashboard and a Course Home Page.

Canvas Deploy Notes (2022-09-28)

- In Speedgrader, syncing grade changes from a New Quiz have improved.

* For information about New Quizzes visit the New Quizzes FAQ. Starting Fall 2023 New Quizzes will be the only option for new assessments. Starting Summer 2024 existing Classic Quizzes assessments will be permanently replaced with New Quizzes. Visit Instructure’s Transition Timeline to learn more.

If you have any questions, want to know more about these Canvas tools and features or discuss specifically about preparing and transitioning to New Quizzes, please get in touch with the Instructional Technologist team at elearning@fgcu.edu.

Happy Canvasing!

The Digital Learning Team