MiraCosta Course Design Tool Updates

Dear MiraCosta faculty,

As you create and update spring classes in Canvas, there are some important updates that happened in the last month which you should be aware of!

  1. We’ve added DesignPLUS to Canvas. This is a powerful tool to make it way easier to design your classes with visual style and consistency. DesignPLUS gives you editing tools that used to require diving into HTML, as well as templating tools to make it easy to create a visual identity and structure that you can repeat across your course elements. Check out our TIC page on DesignPLUS to learn more. We also have FLEX workshops (via Zoom) on DesignPLUS on Monday and Tuesday (both days 11-12).
  2. Turnitin users: the Turnitin 1.1 Canvas integration is no longer available. We already had Turnitin 1.3 integration available and most of our Turnitin users were already using either that (if you like using Turnitin’s grading/feedback tools) or the Turnitin Plagiarism Framework (which uses Turnitin for similarity checking but Canvas grading and feedback tools). If you were still using the Turnitin 1.1 tools, you will need to update your courses. For more info, see our Turnitin overview as well as our Turnitin 1.3 and Turnitin Canvas Plagiarism framework guides.
  3. PlayPosit users (or anyone interested in a tool to create engaging assessments and interactions embedded in video): PlayPosit has been renamed WeVideo and now includes the ability for instructors to directly record instructional videos rather than having to import videos created elsewhere. Existing PlayPosit videos and activities should continue to work seamlessly in Canvas. We are still learning more about this upgrade and will soon have more updated information on our PlayPosit/WeVideo TIC page. If you’d like to learn more about this powerful tool for instructional video and interaction, you can register for a one hour TechConnect webinar: 1/20 at 11:30 am or 1/27 at 11:30 am.
  4. Canvas tutorial links were updated. This is the second time Canvas has done this in the last several years. If you include Canvas tutorial links in your courses to help your students (a great practice!) and those links predated the last time Canvas did this, they may no longer work. Using the Canvas link checker tool (see below) can help you catch this.

Also keep in mind these tools as you build, reuse, update, and polish courses:

  • Adjust-All enables bulk updates of course due dates, announcement timing, etc.
  • TidyUP helps strip out unneeded, outdated files and content from Canvas courses.
  • the Canvas link checker is always an important tool to use when copying forward old courses for reuse – it will quickly help you identify links which are no longer working
  • the PopeTech Dashboard is a great way to make sure your course content is fully accessible – and remember that this is an absolute requirement for all Canvas classes based on federal regulations that take effect this spring.

I’ll send out more general reminders with my comprehensive start-of-term email soon, but wanted to get this to folks who may benefit from this info now.

Jim Julius, Ed.D.
Faculty Coordinator, Online Education

WeVideo (formerly PlayPosit) in Canvas

WeVideo Flex Workshop Recordings & Updates

WeVideo (formerly PlayPosit) is an interactive video learning tool that is fully integrated with MiraCosta College’s Canvas. WeVideo allows instructors to create activities using videos from Canvas Studio, 3C Media, YouTube, Vimeo, or other video sources. WeVideo now includes access for instructors to the WeVideo’s Multimedia tool to create instructional videos, podcasts or set up assignments for learners to demonstrate learning through media.

Create an Assignment in Canvas with WeVideo interactivity?

  1. In your Canvas course, click on Assignments
  2. Then + Assignment
1. Assignment, then 2. + Assignment

3. Enter the information for the assignment, change the submission type to External Tool, and click Find.

External Tool, then click Find button

4. Select the WeVideo (formerly PlayPosit) Interactivity tool from the list.

Click WeVideo (formerly PlayPosit)

5. Click the Set Link button on the gray screen.

Set Content Link page - Click Set Link

6. Click on the Canvas icon in front of the desired interactive video or playlist and click Link to assign it.

  • If you do not have an interactive video in your account yet, please follow the steps in this article to create your first interactive video.
WeVideo page - Click the Canvas Icon

7. Select the learner experience to be Self Paced or Live Broadcast, then click Set Link.

Click the Set Link button

8. Click Select to complete the process.

Click the Select button

Adjust the grading and due date for the assignment in Canvas. Please note that if you would like to have the grades synced, the points for the assignment in Canvas must be greater than 0.

After the content is linked, you will see the following window when launching the assignment as an instructor. There will be three options:

  • Unlink: unlink the content from this assignment so you can assign it to another assignment in this class if needed. Once the content is unlinked, the learners’ grades will be archived and not visible from the monitor page. They will need to complete the activity again in the new assignment to gain their grades.
  • Preview: Preview the content that is linked to this assignment.
  • Monitor: Open the monitor page for this assignment for you to review and adjust learners’ grades. Please see the next section for more information.
Manage Link page within WeVideo

Monitor Learners’ Grades from Canvas

Click the Monitor button on the gray window to launch the monitor page.

Click the Monitor button

On the monitor page, you can see learners’ names, responses to each question, and their grades.

The monitor page within WeVideo

If you need to update learners’ grades or provide points to manually graded questions, click the response and assign points to it.

Points page within WeVideo

After grading, please ensure that you click the Sync Grades button at the top to sync the most updated grades to the Canvas grade book.

Sync All Grades button within WeVideo

For additional information refer to the WeVideo – ‘How do I assign Interactivity content to Canvas?’ guide

New RCE

WeVideo Support and Help

WeVideo has support services for your questions or problems.

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