MiraCosta Online Ed Pre-Fall Email #1

As our first-ever mostly-online fall semester approaches, I hope everyone is doing well! I have a lot of info and resources to share, and will be sending an email each day this week with a few updates.

Monday news:

  • Combining Canvas courses for those teaching multiple sections of a course
  • Professional Learning opportunity: @ONE’s Humanizing Challenge is Aug 11-13
  • Summer term classes in Canvas become read-only on Aug. 14

It’s Back! Merging Canvas Course Sections!

If you teach multiple sections of the same course, you may know that MiraCosta has not been allowing combination of multiple course sections into one Canvas shell due to FERPA concerns. Faculty, admin, and staff met several times over the last year to not only figure out how to address the FERPA issues, but also to put into place a new SURF dashboard that enables faculty to make this occur without any additional gatekeeping or case-by-case handling of this technically.

Given our mostly-online nature at present, this should enable faculty who are teaching multiple sections of one course to (if they desire) not have to put as much time into managing class content and activities (duplicating/updating the same things across multiple Canvas courses) and rather to focus more time on supporting individual students and enhancing the quality of their course. For faculty who do request a merged course in Canvas, there are some important guidelines you will need to follow to ensure that FERPA compliance is maintained. See our guide to learn more about merged course sections in Canvas, and if you’d like to request this, see the guide to the SURF dashboard for merging course sections.

Looking for Online Teaching Inspiration? @ONE’s Humanizing Challenge is Aug. 11-13

@ONE’s Humanizing Challenge “is designed to equip faculty with knowledge of culturally responsive pedagogy and a toolkit of online teaching practices that will support students who are experiencing trauma as a result of racial injustice, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization.” If you’re looking for fresh ideas on truly connecting with your students online this fall, I encourage you to check out the Humanizing Challenge home page, and decide which sessions will be most useful to you. Sessions start tomorrow (Aug 11) and continue through Aug. 13.

We will be announcing local online teaching workshops for Flex week in the next couple days, but if you’re looking for something ASAP, please take advantage of this CCC professional learning opportunity.

Summer Canvas Classes Become Read-Only After Aug. 14

After Aug. 14, summer Canvas classes go into read-only mode for faculty and students. If you taught this summer and wish to restrict access to any of your course materials for your current students after that date, please review our Canvas end-of-term guide and take action prior to the 14th.

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

Stay Up To Date with Changes Happening within Canvas

Visit the new Upcoming Canvas Changes page within the Canvas Community. This page is updated by Instructure and is the central location for communicating all Canvas’s significant upcoming changes. Canvas recommends you click the Follow button at the top of the document so you will receive all updates as they are made available. You may also want to review the upcoming Canvas Release Notes to find out what is coming soon and when. Check the Canvas System Status Updates for real time updates about existing features within Canvas.

Upcoming Canvas Changes
Canvas Release Notes
Canvas System Status Updates
MiraCosta Canvas Server Uptime Report

Student Support Guide Module from Canvas Commons

The MiraCosta College Student Support Guide Module is available from the Canvas Commons.

This module has relevant student resources and links that would be appropriate to go within the first week course content within a Canvas course.

Go to the Commons in Canvas and search “Student Support Guide” and you will be able to access it. 

Directions

Student Support Guide

Canvas User Profile Names

Faculty

The first and last name displayed in your Canvas profile is stored in the preferred name field within the Workday HR system. Once your preferred name is updated in the Workday HR system it will then update to Peoplesoft / SURF and update to Canvas during the next scheduled data transfer.

To update your first or last name for your Canvas profile:

  1. Log on to Workday
  2. Follow the directions in the handout: Workday – Manage your Preferred Name.

Any questions about Workday should be directed to the Workday Help Desk.  When a ticket is entered there, it is routed to the individual who can assist.

Human Resources can also be contact via email at :  HRCalendar@miracosta.edu. 

Note: If you update your preferred name in the Worday HR system for Canvas it will also update your instructor name on the SURF class schedule.

Please be advised that your permanent HR and payroll record will reflect your legal name unless you legally change your name and notify HR.

Students

The first and last name displayed in your Canvas profile is stored in the preferred name field within the Peoplesoft / SURF registration system. Once your preferred name is updated in Peoplesoft / SURF it will update in Canvas during the next scheduled SURF data transfer.

Please be advised that your permanent record will reflect your legal name unless you legally change your name through the courts and complete MiraCosta College Change of Information form.

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