Validate your course links in Canvas

It is important to verify that all links are working throughout a course. The course link validator tool can help make this task easy for faculty designing and teaching courses.

The course link validator tool searches through course content and returns invalid or unresponsive external links in both published and unpublished content.

The link validator also includes deleted links. Deleted links are links that are still in the course, but their linked content has been deleted (such as a course files or pages).

Note: Some links flagged as unresponsive are inaccessible by Canvas servers and will still work for students.

From within a Canvas Course

Open Settings

Canvas Settings

Select Validate Links in Content

Validate Links in Content

For additional directions refer to the Canvas guide: How do I validate links in a course?

What are the different assignment submission types in Canvas?

As the instructor, you can decide what kinds of submissions are acceptable. You may allow students to:

  • No Submission: Assignments can be created that have No Submission. These work well for in-class presentations, daily participation points, or other optional activities used for extra credit. This is the only way to create an “ad-hoc” column in the gradebook.
  • Online Submission: Assignments can be created that have Online Submissions. Students can submit work in the form of file or image uploads, URLs, text entry, GoogleDocs, or audio or video recordings or uploads. You may allow one, several or all of these options for student assignment submissions.
  • Upload a File: For example, this would be used to submit a Microsoft Word file. Instructors can also limit the file types (i.e. .docx or .doc) that will be accepted for submission. If these file types limitations are set for an assignment, students will only be able to submit the allowed file types.
  • Submit a Text Entry: This assignment must be typed directly into the LMS, no file attachments can be submitted. It is strongly recommended that you type the assignment in Microsoft Word first and save it to your computer. For example, this would be used to submit text for a Journal Assignment entry.
  • Enter a Website URL: For example, this would be used when students are required to upload a video to YouTube and submit a link to it for the instructor to review.
  • Submit Media for an Assignment: For example, this option would be used when students are required to record a short video of themselves.
  • Submit a Google Doc for an Assignment: This assignment must be submitted as a Google Doc. For example, this option would be used when students are required to collaborate on a paper using the Collaboration tool and Google Docs.
  • On Paper: Assignments can also be delivered to the instructor On Paper. On Paper Assignments are usually evaluated by hand and grades are manually entered in the Gradebook.

Other Options:

  • Group Assignment: You can assign work to a Group Set for an assignment.
  • Peer Reviews: You can require students to review each other’s work.

More information on assignments and step-by-step instructions can be found in the Canvas Guides for Instructors by Instructure.

Message to Summer and Fall DE Instructors

Hello – as an instructor of a summer and/or fall online/hybrid class at MiraCosta, the following information and action items are especially for you.

1. Update Online Class Schedule

It’s time to update the MiraCosta Online Course Schedule. It is VERY important that you complete this. Students use this information during registration and after enrolling to find out more about your class(es). Students have been learning about this resource during the Student Orientation to Online Learning and appreciate having more details about online and hybrid classes.

Providing clear, detailed information helps students (a) determine if your class is right for them, and (b) get ready for success in your course. For fully online classes, students may be anxious about how they are expected to get started. For hybrid classes, students want to know what the expectations are for in-person meetings and/or proctoring. Please add this information! Some instructors include details such as how much time students should expect to commit, what days work will be due for online classes, and/or what course materials are required.

Directions to update your class details on the schedule:

  1. Go to the Online Course Schedule
  2. Click the Faculty Login link at the top right, and log in with your MCC username and password
    3. In the left menu, click on the + symbol to the left of Faculty Preferences (if the + symbol is displaying)
    4. In the left menu, click on Set Preferences (be patient, may take a few moments)
    5. Select the Term if necessary, and then select your class.
    6. If you have information from previous classes, you may copy it to the current class, or provide new information.
    7. Click the Set/Update Preferences button at bottom. A message appears toward the top, “Your preferences have been set for this course.”
    8. You may close the window, or choose a new class to update.

2. Incorporate Online Student Services, and consider tutoring options

Please make your students aware in your syllabus and online environment of online tutoring, online writing center, and the 24×7 online ask-a-librarian service (at upper right). These services are open to all MiraCosta students in any class! Also, the OEI has made its set of student online learning readiness modules open and available to anyone – feel free to link to any that you like.

A new online tutoring option for MiraCosta distance education classes is NetTutor, which is available to MiraCosta as a CCC Online Education Initiative pilot college. NetTutor provides 24×7 coverage of just about any academic subject, and is available via a link embedded within your class course management system environment (Blackboard or Moodle). The link would take students directly to the subject-specific tutoring area with no additional login required. Also with NetTutor, each instructor may specify “Rules of Engagement” that inform tutors about the approach and resources you would like them to use when working with your students. Contact me if you’re interested in NetTutor for your summer or fall class(es).

3. Refer your students to the Student Orientation to Online Learning

Over 1200 MiraCosta students have attended one of these sessions over the last two years. I will offer two online learning orientation sessions this summer and ten in the fall. Please share the schedule with your online/hybrid students and encourage their attendance. You can use SURF to find out which of your students have attended. When you scroll to the bottom of the Class Roster page, and click the “Student Orientation to Online Learning Roster” link, a PDF should open in a new browser tab or window with a roster showing which students attended an orientation, and on what date.

4. Consider the new MiraCosta Online Class Quality Guidelines

In March, the Academic Senate approved online class quality guidelines developed by the MiraCosta Online Educators committee. The document has two parts – (I) Essential elements for all distance education classes as already required in department and college policies and practices, and (II) Good practices featuring principles and examples commonly recommended for consideration in online education. Please take a look at these guidelines and put them to use!

 

Accessible Narrated Streaming PowerPoint Presentations

Microsoft PowerPoint is a common teaching tool that many instructors use to present course materials. In order to use these presentations within an online course, instructors must make them accessible for students with disabilities. Narrating your PowerPoints and streaming them online with captions is an optimal way to make your presentations more engaging for your online students as well as compliant with Section 508 / WAI standards.

The following three videos will walk you through the process from start to finish.

Step 1:  Narrate your PowerPoint presentation and Save as a .mpeg4 movie file

This video will walk you through  narrating your PowerPoint presentation with your voice and saving the file as a .mpeg4 movie file.

Step 2:  Upload the PowerPoint .mpeg4 video file to 3C Media Solutions

This video will walk you through uploading your .mpeg 4 movie file to 3C Media Solutions.

3C Media Solutions is a free streaming video server funded by a grant from the California Chancellor’s office.

Step 3: Request Captioning and add the Presentation to your Canvas course

This video will walk you through requesting captioning for your video free of charge. This service is made possible by the DECT Grant funded by the California Community Colleges Chancellors Office. This video will also walk you through how to add your streaming video presentation to your Canvas LMS course.

MiraCosta transitioning to Canvas

Hello!

As you have likely heard, MiraCosta College will be transitioning to the Canvas course management system over the next two years. This decision was finalized on Friday by the College Council, concluding an in-depth and inclusive process this spring. The attached 6-page document summarizes the evaluation process and provides an overview of the transition timeline and support over the next two years

Some important highlights:

  • Blackboard and Moodle will continue to be available through spring 2018; only Canvas will be supported for MiraCosta classes starting in summer 2018.
  • MiraCosta’s Canvas system will be available to all faculty starting this November.
  • For fall semester instruction, we have a limited license for Canvas, allowing for 400 total users (faculty and students), meaning that we likely can have 10-15 instructors using Canvas for one class each in fall 2016.
  • Faculty who wish to try out Canvas prior to November but who are not part of the fall pilot group may access Canvas for free via https://www.canvaslms.com/try-canvas.
  • See the MiraCosta TIC site with many links for Canvas training and support.
    I am planning to soon send out a call for interest in being one of the 10-15 fall pilot faculty using Canvas for one class. The intent is that this group would be involved over several semesters, and thus this opportunity is open only to full-time faculty. The expectations and support of these faculty are to be negotiated by the district and Faculty Assembly, but if you would like to let me know of your interest in this opportunity, please feel free to let me know. Once the structure has been determined for the pilot group, I will send a message to all full-time faculty.

It is worth noting that over 70 other California Community Colleges have also made the decision to transition to Canvas, including several of our SDICCCA neighbors.

Finally, my thanks to the faculty, staff, students and administrators who participated on the CMS evaluation task force. They accomplished excellent work in a very tight timeframe, and MiraCosta should be confident in the quality of the decision-making process.

Jim Julius, Ed.D.
Faculty Director, Online Education
Vice President, Academic Senate

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