Tag Archives: Help options

Increasing Your Options

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Grow your study options by accessing course materials in different ways.

Here are four ways you can get access to materials and videos in Canvas to help you study:

1. Turn on the underline function in your Account Settings – so you don’t miss any linked files or external website links. Go to the bottom of the Settings page to Feature Options and ‘Underline links’ to click on ‘Enable.’ Then the links in all your courses will show up better by being underlined.

2. If captions aren’t turned on with Panopto videos in a course, you can ask your instructor or TA to turn on the captions that are automatically created for the videos. (Live captions in Zoom are also available to be turned on by your prof before a Zoom session.) Captions can help everybody in the course to catch the important details of what is said in Zoom or in a Panopto lecture video.

3. The Immersive Reader function in Canvas can read aloud embedded content on pages, assignments, the Home Page and the Syllabus page to you, translate it to another language and read it out, enlarge and/or change spacing or colours of font and background. See our previous post for more info about this option.

4. You can view your course material offline (pages, assignments, discussion topics, or quizzes) by downloading content and viewing it through an e-reader on your device – or by printing it. You might want a hard copy to cut down your screen time, make notes/highlight pages, or get around a unreliable internet connection.

To do this, your professor needs to turn on the ePub exporting feature with a couple of clicks (instructions for them here) and then you can generate and download the ePub file by following this instructions: How do I view course content offline as an ePub file?

Thank you to Julie Mayer from the Distance Education Unit for these tips about a downloaded ePub course.

More study tips:

 

We acknowledge that the University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. We pay our respect to the First Nations and Métis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another.

For more support options with Canvas, see the USask Student Canvas page.

 

 

 

Immersive Reader: Have your materials read to you!

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Are there times when you’d like an alternative to reading your course materials on Canvas?

“tired eye” by wolfgangfoto is marked with CC BY-ND 2.0.

 

The Immersive Reader in Canvas can help you access your course materials by reading the text aloud to you.

The Reader might be helpful if you:

  • would use text decoding for a Learning Disability
  • have a medical disability
  • use English as an additional language
  • could benefit from the text to speech function to
    • reduce screen fatigue
    • allow for flexibility of movement
    • take in information by listening

The Immersive Reader button, at the top right-hand of Pages, Assignments, the Course Home Page and Syllabus page, provides a ton of functions to assist readers.

 

When you click on the Immersive Reader button, you’ll see your options on the right side of the screen. For example, to hear the page text read aloud, click the Play button [1]. To adjust audio settings, click the Voice Settings button [2].

What can the Immersive Reader do?

  • Read and show text, in one of over 100+ languages, with adjustable speed and voice, all set by you
  • Allow enlarging of text size and spacing, changes to font and background colour and highlight lines for greater focus
  • Identify parts of speech and show syllables
  • Focus in line-by-line on the text

Providing your instructor has embedded their materials in Canvas, these functions can help you to access the details and concepts you need and allow you to choose how to access the materials. This video highlights Microsoft’s current Immersive Reader functions in Canvas.

 

Need a quiet place to study?

 The USask Study rooms & seats are open for bookings in advance here: https://libcal.usask.ca/reserve/murray

For more support options with Canvas, see the USask Student Canvas page.

We acknowledge that the University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6, traditional Nehiyaw territory, and the Homeland of the Métis. We pay our respect to the First Nations and Métis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another. 

 

 

Planning your Term with Canvas: Getting Started

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An icy view, somewhere in Saskatoon. Photo by Marina Moreland, CC by 2.0

Brette D. W. Kristoff, Graduate Student – Communications Specialist, GMCTL, January 20th, 2021

Here are some ways to stay on track from the beginning of term.

Using your Canvas Calendar

View your Canvas Calendar from your Global Navigation menu:

  • Each calendar view will list your upcoming due dates and assignments (as soon as your instructor updates or adds content to the course schedule). 
  • View the calendar in Week, Month, or Agenda format by using the selection menu in the navigation bar. Add Calendar items as they come up throughout the term.

  • Ensure all calendars for all your classes are selected – meaning the coloured box is showing next to each class title, so all due dates/events show in your Calendar
  • Take some time to view your calendar and make note of upcoming To-Do’s and assignments. Stay on top and on track by making regular check-ins with your Canvas Calendar.

Ways to Contact Your Instructor in Canvas

There are two main ways to contact your instructor in Canvas:

1. Send a message through your Inbox

  • Your Canvas Inbox is a messaging tool (instead of email) used to communicate within a specific course, to an individual student or instructor, or to a group of students. 
  • Open your Canvas Inbox from your Global Navigation Menu. 
  • Select the drop down menu to choose your course and instructor you wish to message. 
  • Filter your messages by Inbox, Unread, Starred, Sent, Archived, or view Submission Comments. 
  • Your Canvas Inbox allows for simple and private space for conversations with your instructors and peers. Remember to always start any online communication with a formal greeting and goodbye; use proper spelling and grammar; and remember to clearly state your objective/question. 

2. Use the Help option to Ask Your Instructor a Question. 

  • Locate your Help tab at the bottom of your Global Navigation Menu and select the appropriate course and instructor.
  • Check out the other Help resources linked in the Help menu.

Other Student Resources

  • As a USask student you have access to free online Student Learning Services  including academic writing resources, math & stats helps, and other tutoring services.
  • For more support options with Canvas, see the USask Student Canvas page.

We acknowledge that the University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. We pay our respect to the First Nations and Métis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another. 

Getting Help with Canvas

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Photo by Jessica Lewis from Pexels

Brette D. W. Kristoff, Graduate Student – Communications Specialist, GMCTL, 

November 16, 2020

Find out how to access USask IT Support and helpful Canvas resources below! 

Canvas Help Options

From your Global Navigation Menu, open the Help tab.

Here you’ll find a whole list of helpful resources for Canvas:

    • Browse the Canvas Guides for instructional videos on common Canvas questions. Access the Canvas Student Guides for detailed answers to your questions.
    • Use the Ask Your Instructor a Question feature if you have a specific question related to your course syllabus, assignments, or grades. Select the course in the drop down menu to message your instructor directly through Canvas. Easy!
      • Tip! Asking your instructors should be the last step after you review the course Syllabus and Discussion boards, where many FAQs may already be addressed. 
      • Remember to always include a formal greeting/goodbye!  

USask Help with Canvas

  • For help to access your courses’ Panopto videos, try these instructions. If you still have Panopto issues, contact itsupport@usask.ca. Panopto is a separate video platform from Canvas and so the best option is USask support. For questions about WebEx or MEETS, itsupport@usask.ca is also your best option.
  • For answers to common questions, see Canvas Student FAQs written by IT Support Services.
  • The USask Students Canvas page has answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions.

We acknowledge that the University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. We pay our respect to the First Nations and Métis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another.

For more detail about Canvas, see the USask Student Canvas page.