In this Canvas release (August 17), the Conferences interface (BigBlueButton) supports breakout rooms and closed captioning. Additionally, Conferences is WCAG 2.0 AA Accessible, with some exceptions. In Discussions, the option for students to add file attachments is enabled by default. And in Global Navigation, LTI tools with user navigation placement display in the User Navigation Account Menu.
Feature Options
- For institutions using course card images, the Flickr image search has been replaced by Unsplash.
External Tools (LTI)
- For institutions using Commons, admins can display or hide featured content.
- For institutions using New Quizzes, the Build page supports previewing New Quizzes assessments. Additionally, the Item Banks page supports sharing item banks with other users.
This is an abridged version of the full release notes and references the full article found in the Canvas Community site.
Here’s a screencast with a summary of the release:
Updated Features
Commons
Featured Content Management
This feature is used in conjunction with an external tool (LTI) in Canvas. Please view the content below for additional details. For more information about LTI tools, please see the Canvas Release Notes FAQ.
Summary
Admins can display or hide featured content in Commons.
Change Benefit
This feature allows admins to manage how featured content displays in Commons.
Affected User Roles & Behaviors
Administrators
Admins can manage featured content visibility in the Account Settings page in Commons. Featured content is enabled by default. When enabled, featured content displays at the top of Commons search results. When disabled, feature content will still display in search results, but will not be featured at the top of the Search page.
Course Settings
Unsplash Course Card Image Search
This feature is used in conjunction with an existing feature option in Canvas. Please view the content below for additional details. For more information about feature options, please see the Canvas Release Notes FAQ.
Summary
The Flickr image search has been replaced by Unsplash.
Change Benefit
This change replaces Flickr with Unsplash, which offers high-quality, safe images for use as course card images.
Affected User Roles & Behaviors
Instructors
When an instructor uses images for course cards, Unsplash image search replaces the existing Flickr search functionality. The Flickr logo has been removed from the interface. Existing images imported from Flickr will not be affected.
Discussions
File Attachment Default
In Discussions, the option for students to add file attachments is enabled by default in new courses.
Change Benefit
This behavior aligns consistency with other Canvas features that allow attachments by default and resolves the common expectation by instructors that students can attach files to discussion posts.
Affected User Roles
Instructors
When instructors view the Discussions Settings in new courses, the option to Attach Files to Discussions is selected by default. If preferred, instructors can disable the option for students to add attachments in Course Settings or the Discussions Settings menu.
Global Navigation
Account Menu LTI Navigation Links
Summary
LTI tools with user navigation placement display in the User Navigation Account Menu.
Change Benefit
This behavior helps users access these LTI tools more quickly without having to open the User Settings page.
Affected User Roles
All Users
Any user with an account that included LTI tool navigation links in their User Settings page will also view the links in their User Navigation Account Menu.
New Quizzes
Quizzes.Next will be known as New Quizzes. Updates to documentation, Community resources, and the Canvas user interface will take place over the next few months.
This change aligns New Quizzes with the terminology used to name other features in Canvas and will create a more seamless transition when New Quizzes eventually replaces the classic Canvas Quizzes feature.
These features are used in conjunction with an external tool (LTI) in Canvas. Please view the content below for additional details. For more information about LTI tools, please see the Canvas Release Notes FAQ.
Assessment Preview
Summary
The Build page supports previewing New Quizzes assessments in the student’s perspective.
Change Benefit
This change allows instructors to view and test assessment questions and settings by viewing an assessment the way students see it.
Affected User Roles & Behaviors
Instructors
Instructors can preview a New Quizzes assessment from the Build page by clicking the Preview button.
The preview displays most settings, including calculators, timer, question shuffling, and one question at a time. Assessment Preview does not support displaying student access codes and IP address filtering.
Instructors can also submit an assessment and view their results in the preview. The preview results page supports any restricted student result view settings.
When viewing an assessment in Preview mode, the assessment displays a colored Preview border. To exit Assessment Preview, click the Close icon.
Item Bank Sharing
Summary
The Item Banks page supports sharing item banks with other users.
Change Benefit
This change allows a user to gain access to another user’s item bank and use those items in their assessments.
Affected User Roles & Behaviors
Instructors
Instructors can open an item’s sharing window by clicking the Share link from the Item Banks page.
From the Sharing window, instructors can share the item bank with a user, view all users who have access to the bank, and remove access to the bank. Sharing an item bank gives users full access to the item bank, including adding items to the bank, sharing or removing users from the bank, and deleting the bank.
Admins, teachers, and TAs can share item banks with any other admin, teacher, or TA in their main Canvas account.