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Engaging Students and Building Community Through Announcements

Posted: May 9, 2025 | Last Modified: May 9, 2025

With the bulk of the course content prepared before the term begins, announcements are your best opportunity to personally coach students, to motivate them through the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Online Teaching, Tools & Technology Tagged With: Announcements, Canvas, Instructor, Instructor Presence, Social Presence

Saving Announcements as a Page in Canvas

Posted: May 22, 2023 | Last Modified: January 25, 2024

As a policy, iDocs instructional designers do not copy announcements when we copy your courses from term to term. We've found that this often leads to confusion for the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Online Teaching, Tools & Technology Tagged With: Announcements, Canvas, Instructor, Instructor Presence, Multimedia, Social Presence

Creating Videos as Static Course Content

Posted: July 5, 2022 | Last Modified: January 25, 2024

Videos are important components of online courses. One of the most common comments on course evaluations is that students appreciate videos—and want even more. One way … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Course Design Tagged With: Accessibility, Canvas, Instructor, Multimedia

New to Canvas? Need a Refresher? View our Canvas Crash Course Videos

Posted: May 11, 2021 | Last Modified: October 31, 2024

The following videos have been created for UW MBA Consortium students who are either new to the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS), who need a refresher, or who are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Tools & Technology Tagged With: Canvas, Fundamentals, Student

Quick Tip: Receive Notification When Someone Posts in a Discussion

Posted: March 4, 2021 | Last Modified: January 25, 2024

Receiving notifications when someone posts in a discussion is a two-step process, and you have some options. Step 1: Subscribe to the Discussion  First, tell Canvas … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Online Teaching, Tools & Technology Tagged With: Canvas, Discussion, Instructor, Instructor Presence, Notifications, Student

Adding Answer Comments in Canvas Quizzes

Posted: March 2, 2021 | Last Modified: March 7, 2024

Adding Comments in Canvas Quizzes As you create questions in a Canvas quiz, you’ll notice three colored boxes at the very bottom of each question. The box on the left is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Online Teaching, Tools & Technology Tagged With: Academic Integrity, Assessment, Canvas, Feedback, Grades, Instructor, Quick Tips, Quizzes

Reusing Old Announcements

Posted: December 21, 2020 | Last Modified: January 25, 2024

One great way to build social presence is through announcements. An original announcement (one created in the course and not copied over from a previous course) has the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Online Teaching, Tools & Technology Tagged With: Announcements, Canvas, Instructor, Instructor Presence, Social Presence

Providing Flexibility for Students, Especially During Disruptive Times

Posted: November 25, 2020 | Last Modified: January 25, 2024

Many students take online courses because they have obligations — work, family, health, military service — that impact their ability to attend courses on-campus. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Course Design, Online Teaching, Tools & Technology Tagged With: Accessibility, Assessment, Canvas, EDI, Extra Credit, Instructor

Add a Subject Line to Discussion Posts in Canvas

Posted: October 8, 2020 | Last Modified: January 25, 2024

Subject lines in discussion posts help students scan the posts and find the ones that most interest them. Although Canvas doesn't have a built-in way to do this, it's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Tools & Technology Tagged With: Canvas, Discussion, Student

Caption and Share Zoom Recordings

Posted: October 1, 2020 | Last Modified: January 25, 2024

When hosting optional class meetings, it's helpful to share the recordings with students who were unable to attend. Zoom offer the ability to include live transcripts in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Tools & Technology Tagged With: Accessibility, Canvas, Instructor, Instructor Presence, Kaltura, Multimedia, Social Presence

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About This Blog

Through the partnerships we form with our instructors, we develop engaging and interactive online courses. Here you’ll find ideas on course design informed by the latest research and teaching strategies that build community and instructor presence. We’ll also we share our experiences with technology, with Canvas, and with administering our online educational programs.

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