Tip 1: Google within your Canvas course
Do your students often ask questions, while the answers are already available in your Canvas course? They might simply struggle to locate the information. Canvas Smart Search has been added as a menu option in every Canvas course. Think of it as Google but specifically for Canvas. Students can type in their query, and Smart Search will find relevant results within your course. For instance, they can search for information about assignments, deadlines, grade weights, or homework tasks. Powered by AI, Smart Search interprets queries for better accuracy. It searches Pages, Announcements, Discussions, and Assignments but excludes Files, external tools (e.g., FeedbackFruits, Panopto), and linked websites. Encourage students to use this feature for quick answers.
Tip: Be mindful that Smart Search indexes all published content. Only publish what is necessary for students.
Tip 2: update similar information all at once
Have you copied a Canvas course from a previous year? Or are you using someone else’s Canvas course? It’s likely that the course contains information that only applied to last year’s subject. For example, you might want to change the date or update the instructor’s name. With the Find and Replace tool, you can update all this information at once. For instance, input that all instances of 2023 should be replaced with 2024. This saves you a lot of searching and editing. The Find and Replace function can be found in Edit mode under the Tools tab or by using Ctrl+F.
Tip 3: send messages to specific student groups
Do you want to send a message to all students who have not submitted an assignment? Or to those who need to retake an exam? Or to students in a specific workgroup? You don’t need to manually identify these students and email them individually. In Canvas, you can select these groups all at once and send a message using the Message Students Who function. Go to Grades and click the three vertical dots next to the relevant assignment. Here, you can immediately send a message to all students who haven’t submitted their assignment yet, students who scored below or above a certain grade, students who haven’t received a grade yet, or students who need to retake the assignment. These messages are sent to the students’ Canvas Inbox and, unless they have disabled this feature, also to their email.
It’s also possible to send a message to students in a specific section or group. This can be done via the Canvas Inbox, which can be found in the blue menu on the far left. Select the address book at the top of your screen, where you can choose specific groups of people to message. These messages will also appear in the students’ Canvas Inbox and, if not disabled, in their email as well.
Tip 4: provide feedback on assignments faster
Does it also take you a lot of time to give feedback on students' assignments? Speed up this process by saving the feedback you give in the Comment Library. When grading the next student, you can select this feedback and reuse it. This way, you don’t have to rewrite frequently given feedback every time. Go to the SpeedGrader and select the blue speech bubble in the upper-right corner where you type your comments to the student. Here, you can save and reuse given feedback.
But it can be even faster. Do you speak faster than you type? The SpeedGrader also has a Speech to Text function. Click the speaker button below the text box and give your feedback by speaking. Canvas will write down what you say. Your voice is not shared with the student, only the content. This can also be saved in the Comment Library.
Do you want to give even clearer feedback? You can also make a screen recording. Point with your mouse to the part of the assignment you’re giving feedback on and talk about it. This recording is shared in its entirety with the student. To do this, select the camera button below the text box in SpeedGrader.
Tip 5: share videos in Canvas with Panopto Video
Would you like to share videos with your students in Canvas? Previously, you used Kaltura for this, also known as My Media in Canvas, but Kaltura is no longer supported at the VU. Additionally, uploading videos directly in Canvas itself is very limited. Currently it’s best to use Panopto Video to share videos in your Canvas courses. Panopto is the new video platform of VU and is integrated into Canvas. Panopto Video is accessible as a menu option within your Canvas course. You can also add a Panopto video to a Page via the green Panopto play button in Edit mode. With Panopto, you can record videos, edit them, save existing videos, and securely share them within the VU with colleagues or students.