Audience

This article is intended for faculty

Platform

Canvas LMS

Most Frequently Asked Questions about Canvas Settings and Configurations

This article provides answers to some of the most common questions about specific settings applied to Canvas at Ithaca College. Canvas has been configured specifically for Ithaca College. If you have used Canvas at another institution some settings or tools, and the look, may be different than your previous experiences. For more information and resources on Canvas at Ithaca College visit the course sites available. *Note that you must log in with your Ithaca College Netpass ID and credentials. 

• Canvas Resources @ IC (for faculty)
• Canvas Student Resources @ IC (for students)
• Canvas Summer Institute Course Design (for faculty)

If you have a question that is not listed below, please visit the LMS Project website, review the LMS Project FAQs, or reach out to the LMS Implementation Team through the LMS Campus Inquiry form.

Topics in this FAQ:

• What are the course file size limits?
• How do I request a 3rd party software tool?
• How often is the student roster updated in Canvas?
• How do I combine sections so I can teach from only one course/section?
• How do I split a course that was combined/cross-listed?
• How can I add an IC user to my course?
• How can I add a Guest to my course?
• I used to be able to make my own academic course sites in Sakai. How can I request a new course site in Canvas?
• I would like to make a project site in Canvas, how do I create a new Canvas course for projects?
• How do I change the course name that is listed on the card in the Canvas Dashboard and the list of Courses?
• How do I update my name in Canvas?
• What access do students have to my course after it concludes?
• How do I hide a past course from students?
• How do I change the start and end dates of my course?

What are the file limits and course size limits for Canvas? 

Canvas courses are set at a maximum of 2 GB for course files and 500 MB for media including any uploads to Canvas Studio. If a user needs to share larger files we recommend using one of the approved Ithaca College tools including: 

• Kaltura Media Gallery for all audio and video files (Most common are .mov, .mp4, .mp3). For more information on using Kaltura Media Gallery, visit the the Kaltura category.
• Microsoft Office 365 One Drive for storing and internally sharing all file types
• Leganto Course Readings for links and files, including PDFs. For more information on using Leganto Course Readings in Canvas visit the Canvas Resources @ IC: Course Readings in Canvas page.

How can I request a 3rd party software tool to be added to Canvas? 

At this time the team is working to ensure all of our standard configurations and IC-supported 3rd party tools are ready to go. Once we have those set, we will be able to work on additional requests. Before you submit a request, please check to see if the application is listed as a Canvas supported/approved application on their EduAppCenter page: https://www.eduappcenter.com/. If it is not listed, we may ask you to collect information from the vendor before we are able to review the request.

How often is the student roster updated in Canvas? 

If you see a difference between rosters in Homer/Banner and Canvas, or a student has recently added/dropped the course, The feed from Homer/Banner to Canvas is updated every 24-hours at midnight, with the exception of the week before and during the Add/Drop period. During these two weeks, the feed from Homer/Banner to Canvas is updated every 3-hours. 

How do I combine sections so I can teach from one course/section in Canvas? 

Canvas calls this cross-listing. This can only be done by the Ithaca College LMS Administrator or by a Canvas Support team member. We do not recommend cross-listing sections after a course has been published because student data including grades, assignments, and assessments can be lost during the process. For more information on cross-listing read this article in the IT Knowledge Base https://help.ithaca.edu/TDClient/34/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=1138 

How do I split sections after they were combined/cross-listed? 

Canvas calls this de-cross-listing. This can only be done by the Ithaca College LMS Administrator or by a Canvas Support team member. We do not recommend de-cross-listing sections after a course has been published because student data including grades, assignments, and assessments can be lost during the process. For more information on cross-listing read this article in the IT Knowledge Base https://help.ithaca.edu/TDClient/34/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=1138 

How do I add an IC user to my course? What role permissions can I assign them?

Any Ithaca College faculty, staff, or students with an IC Netpass can be added to a course in Canvas. They can also be assigned a specific role, such as TA, non-grading TA, Instructor, Guest Instructor, or a Student. See the Canvas Community Instructor Guide for directions on how to add users to a course. 

Faculty who wish to add another IC faculty member may want to assign them the Teacher Role (with editing access) or the Guest Instructor (non-editing access).  A Teaching Assistant (TA) and Non-grading TA have all of the same permissions except that a Non-grading TA cannot grade assignments, use Speedgrader, and see the full Gradebook. 

How do I add a Guest to my course?

Only individuals with an Ithaca College email (netpass ID) can be added to a course in Canvas. Students identified as non-credit seeking or extramural, and IC Affiliates can be added to your course and assigned the Student Role. See the Canvas Community Instructor Guide for directions on how to add users to a course. 

The LMS Governance and Executive Committees in collaboration with the Information Security Officer are reviewing best practices and guidelines for adding users who do not have an Ithaca College email. More information and guidance will be provided as soon as we have something available. 

I used to be able to make my own academic course sites in Sakai. How can I request a new course site in Canvas?

Canvas courses are generated based on the information from Homer/Banner.  As of July 1, 2021, all Fall 2021 courses and rosters are updated nightly at midnight EST.  We will be publishing a calendar with dates on when you will see the next term/semester begin to appear in your Canvas Dashboard and Course List.

Anticipated Course Creation Dates: (to be updated as more information becomes available)

I would like to make a project site in Canvas, how do I create a new Canvas course for projects?

Canvas sites are generally reserved for named, identified courses created as part of the official course schedule. However, under some circumstances, the creation of a Canvas site might be created for instructional, and academic purposes beyond the creation of a scheduled course with a CRN as listed in Homer/Banner. Please read the article with information to request a Canvas course in the IT Knowledge Base for guidance on the use of Canvas for non-course-related instructional sites. 

How do I change the course name that is listed on the card in the Canvas Dashboard and the list of Courses?

All course names are generated by the CRN information listed in the student information system (SIS) Homer/Banner. This is to provide consistency across all systems and for all users. Course names and course codes are not editable. The course code is also known as the reference code or short name. 
Here is a helpful article from the Canvas Community on viewing courses in the Card View Dashboard, changing the course nickname, card color, and organization of the Dashboard. Any user can modify this information that is listed on the course card in the Dashboard.  

My name is appearing incorrectly in Canvas and I cannot change it. How do I get assistance with this?

If your name does not appear to be displaying properly in Canvas, we advise checking in other systems, e.g. Email, HomerConnect, or Oracle HR Cloud, to see if the issue is widespread or isolated to canvas. This will help us troubleshoot your issue.

• You have not submitted a request to change your name to the name you are trying to use, please contact the Registrar to process a name change if you are a student, or HR to process a name change if you are an employee.
• If you do not currently have a name change request in process with the Registrar (indicated by email notifications providing the status of your request, or visible in the IT Service Portal above (On the top bar of this page, click Services, then Ticket Requests).
• If there is not a current request open, and you have already requested to have your name changed, please contact the IT Service Desk with the location(s) your name does not appear correctly, and we can investigate the issue.My name is appearing incorrectly in Canvas and I cannot change it. How do I get assistance with this?

What access to students have to my course after it concludes?

By default, students have “Read-only” access to your course after it concludes. 

“Read-only” access allows anyone with a student role to view any published content in your course, but not to submit content such as assignments or quiz submissions. You can change these settings to restrict or enable access to your course, as well as customizing your course end date, which is by default set to the ‘term end date’ listed in Banner. 

How do I hide a past course from students completely?

This is the option if you want to hide a past course from students completely. If you only want to restrict access to certain content, the other option is to Unpublish only that content. 

If you restrict access, after the term end date, students will no longer be able to access the course and will no longer see the course on their course dashboard. Instructors always maintain access to their course, even when restricted. 

Go to Course Settings > Details and check the box marked “Restrict student access to this course after term end date.” By default, this box is unchecked, allowing students to see their past courses.

Note: If the semester end date has already passed and your course participation dates are set to “Term”, you will not be able to change this setting because the course is "closed" (a good reason to change it during the semester, if possible). You can file a service ticket with IC IT or reach out to Canvas Support for 24/7, 365 assistance.

How do I change the start and end dates of my course?

Sometimes you may wish to keep your course open past the term end date or open it before the term begins so that students can access assignment submissions, quizzes, and other course features. 

To do this you must change your course participation dates (the “Participation” drop-down menu in your course settings) from “Term” to “Course.” Then you will be able to choose your own course start and end dates. 

If you need to restrict access to students before the course begins or after it ends, check the relevant box on that page.