Many Texas State faculty have been busy this summer preparing to teach in TXST Canvas this fall. There is so much buzz and excitement going on surrounding the new learning platform. Here’s some Canvas stories we covered this summer, in case you missed it.
Canvas Champions
Canvas Champions are faculty members excited about Texas State University’s new learning management system and willing to share their experiences with peers. They participate by writing blogs and also giving their honest statements on video. For a deeper look into what our champions have to say, take a peek at their blog posts.
- Dr. Alice Olmstead, assistant professor, Department of Physics
- Dr. Michele Crawford, biology lecturer, Department of Biology
- Dr. Erik Timmerman, chair, Department of Communication Studies
More faculty will share their experiences with Canvas in the coming weeks. Be sure to follow along here on the DOIT Blog.
Canvas updates from ITAC
ITAC regularly shares the latest updates to Canvas here on the DOIT Blog. Their most recent update, published July 27, highlights many topics, such as:
- Canvas training opportunities for faculty and staff
- Notifications for specific courses – a new feature
- Direct Share, which allows you to share content with other faculty
- Canvas Commons, a learning repository for sharing content
- How to join TXST Canvas Tech Alerts
Learn more about these topics from ITAC’s latest Canvas update blog post.
Canvas student tips
Students are really excited about the transition to Canvas. With a friendly user experience and modern design, it’s a no brainer as to why it was chosen to replace TRACS. This upcoming fall semester might be many students’ first time in the new system. For those who haven’t had a class in Canvas yet, I put together some best tips for success. It covers topics like:
- Enabling and customizing notifications
- Using the Canvas Mobile app
- Checking out student guides to learn how to use Canvas
- Preparing for graduation by downloading all your work uploaded in Canvas
- Where to find additional Canvas help
Check out my blog post, “Succeed on Canvas as a student,” to learn more.
Using Where’s My Course?
Most courses will be in Canvas this fall, but all classes aren’t required to be taught in the new system until spring 2021. Students can use the Where’s My Course? tool to find out which platform their professors are using for the upcoming semester – TRACS or Canvas. It lists all of a students courses and lets them access the course sites for both systems in one place.
Learn more from our “Where’s My Course?” blog post.
More Canvas stories on the DOIT Blog
The stories mentioned previously were only some of the highlights from this summer. Our blog has many posts about Canvas, from tips and tricks to highlights about specific tools and information about the latest updates. Always stay up to date by subscribing to our blog, and you can also check the Canvas category to filter Canvas specific content.
Chantal Lesley is a marketing and communications specialist student employee in the IT Marketing and Communications office.
