Canvas replaced Blackboard as the University's primary learning management system (LMS). Training and documentation are available to help faculty learn Canvas. The Center also migrated select Blackboard course sites into Canvas (e.g., courses that are to be offered in the future).
Read further and attend training to learn about Canvas.
Quick Links:
JHU Canvas Site:
This site not only provides access to the Canvas login page, but provides an overview of the evaluation process that led Johns Hopkins to choose Canvas along with helpful University updates and resources.
It also contains helpful documentation that the Center created in collaboration with other instructional support centers on getting started and using popular tools in Canvas: https://canvas.jhu.edu/faculty-resources/.
Training is available in several formats and arenas. The details below are updated regularly.
Canvas Overview and Introduction
New to Canvas? Need a refresher before the start of the new semester? This session provides a general overview of the basic tools and features available to faculty on the Canvas platform. Training runs one hour, with an additional 30 minutes for questions if needed.
Your Canvas Checklist – Is Your Course Ready?
This working session will review our Canvas Semester Checklist to ensure your course is ready for the semester! Training runs for thirty minutes, with an additional 30 minutes for questions if needed.
Assignments and Gradebook
Need help ensuring your gradebook is configured correctly? Do you want to use weighted assignment groups to calculate your final grade? Do you know how to set your grade scheme? This session provides tips and tricks for configuring your assignments, grade scheme, weighted assignment groups, and gradebook. We will also review how to use SpeedGrader to provide students with feedback. Training runs for forty-five minutes, with an additional 30 minutes for questions if needed.
Accessibility Basics in Canvas
Are you looking to improve the accessibility of your Canvas course? Please join us as we review some of the most common accessibility issues and how to address them in Canvas. We’ll also explore some of the built-in Canvas accessibility features.
Beautifying Your Canvas Course
Interested in learning how to create a customized home page? Would you like to make your content pages more dynamic? This session will demonstrate how to create a home page, customize pre-formatted modules within your course, and share examples of customizable html code to add banners, borders, buttons, and more!
Utilizing Canvas Groups
Did you know you can create Groups in Canvas to support small-group discussions or group assignments? This session will demonstrate how to create a Group Set, enroll students in groups, manage small-group discussions, and configure group assignments. We will also discuss tips for facilitating group activities within Canvas and provide participants with the opportunity to access a group space as students.
Creating Quizzes in Canvas
Do you know how to create a Quiz in Canvas? This session will review the differences between Classic and New Quizzes, demonstrate how to build a quiz, provide extended time accommodations, and adjust quiz settings. We will also discuss best practices around creating and managing your quizzes. This session will last one hour, with additional time for questions.
These are four clips from our Canvas Introduction and Overview Training:
Wondering if you are ready to launch your course this coming semester? Or, are you unsure what to do before pressing that Publish button?
Check out our "Canvas Semester Checklist" page to make sure the basics are covered before launching.
In addition to the robust features already in Canvas, JHU has approved some great new features. Learn more by accessing the university’s page on New Canvas Features.
To use weights to calculate your gradebook, please follow these instructions: How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?
Note: By default, the Total grade column in Canvas is not visible to students at KSAS and WSE.
To import your Canvas grades into SIS, you must enable a grading schema for your course before importing your grades into SIS. These instructions outline the step-by-step process: SIS Grade Import.
The University migrated many Blackboard course sites to staging sites in Canvas. Login to Canvas at https://canvas.jhu.edu/ to see which courses have been migrated from Blackboard. Your migrated course sites will be in a special STAGING site with the course names beginning with "STAGE_" to view what Blackboard course sites were migrated to Canvas:
Note: STAGING courses will only be used to migrate content from Blackboard and to allow faculty to clean up content. When content is ready, it needs to be copied into the "real" SIS-based courses.