Looking for MediaAmp, Course Links, or Files in Canvas's "Enhanced" Rich Content Editor (RCE)?

Recently, my university has changed things so that faculty using Canvas LMS will now encounter the “Enhanced Rich Content Editor (RCE)” by default whenever they edit an assignment, announcement, etc. Strangely, this change was made in the middle of the semester, not giving faculty who were unfamiliar with the "Enhanced" RCE a chance to find everything they frequently used in the classical editor. So here's a list of tips (with screenshots) to help you get used to the new editor.

• ASU uses MediaAmp to host videos for streaming to students. If you’re looking for MediaAmp (to embed videos) in the new RCE, you have to click on the little “Plug-in” icon (looks like a plug) and possibly search for it under “View All.” 
  
  
• If you’re looking for course links (Pages, Assignments, etc.), you have to click on the “Link” Icon (looks like chain links) and then select “Course Links."
  

  
  
• If you’re looking for your Files, you have to click on the “Link” icon, then select “Course Links”, then in the pop-up “Add” window that comes up on the right, change “Course Links” to “Files."
  

  

  
  
  
• Alternatively, some of you might not see the wisdom of changing editors in the middle of a semester like this one. For those of you, you can go to “Settings” and “Feature Options” and then toggle “RCE Enhancements” OFF to get the old editor back (at least for a little while).
  

  

I hope that's helpful! I wish I could say that the Enhanced RCE is an improvement, but I think you can see how it adds so many extra steps to find things that used to be up front and ready to use in the old editor. Even though it looks a little nicer, it's a net downgrade from the old editor.  And it is still impossible to drag images into the editor to insert them or simply paste them in place. You get no functional benefits out of the editor, and you get a lot of extra drag.

Happy editing, faculty!

Low-cost, Convenient, Portable Lighting Solution for Video Conferencing

There's nothing worse than bad lighting on a video call or while recording a video. Experts will tell you that you should buy a nice ring light, which provides a nice diffuse glow on your face as you record. However, most ring lights are eyesores on a modern desk and are generally pretty inconvenient, especially if you regularly use a laptop as your recording rig. For example, a good quality ring lamp might require clamping onto the edge of a desk, which might not be ideal for your desk setup. Fortunately, I've found a cheap solution (far cheaper than most ring lights) that does a great job, is super portable, and looks great on a desk.

This Sailstar Rechargable Reading Lamp is great. 

It is cheap (at the time of this post, it is $16.99 on Amazon and has an additional 10% coupon that can be applied), and it has an array of features that are great for any Zoom call or camera session in general. For example:

• 3 Lighting Modes
  (5000K, 4000K, and 3500K – pick your color temperatures for your complexion and camera)
• Continuously dimmable (800 lumens max)
  
• Diffuse disc of LED light (not a point source)
• Flexible gooseneck and weighted base allows for tipping up to vertical
• Uses a rechargeable battery, and so:
• It can be plugged in continuously
• It can be unplugged and moved for the best lighting experience (very portable!)

I don't know how long this little thing will last, but it seems pretty sturdy. My wife has an older version of what appears to be the same OEM product, and it is still going. I have several colleagues who have purchased this one after my recommendation, and they tell me it's working great for them.

Seeing All Canvas LMS Submission Comments in One Place

I hate submission comments in Canvas LMS. Students are given the impression that these are nice ways to send questions or comments to the instructor, but they are too easy to overlook. For example, the Canvas Teacher mobile app will send a notification whenever a student leaves a submission comment, but the notification text is often truncated and so it is impossible to see which assignment was commented on (even if the student commenting is clear). Furthermore, if you activate the notification, Canvas Teacher brings you to the dashboard as opposed to the comment itself and the notification is lost forever.

Today I discovered that in the "Inbox", which otherwise is for Canvas e-mails, there is the additional functionality to see ALL SUBMISSION COMMENTS across ALL COURSES in one place! Simply click on the "Inbox" and then go to the drop down box in the top left and select "Submission Comments" (as shown below). You can then review all recent submission comments and reply to them without even revisiting the assignment.

So now when I get a notification about a submission comment, I go directly to the Inbox rather than trying to hunt through all assignments (and eventually giving up).

 

Reduce Student Anxiety: Introduce them to "What-If Grades" in Canvas Gradebook

Are your students getting anxious and wondering what their final grades might look like under different “what-if” scenarios related to any assignments yet to be graded? A lot of faculty and students don’t realize that the Canvas gradebook supports “What-If Grades”, which allow a student to click on any grade (even ones not posted) and change it to a hypothetical version to see what the hypothetical effect would be on their final grade.

Check it out:

• Canvas Support: How do I approximate my assignment scores using the What-If Grades feature?

Teaching on Zoom: Fixing Problems with Students Joining Authentication-Only Rooms

To help prevent "#Zoombombing" while still allowing for all of the features that, when not being exploited, provide for productive digital classroom experiences, many universities have recommended that faculty turn on authentication-only Zoom rooms for their classes. For most students, this means that they may have to follow one extra click when joining their classrooms that leads them through the single-sign-on (SSO) process and handoff back to Zoom. Unfortunately, this process is not as simple for some students, especially if they already have their own non-University Zoom accounts.

Here are the instructions (also linked as a PDF or a DOCX) I have been giving to my students to help ensure that they access my authentication-only Zoom classroom using their university account. Of course, there are a few small aspects of these instructions that are customized for ASU, but it would be easy to modify the instructions for your institution.

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Instructions for Accessing Zoom Room as Authenticated ASU Zoom User

To help mitigate problems related to "Zoom-bombing", your course Zoom link may be configured to only allow authenticated ASU users into the room. If you are having trouble connecting to the Zoom class room with your properly authenticated ASU account, you should try following these steps:

1. DO NOT use the normal link to enter the room
2. Instead, go to https://asu.zoom.us/ and then click on the Log In button
3. Once you are logged in to ASU Zoom, click on the "JOIN A MEETING" link in the top right of ASU Zoom
4. Use the Zoom ID: (10-digit code from your instructor; also at the end of course link)
   

These steps are designed to ensure that you are logged in to Zoom with your ASU ID.

If the above steps still do not let you into the room, then you need to open your Zoom app and make sure to "Switch Account" to your ASU account. Follow these steps:

1. Open your Zoom application
2. Click on your profile image, as in the image below, and go to "Switch Account"
   
   
   
3. Select "Sign In with SSO", as shown below:
   
4. Use "asu" as the Company Domain, as shown below:
   
5. Follow the prompts to login to ASU Zoom and return to your application
6. Use your course’s meeting ID (or the normal course link) to connect to the Zoom room
   
   

Those steps should help ensure that you are able to get into the class Zoom room with your authenticated ASU Zoom account.