Create a Teaching Back-up Plan

This page covers elements in Canvas that can be used for remote teaching. New to Canvas? Identifying Key Tools and Functions offers a concise overview of important features in Canvas.

For more information on University remote teaching resources, please visit the Faculty Innovation Center's Instructional Continuity page.

Any instructor will tell you, it is essential to have a back-up plan. Unexpected emergencies or inclement weather (ice-days anyone?) can wreak havoc on even the most thought-out lesson plans. Instead of losing valuable class time due to campus disruptions, consider implementing a back-up plan for connecting with your students using Canvas.

Events like these are unpredictable and can last longer than expected. If you have special class sessions, labs or exams that are difficult to reschedule, it can prove challenging to quickly adjust your schedule and communicate these changes to students. Take time now to brainstorm what you might do in the event that you or your students are unable to come to campus. Don't attempt to overhaul your entire teaching strategy. What few tweaks can you implement now to facilitate remote teaching? What is your "back-up plan?"

Features with this icon need to be installed by a UT Canvas Admin. Please contact Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu with your course unique # (or URL) and indicate the desired tool(s). Thank you!

Install Canvas on Your Mobile Device
Communicate to Your Class
Hold a Class Discussion
Hold a Real-time Chat with Your Class

Share Files with Your Students
Post Your Updated Syllabus
Create Online Assignments
Create Exams and Quizzes

Install Canvas on Your Mobile Device

If you haven't already, download the free Canvas Teacher by Instructure app for your Android or iPhone. You can post Announcements, view and grade assessments, and send (Inbox) messages.

Short instructional video: Canvas Teacher App [4:20]

Communicate to Your Class

It's important to let students know how you will carry on with the course if circumstances prevent normal classroom attendance. Clearly outline where they should find information and how often they should expect to see updates. Here are some of the ways you can communicate with students through Canvas.

Post an Announcement with a written or recorded message for your students. Send to all sections or select sections.
- Suggest students check their notifications preferences to ensure they will receive future information.
- Recommend they download the free Canvas Student by Instructure app for their Android or iPhone.
- Set Announcements to appear on your course home page.
Send an Inbox Message to all students or select students.
Create short, simple videos, using Canvas' Record Media tool found anywhere the Rich Content Editor is available, such as Announcements, Pages and Discussions.

Short instructional videos: Announcements Overview [2:27], Conversations Overview [4:14]

Hold a Class Discussion

Don’t miss a beat if you normally rely on student discussions in class. You can set up graded and ungraded discussion forums in Canvas.

Canvas discussions allow students to engage in conversations outside of class time.
- Allows instructors to discuss course content or assignments with students.
  - Strategies for Facilitating Online Discussions —Faculty Focus
- Students can attach files, video/audio comments or ask questions.
Group Discussions make online discussions more manageable for large multi-section courses with multiple TAs.
Annotate text and have a class discussion using Hypothes.is
Please email Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu with the course unique # (or URL) and we can install Hypothes.is in your course. Thank you!

Short instructional video: Discussions Overview [4:52]

Hold a Real-Time Chat with Your Class

Chat can be used for real-time discussions within the Canvas course site
- Chat has been added to Canvas, disabled by default. Go to Settings > Navigation tab > click the three dots to Enable > click Save.

Short instructional video: Chat Overview [2:18]

Use Zoom to Teach

Zoom is a web conferencing tool that allows you to hold real-time lectures with up to 300 participants. Instructors can share screens (PowerPoint or Keynote slides), Chat with participants, and use Breakout Rooms.

Using Zoom to Teach (in Canvas)
Zoom Privacy and Security - ITS and ISO information

Share Files with Your Students

In the event of a campus disruption, you may need to post files and information for your students to access online. You may already be sharing course materials via Modules and/or Files. Make sure your students know where they can find what type of materials. Here are some ways you can do that.

The Files area in Canvas is best for documents, PDFs, slides, and spreadsheets. Make sure Files is enabled for students to view or content is added to appropriate Modules.
- You can link to any file on a Page in Canvas and set the inline preview to auto-open (see Student Grade Visibility Infographic for an example of what this looks like)
For large media files, consider using UT Box or Google Drive. Make the links available in Canvas if you decide to use these alternatives.
- Please email Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu with the course unique # (or URL) and we can install Box/Google Drive in your course. Thank you!
Create Collaborative workspaces
- Google Docs can be shared with one, some, or all students in a course using Collaborations from the course navigation.
- Add Google Apps to enable Google Sheets, Slides and Forms for your students.
  - Please email Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu with the course unique # (or URL) and we can install Google Apps in your course. Thank you!
  - For accessibility purposes, when using Google Slides, you may present these slides with live captions.

Short instructional videos: Files Overview [3:38], Pages Overview [3:09], Collaborations Overview [2:13]

Post Your Updated Syllabus

The Syllabus page makes it easy to communicate to your students exactly what will be required of them throughout the course in chronological order.

The Syllabus includes the course description, course summary (assignments and events), and sidebar (mini calendar and grading information).
- Link to your Syllabus by uploading it into Course Files as a PDF and linking it in the content selector. Canvas will automatically create a preview of your document so your students don't have to download it before reading it.
Change your Course Home Page to include a message about new course changes and expectations.

Create Online Assignments

Don’t get behind on student assessments. Students can submit their assignments online and you can provide feedback and grades through Canvas. You can also give quizzes and exams online.

Create an Online submission assignment
- Implement Turnitin to check for plagiarism
- Deliver Feedback and Grade using SpeedGrader
- Add a rubric to an assignment to help students understand expectations for the assignment and how you intend to score their submissions.
Use Gradescope for handwritten assignments. Students can upload/scan their homework or exams. Instructors create a living rubric that allows for speedy grading of large courses.

Short instructional videos: Assignments Overview, SpeedGrader Overview, DocViewer Overview, Rubrics Overview

Create Exams and Quizzes in Canvas

You can use Canvas Quizzes to conduct and moderate online exams and assessments
- Create Practice and/or Graded Quizzes/Exams with Individual Questions
  - You can create the following types of questions: Multiple Choice, True/False, Fill-in-the-Blank, Fill-in-Multiple-Blanks, Multiple Answers, Multiple Drop-down (can be used for Likert scale), Matching, Numerical Answer, Formula (simple formula and single variable), Essay, File Upload
- Proctorio Lock-down Browser
  - This free Chrome browser extension prevents students from launching new tabs, taking screenshots or printing out the quiz or exam.
- Exam Security with Proctorio
  - Leverages the Proctorio Chrome Browser Extension to automatically monitor students while they take the exam, in addition to the lock-down browser options mentioned above. An automated report is sent to the instructor and flags any suspicious behavior.

Short instructional videos: Classic Quizzes, New Quizzes

Grade Assessments

Create Assignment Groups and add weighted grades and/or drop lowest "n" scores.
Use the Grade Posting Policy and Post/Hide Grades (formerly Mute/Unmute). Note: Assignment-level posting policies override course-level policies for that assignment.
- Set a manual posting policy for an assignment or Set a manual posting policy for a course BEFORE you start entering grades
- Not sure what to use, take a look at the Student Grade Visibility Infographic
- When ready, you can manually post grades or submission comments for an assignment where student grades have been hidden.
For online file upload assignments, you can download submissions (for grading/giving feedback offline)
- After downloading student files, you can re-upload all student submissions. Note: Don't change the names of the submission files!
- You can also download assignments from the Gradebook.
Use SpeedGrader to Deliver Feedback and Grade online within Canvas.
- You can access SpeedGrader through: Assignments, Quizzes, Graded Discussions, and the Gradebook.
- Use Canvas DocViewer to mark up .pdf, .doc/.docx, and .ppt/.pptx assignments directly in SpeedGrader.
- Complete the assessment of the submission by entering a grade or using a rubric for grading.
Message Students Who... You can message students who have not submitted an assignment/quiz, scored below X, haven't been graded, etc. Customize the outgoing message to check-in with students.
- You can message students who meet certain criteria (grades, late, missing) for the course from the New Analytics button on the Home Page. This information is updated every 24hrs. If nothing is displayed on the page, try a different browser.

Short instructional videos: Gradebook [9:06]; Rubrics [4:26]; SpeedGrader [2:57]; DocViewer [3:24]

Features with this icon will need to be installed by a UT Canvas Admin. Please contact Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu with your course unique # (or URL) and indicate the desired tool(s). Thank you!