Chapter 4: Teaching Your Canvas Course

Now that you've built your course, you can look forward to your planning and hard work paying off. From this point on, we begin the actual teaching of your course, where your finely honed skills as an educator will guide you and your students through the course content to success. While the Canvas platform for teaching and learning may be new to you, it is important to keep in mind everything you know from being a real live teacher. Keep the basics in mind; try to find ways to get to know your students, maintain open communication, deliver insightful feedback, and provide opportunities to field questions and concerns. As you begin to teach your course, we will cover the following in this chapter:

• Communicating with participants through the Inbox feature
• Posting Announcements
• Providing feedback and grades
• Setting up synchronous meetings using Conferences

Everything you know from your experience as an educator can and should transfer to your Canvas course, and this chapter will help you make that happen through the medium of Canvas.

Technical requirements

To complete this chapter, you will need the following:

• A computer with internet access
• A Canvas account (see Chapter 1, Getting Started with Canvas)
• A Canvas course with course content created (see Chapter 2, Building Your Canvas Course, and Chapter 3, Getting Ready to Launch Your Course)

Communicating through the Inbox feature

To facilitate direct communication with participants, the Inbox feature in Canvas allows you to send messages directly to individual users or to groups of users. The Inbox feature functions in a very similar manner to most email interfaces. Canvas organizes individual messages into conversations based upon the users involved in the exchange, so in the following sections the term message refers to an individual entry of a conversation.

Most of the messages that appear in the Inbox feature of Canvas are messages that participants send directly to one another. However, as you get further into your course, you will notice that other messages, such as comments left on submitted assignments, also appear in your inbox. The following sections will help familiarize you with the layout of the Inbox feature as well as how to compose, send, and organize conversations.

Learning the layout of the inbox

To access your inbox, click on the Inbox icon on the left Global Navigation Menu. Notice that when you have a new message waiting in your inbox, you will see a notification bubble next to the Inbox icon indicating how many new messages you have. The following screenshot displays the Inbox icon as well as a new message notification:

Figure 4.1 – Inbox icon with new message notification

When the Inbox page opens, you will see two main parts to the screen. On the left side, you will see the list of conversations with which you are involved. On the right side of your screen, you will see the actual message body with the thread of messages contained within the selected conversation. As a brand new Canvas user, you will most likely not be involved with any conversations, so the list of conversations on the left side of your screen will appear blank.

Once you begin receiving messages, the list of conversations will grow to display each conversation with which you are involved. Note that you will not see the messages within a conversation until you click on the conversation from the list of conversations on the left. The following screenshot shows the top menu of the conversations page as well as a list of conversations on the left side and a No Conversations Selected message on the right side where the message body would appear:

Figure 4.2 – The Inbox feature's layout

The first item on the left side of the top menu on the Inbox page is a drop-down menu that allows you to view messages from All Courses or to select a specific course from which you would like to view messages. This feature can help you stay organized if you are teaching multiple courses using Canvas, as you will be able to focus in on viewing or responding to messages from users in one course at a time.

The next option to the right is a drop-down menu that allows you to select which kinds of conversations you are viewing. The following list describes what types of messages fall under each option of this drop-down menu:

• Inbox: Selecting this option will display all conversations with which you are involved.
• Unread: Selecting this option will display all conversations containing new messages you have not yet read.
• Starred: Selecting this option will display all conversations that you have starred, or marked as important. We will learn how to star conversations shortly.
• Sent: Selecting this option will display all of the messages you have sent to other participants.
• Archived: Selecting this option will display all messages you have archived, or stored away out of your inbox. We will learn how to archive and unarchive conversations shortly.
• Submission Comments: Selecting this option will display all comments posted on individual student submissions for assignments or activities.

As you become more comfortable using the Inbox feature of Canvas, you will develop your own organizational style for maintaining your inbox in the same way you probably have with any email accounts you use. These options will help you quickly and easily find what you are looking for as you begin sending and receiving messages with users in your courses.

To the right of the drop-down menus, you will see a number of icons that allow you to complete various tasks involving your conversations. These icons offer many of the same functions as a standard email client, including Compose a new message, Reply, Reply all, Archive, Delete, and More options. Hover your mouse over each icon to see a text description of the icon. These icons will be the central part of your message experience, as they allow you to complete all of the basic tasks required to send and receive messages using Canvas. If an icon appears as a grey outline, you will need to select a message before that option will become available.

At the right side of the top menu, you will see a search bar to Search for recipients. This feature can be very helpful for quickly finding a conversation with a specific participant, especially if the message or conversation is not very recent. Now that we have familiarized ourselves with the layout of the Inbox page, let's move on to composing and sending messages to other Canvas users.

Composing and sending a message

To compose a new message, perform the following steps:

1. On the top menu of the Inbox page, click the Compose a new message icon as pictured in the following screenshot:
   

   Figure 4.3 – Compose a new message icon

2. In the pop-up window that appears, select the course in which the user or users you would like to message are participating from the drop-down menu. Note that unpublished courses will not appear as an option here until they are published. The course drop-down menu is shown in the following screenshot:
   

   Figure 4.4 – Select the desired course for your new message

3. Next, type in the name or names of the users you wish to send a message to in the To field. Alternately, if you click on the icon to the right of the To field, you can find and choose users from the options that appear. Note that the top All in… option from this drop-down menu will not send you a copy of the message, but you can always view your sent messages in the Sent folder on the Inbox home page. The To options are pictured in the following screenshot:
   

   Figure 4.5 – Type participant names or select from drop-down recipient options

4. Once you have selected the desired user or users to be included in the message, enter the topic of your message in the Subject field.
5. If you are sending a message to multiple users and would like to disable the reply all feature, you can check the box next to Send individual messages. This essentially functions in the same way as the Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) feature in standard email clients.
6. Next, you can type the text of your message in the large textbox at the bottom of the pop-up window.
7. When the text of your message is complete, you may choose to Add an attachment or Record an audio or video comment by clicking the icons in the bottom-left corner of the pop-up window. The Add an attachment option will open the documents folder of your computer, from which you can select the desired attachment. The Record an audio or video comment option below the textbox will open the same dialogue box as you saw in the Media option within the Rich Content Editor that we discussed in Chapter 2, Building Your Canvas Course. Using this feature, you can record a new audio or video comment or upload an existing audio or video file to send along with your message.
8. When you are satisfied with your message, click the Send button in the bottom-right corner of the pop-up window to send it to the specified users.

Now that we have learned how to compose and send a new message, let's discuss options for keeping your inbox organized.

Organizing your inbox

When your course has started, you will begin receiving messages from users in your course through the Inbox feature of Canvas. In order to maintain open and prompt communication with participants in your course, you should make sure to keep your conversations organized. The first two drop-down menus on the top menu of the conversations page will help you keep track of conversations that fall under various categories. The following section focuses on the organizing conversations into the options of the second drop-down menu: Unread, Starred, Sent, Archived, and Submission comments.

Marking conversations as unread

As we discussed while learning the layout of the Inbox feature, the Inbox link on the left Global Navigation Menu of Canvas will alert you to new messages by displaying a circle icon next to the Inbox link that shows the number of new messages you have received. On the Inbox page, you will see a blue dot to the left of each conversation containing a new message, such as the conversation in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.6 – Blue dot indicating a new message within the inbox

After you have selected and read a new message, this blue dot will disappear. If you would like to mark the conversation as Unread again, complete the following steps:

1. Click on the circle outline next to the participant names in the conversation you wish to Mark as unread, as shown in the following screenshot:
   

   Figure 4.7 – Read/unread icon

2. Once you click the circle outline, the circle will turn blue again and the conversation will be marked as unread. It will appear if you select Unread from the second drop-down filter at the top of the page.
3. You can also mark a conversation as unread by clicking the square next to the date of the conversation, clicking the More options icon from the top menu, then selecting Mark as unread from the drop-down menu that appears, as shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.8 – Mark conversation as unread from the More options drop-down menu

Let's look at another way to make note of important messages by starring a conversation.

Starring conversations

When you hover your mouse over a conversation, you will see the outline of a star appear at the bottom-right corner of the message header. You can star a particularly important message or a message that requires further response or follow-up. This option serves the same purpose as flagging a message in many standard email clients. To star a message, complete the following steps:

1. Hover your mouse over the conversation you wish to star.
2. Click on the outline of a star that appears at the bottom-right corner of the message header as shown:
   

   Figure 4.9 – Click the star icon to star a conversation

3. Once you click on the star outline, a yellow star will appear, and the conversation will be starred. The conversation will now appear if you select Starred from the second drop-down menu on the top menu.
4. You can also star a conversation by selecting the conversation, clicking the More options icon on the top menu, and then selecting Star from the drop-down menu that appears, as seen in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.10 – Star a conversation from the More options drop-down menu

Now that we have covered marking conversations as unread or starring conversations, we will next explore how to view messages you have sent to other participants.

Viewing sent messages

Should you wish to view messages that you have sent, select Sent on the second drop-down menu on the top menu. This will show you all messages that you have sent within any conversations with which you are involved.

Archiving and unarchiving conversations

As you are viewing and responding to messages, you may wish to archive certain conversations. Archiving conversations removes them from your inbox and the list of conversations but does not delete them. To archive a conversation, complete the following steps:

1. Find the conversation you wish to archive from the list of conversations on the left side of your screen. Click the square next to the date of the conversation to select it; a check mark will appear once the conversation is selected.
2. Click the Archive icon on the top menu, as pictured in the following screenshot:
   

   Figure 4.11 – The Archive icon

3. The conversation will be removed from your inbox and will appear if you select Archived from the second drop-down menu on the top menu.

   If you need to unarchive a conversation, complete the following steps:

4. Select Archived from the second drop-down menu on the top menu.
5. Find the conversation you wish to move back to your Inbox and select it from the list of conversations on the left.
6. Once the conversation is selected, click the Unarchive icon, which is pictured in the following screenshot:
   

   Figure 4.12 – The Unarchive icon

7. Once you click the Unarchive icon, the conversation will be moved back to your inbox.

Instead of archiving a conversation, you can delete a conversation if you are sure you will not need the conversation again in the future.

Deleting conversations

Once you have read and responded to messages within a conversation, you may wish to delete your copy of the conversation. Note that when you delete a conversation, you only delete the conversation from your account. The messages within the conversation will still be available to other users involved with a conversation. Also note that deleting a conversation is permanent and you will not be able to access the conversation again. To delete a conversation, complete the following steps:

1. Click the square next to the date of the conversation you want to delete to select it; a check mark will appear once the conversation is selected.
2. Click the Delete icon that looks like a trashcan on the top menu of the conversations page.
3. You may see a pop-up message asking if you are sure you want to delete your copy of the conversation. The message indicates that this action cannot be undone. If you are sure you would like to delete the conversation, click OK. This message may look different depending on the web browser you are using.
4. After you have clicked the Delete icon and confirmed your action, the message will no longer be available to you.

Now that we've looked at how to communicate directly with users in your course, let's move on to communicating publicly with everyone in your course using the announcements feature.

Posting announcements

The Announcements feature of Canvas allows you to post information publicly in your course. Posting announcements is a quick and easy way to communicate with all participants in your class. The information you post can then be easily referenced from the Announcements navigation link on the left Course Navigation menu within your course.

To make an announcement, complete the following steps:

1. Navigate to the home page of your course.
2. Click on the Announcements tab on the left Course Navigation menu.
3. In the top-right corner of the page that opens, you will see a + Announcement button. Click this option, and a page will open up with the Rich Content Editor that will allow you to add the content of your announcement.
4. In the Topic Title bar at the top of the new announcement, type in the title of the announcement you would like to make.
5. In the textbox of the Rich Content Editor, enter the information you would like to post publicly within your course.
6. You can adjust the options below the textbox as you see fit to Delay posting, Allow users to comment, Enable podcast feed, and Allow liking. Note that an announcement posted in an unpublished course will be visible to users once the course is published, but users will not receive a notification of the announcement. You can choose the Delay posting option underneath the announcement and choose a posting date that is after the course will be published if you want to ensure that users are notified of the announcement.
7. When you are satisfied with your post, click Save in the bottom-right corner.

When you have posted your announcement, it will appear on the Announcements page of your course. If you had previously hidden the Announcements page on your Course Navigation menu, posting an announcement will automatically make that page visible to participants in your course. Announcements have the same features and functionality as a discussion board post, so participants in the course will be able to reply to the post with comments (unless you decide to select the Close for comments option). You can edit your announcement or adjust the options for your announcement using the Edit button in the top-right corner of your announcement on the Announcements page.

To ensure that participants in your course have a positive and productive experience, it is best to utilize the communication features of Canvas consistently and predictably. You may choose to only use the inbox or announcements features of Canvas individually, or you may wish to convey certain types of information to participants through a combination of both features.

Establishing open communication with your students in the beginning of your course is very important, as is maintaining open communication with participants when you begin grading their assignments using the Gradebook and SpeedGrader features of Canvas, which we will cover next.

Providing feedback and grades

When students begin submitting assignments for your course, you will need to start viewing, assessing, and grading their assignments as well as offering them feedback on their work. Depending on the type of course you are teaching, submissions may be electronic or in hard copy, and your feedback to students may be electronic or in person.

Accessing the Gradebook and entering grades

The Gradebook in Canvas has all the basic functionality of a traditional analog Gradebook, but it offers you a wide range of options that a traditional Gradebook cannot. To access the Gradebook, click on the Grades link of the left Course Navigation menu within a course. Once the Gradebook has opened, you will see a grid with students' names along the left side, as shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.13 – Sample Gradebook layout

In the center of the Gradebook grid, you will see assignment names listed across the top, with students' grades for each assignment listed underneath next to their names. If students have made submissions for particular assignments, you will see an icon indicating their submission within the Gradebook grid. Different icons appear for different assignment submission types – you can hover your mouse over any unfamiliar icons for a text description of the icon's function.

For assignments that have not yet been submitted, you will see a dash. In the following screenshot, the icons under Sample Assignment indicates an ungraded submission, the dash under Sample Discussion indicates that the student has not yet made a submission, and the 95 under Sample Quiz indicates the graded score:

Figure 4.14 – Sample Gradebook icons and scores

To manually enter or change a grade within the Gradebook grid, click on the grade or dash under the assignment you wish to adjust. The grade or dash will turn into a textbox in which you will be able to manually type in the grade then press Enter or Return on your keyboard to save. For example, if you were to click on the dash under Sample Discussion in the previous screenshot, you would be able to enter a point value then save it by pressing Enter.

You will also notice you have the option to use the up and down arrows that appear next to the textbox to adjust points for the grade instead of typing the grade in manually. Each type of assignment has a variety of grading options. For example, certain quiz types such as multiple choice, true/false, or fill-in-the-blank are automatically graded when students complete them. Quizzes with essay or short answer responses will require manual grading through SpeedGrader, which we will discuss shortly.

Along the right side of the Gradebook, you will see the total averages for each assignment group as well as the students' overall average for all of their completed assignments. The following screenshot indicates the percent average for each assignment group as well as the student's total average for all completed assignments:

Figure 4.15 – Sample Gradebook totals

Once you begin using the Gradebook, you may wish to use the options available above the Gradebook grid to organize and adjust the viewing options for your Gradebook. The drop-down arrows next to Gradebook, View, and Actions above the Gradebook grid will show various options to customize how you interact with the Gradebook. Some of the available options include viewing the Gradebook History, changing how the Gradebook is arranged, or importing content into the Gradebook. As an example, the View drop-down is shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.16 – View options for the Gradebook

To further customize how the Gradebook functions, you can adjust the settings for each column (representing graded activities in the course) of the Gradebook grid. If you click the icon with three vertical dots that appears next to the heading of each column, a drop-down menu will open with a number of options pictured in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.17 – Gradebook column/assignment options

You may also wish to adjust the overall settings for your Gradebook, which can be accessed by clicking the gear icon in the top-right corner of the Gradebook, as shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.18 – Gradebook settings icon

When you click on the Gradebook settings icon, a pop-up window will appear with tabs to adjust your Late Policies, Grade Posting Policy, and Advanced options. Note that empty grade cells for missing assignments do not factor into a student's grade by default, but you could open the Gradebook settings to adjust the Late Policies settings to calculate missing submissions as a certain point value instead of leaving them out. You may use these features to adjust these policies and set your Gradebook preferences to your liking.

Now that you are more familiar with the layout of the Gradebook and how to manually enter grades into the Gradebook grid, let's move on to accessing students' online submissions through SpeedGrader. For assignments that require online submissions, you will need to open SpeedGrader to view the submission and utilize the grading options for various assignments.

Accessing and using SpeedGrader

SpeedGrader in Canvas allows you to quickly view students' submissions, assess their work, enter a grade, and offer feedback for individual assignments. To view student submissions in SpeedGrader from the Gradebook, click on the icon with three vertical dots next to the assignment you wish to view in SpeedGrader. Select SpeedGrader from the drop-down menu that appears, as shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.19 – SpeedGrader option from the Gradebook assignment drop-down menu

Tip

You can also access SpeedGrader from the assignment or activity page or from the To Do list that appears on your Canvas dashboard and on the home pages for each course you teach. The To Do list appears on the right side of the Canvas dashboard or Course Home Page above the Coming Up section. As students submit assignments, you will see the name of each assignment appear under your To Do list along with the number of assignments that need to be graded. To open SpeedGrader for assignments that need to be graded, you can click on the assignment link that appears on your To Do list.

Once you have opened SpeedGrader, you will see three main sections of the screen that allow you to complete various tasks for grading an assignment. Perform the following steps to utilize each section of the screen in grading your assignments:

1. Across the top of the SpeedGrader page, you will find icons for the Gradebook, Post or Hide Grades, and Settings along with specifics for the selected assignment, how many submissions you have graded, and the class average for the assignment. The following screenshot shows the top menu of SpeedGrader:
   

   Figure 4.20 – Top menu of the SpeedGrader

   In the top-right corner, you will see the student's name displayed with arrows on either side. If you click on these arrows, you can navigate through all of the students' submissions for the selected assignment.

2. On the bottom-left side of the SpeedGrader page, you will see the student's submission. Along the top of any text or image submissions, you will see a menu with options to annotate the submissions, which will allow you to provide specific feedback for students to view. If you hover over each icon, you will see descriptions of each function, including Download annotated PDF, Rotate, Zoom, Fullscreen, Select, Point, Highlight, Freetext, Strikeout, Free Draw, and Area annotation. A sample submission with the annotations menu and sample annotations is shown in the following screenshot:
   

   Figure 4.21 – Annotations menu with sample submission and annotations

3. On the right side of the SpeedGrader page, you will see the assessment and feedback section, where you can view the submission date/time, download submitted files, enter a grade, and leave written feedback for the individual student. Notice you have the option to add a File Attachment or Media Comment, or utilize Speech Recognition to dictate your comment. The following screenshot displays the assessment and feedback options that appear on the right side of SpeedGrader:
   

   Figure 4.22 – Assessment and feedback options of the SpeedGrader

4. Note that when you Add a Comment to a submission, the student receives a notification to check your comment, but they do not receive a notification if you only add Annotations to their submitted file. To ensure that a student sees your annotations, it is a good idea to leave a comment on the assignment instructing them to check the annotated file for their feedback.
5. When you have finished reviewing the submission, assigning a grade, and providing feedback, you can click the Submit button to save any written feedback and then click the arrows to the right or left of the student's name in the top-left corner to move to the next submission. SpeedGrader autosaves your grades, so if you do not need to leave a written comment, you can enter the grade then navigate to the next student's assignment and your work will automatically be saved.
6. When you have finished grading all submissions for a particular assignment, you can use the icon at the top left of the page to navigate back to the Gradebook.

   Note

   If you would like to download all of the submissions that students have made for a particular assignment, you can click the icon with three vertical dots by the assignment in the Gradebook, then select Download Submissions from the drop-down menu that appears. Alternately, you can navigate to the assignment page and click the Download Submissions link that appears on the right side menu of the assignment page.

   All of the submission files will download to your computer in a .zip file, at which point you can open each submission to make comments or corrections in your preferred program. You can then re-zip the folder with the adjusted files, return to the assignment page, and click the Re-Upload Submissions link that now appears on the right side menu. Once you have re-uploaded the altered submissions, students will receive a copy of their submission with your comments or corrections.

As you work through your students' assignment submissions, keep in mind the kind of feedback that you traditionally offer. Most likely, you are used to giving written feedback on assignments, which you have the capability of doing directly within Canvas. Since Canvas offers you the ability to record audio or video feedback, consider taking advantage of this unique opportunity to connect with the auditory learners or interpersonally motivated learners you may have in your classes.

After you have viewed an assignment submission and assigned a grade, you might consider starting an audio or video recording as you verbally speak your feedback for your students, then attach that recording to their assignment. This is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to students who do best when processing information aurally or by making personal connections through seeing a video of you speaking directly to them. Canvas allows you to reach a wider variety of students through the features it offers, so make sure to take advantage of those opportunities as they arise during your course.

In addition to offering assignment feedback, you can consider setting up synchronous online meetings with your class through the conferences feature.

Setting up synchronous meetings using Conferences

If you are teaching a fully online course or a hybrid course with in-person and online students, synchronous online meetings during which all members of your class are present online can be a huge benefit to the teaching and learning the takes place within your course. A synchronous online meeting through the conferences feature allows all students and teachers involved in your course to participate in a virtual classroom. Each member of the class logs in to the conference and connects to everyone else in the class; you are free to lead a presentation or lecture during this time, or to open the conference up to group discussions and questions.

You can record meetings so students who are not able to be present are still able to see what happened during the meeting. Students are also able to set up their own conferences, so means of collaboration and cooperation are built into your students' Canvas experience. Synchronous meetings afford students the opportunity for direct contact with you and their classmates in a real-time setting. Conferences allow you to personalize learning and build community among you and your students, regardless of physical location.

Creating a Conference

To set up a Conference, complete the following steps:

1. Click on the Conferences link on the left side menu of your course.
2. On the Conferences page, you will see + Conference button in the top left of the page. Click this button to open a pop-up window that will allow you to set up a new conference.

   The pop-up window that appears will allow you to configure the following elements of your conference:

   The Name of your conference.

   The Type of conference you would like to create. This option refers to the external conferencing service you would like to use for your conference. Canvas has partnered with Big Blue Button as a conferencing service, so Big Blue Button will likely appear as the default conferencing service for you to use. You may see other conferencing options available depending on the services your institution has integrated into Canvas.

   The Duration of your conference.

   Options to Record your conference and to allow No Time Limit for long-running conferences.

   A Description of your conference. This is the best place to include information about the Date, Time, and Duration of your conference to ensure that all participants in your course are present for the conference. You may wish to post an announcement or send out a message to all of the participants in your course.

   The option to Invite All Course Members to the conference and/or to Remove All Course Observer Members.

3. Once you have adjusted all of the conference specifications to your liking, you can click the Update button in the bottom-right corner of the pop-up window. After you have created the conference, invited participants will receive a notification about the conference (depending on their notification settings) and the conference will be listed under the New Conferences section of the Conferences page.

   Note

   At the time of writing, the Free for Teachers instance of Canvas utilizes Big Blue Button as the default option for Conferences, though Canvas has planned to partner with Microsoft Teams as a conferencing option moving forward and it may be available for some instances of Canvas. For information about setting up conferences with Microsoft Teams, you can check the Canvas Guides for up-to-date guidance as we will discuss in Chapter 7, Where to Go for Help.

Now that we have set up a conference, let's discuss what to do to start and run your synchronous meeting.

Starting and facilitating your conference

To start your conference, complete the following steps:

1. Click on the Start button that appears to the right of the conference name under New Conferences, as shown in the following screenshot:
   

   Figure 4.23 – Start button for conferences

2. When you click on the Start button, a new tab or window will open in your web browser, and you will be taken to the Big Blue Button conferencing service website (or to a different conferencing service that you or your institution may have configured to work within Canvas). Note that students will not be able to join the conference until after you click Start. While the following section will show you how to facilitate a conference using Big Blue Button as an example, the functions covered appear in most standard conferencing services and will help you better understand the possibilities of synchronous meetings.
3. The new tab or window that opens in your web browser will log you in to the conference. You will see a dialogue box appear, as shown in Figure 4.24, which asks how you would like to join the audio of the meeting. You should select Microphone, and then you will see a pop-up window requesting permission to access your computer's built-in microphone. In order to participate in and facilitate the conference, you will need to click Allow so the service can access your microphone and webcam:
   

   Figure 4.24 – Join audio options for a conference

4. Once you have clicked Allow to enable the use of your microphone, you will see an audio test to check that your microphone is working. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the test and troubleshoot any issues. Once you have completed the audio test, you will be added to the conference.
5. When you have joined the conference, you will either hear other participants who are already in the conference, or you will hear a message informing you that you are the only person in the conference so far.

   Note

   Notice that when you hover your mouse over any item within the Big Blue Button page, an information box will pop up next to your cursor telling you what the item is similar to most icons and features throughout Canvas. Use this to your advantage as you explore the conferencing screen to see what your options are.

The layout of the conferencing screen is broken down into a number of separate sections. First, in the center right of your screen, you will see the presentation area. All participants videos will appear here during the meeting when their webcams are turned on. This is also where participants will see any content that is being shared from a presenter's screen.

The menu along the bottom of the presentation area allows you to control how you are participating in the conference, including Actions you can take, Mute or Unmute your microphone, Leave or Join Audio, turn your Webcam on or off, and to Share or Stop sharing your screen. The following screenshot displays the bottom menu of Big Blue Button:

Figure 4.25 – Control options

Note

To adjust your audio and video settings or to share your screen (which means broadcast what you see on your computer screen to other participants' screens), click on the corresponding icons on the bottom menu. Make sure that your microphone and webcam are enabled when you begin a conference so all participants will be able to hear and see you.

You can be sure that your microphone and webcam are working properly when you see the icons for your microphone and webcam filled in blue, as displayed in the previous screenshot. If these icons have a slash through them, then the corresponding function is turned off and you should click the icon to turn the function on.

Next, look at the menu on the left side, which shows the Public Chat, Shared Notes, and Users list showing all of the participants involved in the conference by name. Also notice the Manage users gear icon to the right of the Users header, which gives you a variety of useful options when facilitating a conference, as pictured in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.26 – Left menu and Users menu

As the facilitator of the conference, you are able to mute or unmute participants' microphones, which you will find is a useful tool to cut down on extraneous noise and feedback from certain users or users who are speaking out of turn. Participants have the option to set their status to a number of emoji icons representing emotions or feedback.

Keep an eye out for a raised hand status – when a participant uses this status, a small hand icon will replace the icon to their name so the presenter (presumably you to begin with) will see that that they would like to speak. If you need to mute or adjust the status of a user, simply click on their name under the Users list and select the desired action from the menu that appears, as shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.27 – User options menu

In the middle of the left menu is the Shared Notes option. This is a feature that allows you or certain participants to contribute to shared notes on the presentation that all participants can see. The Shared Notes feature includes common formatting options above the shared note textbox, including the option to export the note to a variety of formats. The Shared Notes feature and menu icons are shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.28 – Shared Notes feature and formatting options

At the top of the left menu, you will see the Public Chat option. If you click on this option, it will open the chat where you can post messages to the entire group. To write a chat message, complete the following steps:

1. Click on Public Chat from the left side menu, which will open the Public Chat area of the meeting.
2. Type your message at the bottom of the Public Chat area of the screen and click the blue envelope icon or press Enter to send the message. Your message will be visible to all participants in the conference.
3. To send a private chat message to an individual participant, click on the participant's name from the Users list and then click Start a private chat from the menu that appears, as shown in the following screenshot:
   

   Figure 4.29 – Start a private chat option

4. Once you send a private chat message, only the user you have selected will see the message. The chat will appear on the list of chats on the left side of the screen. The user's name will appear as the name of the private chat underneath Public Chat:

Figure 4.30 – Sample private chat message

When you have completed your conference, you can log out of the conference by clicking the icon with three vertical dots in the top-right corner and selecting End Meeting. Note that if you want to allow participants to continue in the conference without you, you can instead choose Logout, which will leave the conference open for other participants, but you will be removed from the meeting. The options menu is shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.31 – Meeting options menu

When you end a meeting and return to the Conferences page on Canvas, the conference will appear under Completed Conferences at the bottom of the page.

Summary

In this chapter, we begin by exploring the inbox message feature of Canvas. We covered how to access your messages by clicking the Inbox link in the left Global Navigation Menu. We were able to compose and send a message to various users and talked about the various ways to manage conversations including how to mark as unread, star, archive, and delete conversations.

Next, we discussed how to post announcements to your course. We then moved on to viewing assignments and grading using the Gradebook and SpeedGrader. We began by accessing the Gradebook and SpeedGrader and looked at how to view a submission for a specific student, how to assign them a grade, and how to offer feedback.

Finally, we discussed setting up synchronous online meetings using the conferences feature of Canvas by creating a sample Big Blue Button conference. We covered how to join the conference using your audio and then explored the various features within the conferencing service including the Users list, the Shared Notes section, and the Chat options.

At this point in your journey, we have successfully covered the basics of building and teaching your Canvas course. The next chapter will cover some of the extras and special features available to you through Canvas to further enhance your teaching. These options will allow you to bolster your students' understanding and achievement through creating collaborations, designating learning outcomes, developing assessment tools, and tracking activity within your course.