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One Stop Shop: Things to know/Common issues/Tips & Tricks 
Current FAQ's - HELP & Info
Canvas Down?
DRC Accommodations
Important Information
- Discussion/Announcement Redesign enforced - July 20, 2024. Discussion and announcement topics display an updated design with small usability enhancements. These changes ensure page responsiveness and prepare the interface for feature functionality improvements.
Current Canvas Usage (6/10/24 - 9:30 am)
| Courses | Faculty | Students |
| 2,931 | 1,493 | 21,533 |
Instructional Continuity
Anyone of an array of events can disrupt faculty’s ability to teach courses via on-campus, in-class sessions. Cal Poly’s commitment to students includes making sure that we provide students an opportunity to complete courses despite disruptions whenever possible.
Canvas Resources
CTLT Resources
Alternative Final Exams
Submit a Feature Idea
Canvas is an LMS created and managed by Instructure.com. If you have ideas for changes, improvements, and fixes, please send them to Instructure so that they can review your request and possibly make changes to the LMS.
External Tools: Dates Added
You can request that Instructure add features to Canvas. This would be toolsets that Canvas doesn't have. For example, a graded survey option in the New Quiz tool. This is not a 3rd Party Tools or LTI's like the ones listed below.
You do NOT need to request a Canvas Shell to use for teaching. All Course Shells are created in Canvas.
Not all 3rd Party Tools/Plugins/LTI's will be in Canvas. You can still use the applications and link to them from your course. You can also use the SCORM tool that allows you to connect your tool within Canvas.
Available 3rd party tools within Canvas:
- iClicker Reg / Classic (2/2/20)
- iClicker Sync / Cloud
- Respondus LockDown Browser
TurnItIn(discontinued 3/26/24)- Office 365 - OneDrive
- Office OneNote Notebook
- Google Drive
- Zoom (as of 1/28/20)
- Blog (2/11/20)
- Journal (2/11/20)
- Flipgrid (2/14/20)
- YouTube (2/14/20)
________________ Khan Academy (2/14/20)NOTE: Khan Academy no longer supports the Canvas integration. You can still add your Khan links into your course pages.- MathType (2/14/20)
Respondus Montior (3/21/20)- Screencast-o-Matic (3/12/20)
- Akindi for CSM (4/8/20)
- Portfolium Assessment for Honors (7/1/20)
- MacMillan Learning (7/9/20)
Piazza (7/30/20)NOTE: Piazza is now a purchased license. Cal Poly does not have a campus license for this tool.- McGraw Hill Connect (7/31/20)
- Follett Discover - Bookstore App (8/4/20)
Pearson / Pearson MyLab & Mastering(8/17/20) NOTE: this is now Access Pearson.- Cengage Learning (8/20/20)
- Ally (9/2/20)
- WW Norton (9/9/20)
- Follett RedShelf (9/11/20)
- Perusall (10/14/20)
- MATLAB (12/9/20)
- WileyPLUS (4/9/21)
- Microsoft Teams (8/9/21)
- ALEKS (9/1/21)
- McGraw Hill SIMnet (7/8/22)
- Pressbooks (9/28/22)
- Follett- Willo Digital Delivery (6/22/23)
- Access Pearson (6/23/23)
- CourseKata (6/27/23)
- Akindi for OCOB (3/28/24)
- Labflow for CSM (3/28/24)
- JSTOR (9/25/24)
- TidyUp (11/13/24)
More about enhancements or publisher integrations.
Not available yet:
- Wiki / Collaborative Space (but there are options)
Timeline
Starting Fall 2020, only Canvas was available. We recognized that this effort requires time and energy, and we provided support to help ease the transition. Thank you for your support in this campus-wide endeavor. During that time, the CTLT had provided online resources, workshops, face-to-face consultations, synchronous video consultations, email, and phone support. Additionally, we also had 24/7 email/phone support by Instructure (Canvas) and automated migration of PolyLearn-Moodle courses into Canvas.
After Sept. 9, 2020, the Portal's (my.calpoly.edu) > My Classes Portlet changed to provide Canvas buttons for faculty and students. PolyLearn-Moodle is still available. Although you will not be teaching in PolyLearn-Moodle after Summer 2020, you will have access to your courses to backup, download, and save information.
Timeline Table
| Winter 2020 | Spring 2020 | Summer 2020 | Fall 2020 |
| Moodle & Canvas | Moodle & Canvas | Moodle & Canvas | Only Canvas |
Moving to the new Canvas Learning Management System
- Starting Dec. 9, 2019, faculty began to develop Winter 2020 courses.
- The "Instructor of Record" had a Course Shell in Canvas only - starting Fall 2020.
- All of PolyLearn-Moodle's 3rd party tools are available within Canvas. Please check the list to see which tools have been integrated into Canvas.
- Faculty and students can access Canvas via the Portal (my.calpoly.edu) > App Center (top left) "Cal Poly Canvas" link or the Portal's > My Classes Portlet.
- Users may prefer to use the Mobile app to access Canvas. Please choose "Cal Poly" as the source.
- 24/7 support, for faculty, is available within Canvas > (?) Help.
Canvas courses will remain within the Cal Poly Canvas system for nine quarters. Winter 2020 is the first quarter instructors can teach with Canvas. Once Spring 2022 starts, sometime in late April 2022 - Winter 2020 courses will be deleted from Canvas.
PolyLearn- Moodle was decommissioned Aug. 29, 2021. Faculty who saved the PolyLearn backup files can import into Canvas to reuse course content. All Academic Year 2019-2020 (Fall 19, Winter, Spring & Summer 20) PolyLearn - Moodle course content has already been uploaded into Canvas ("PolyLearn-Backup").
Why Canvas?
Cal Poly began the transition from its Learning Management System, PolyLearn-Moodle, to Canvas in Winter 2020. The two systems ran alongside one another during Winter, Spring and Summer, with Canvas fully implemented in Fall 2020. Canvas will position Cal Poly for the future by supporting its pedagogical needs, mobile features, and complying with accessibility requirements. For a quick Canvas overview, view the Instructor video. You can also learn more about the Gradebook (video) and the Speedgrader (video) tools.
Sandbox Server & Shells
From May till Nov. 22, 2019, the CTLT provided access to the Cal Poly Canvas Sandbox server. This allowed instructors to work on their course redesign before Winter 2020. If you used the Sandbox server, you can move your courses to the Production system.
The Production system started Dec. 9, 2019. Sandbox shells have been created for each instructor within the "Sandbox" sub-account (folder). If you would like an additional Test (Sandbox) shell, you can request one via the Additional Test Shell Request form.
Canvas Release Notes
Canvas is an LMS created and managed by Instructure.com and they perform regular updates and enhancements to Canvas monthly. The Release Notes are available for anyone to see.
Questions
Please email canvassupport@calpoly.edu if you have any migration questions, questions about Canvas, or general questions about the LMS.
Announcements
System issues: Please see the email sent by ITS for more information.
Message from Provost Enz Finken re: Cal Poly's Next Generation Learning Management System ( PNG | TXT)
Message from Provost Mary Pedersen re: Update on Cal Poly's Transition to Canvas (JPG | TXT)
This page will be updated on a regular basis. Please return to this page for future updates.
last updated: 09/26/2024
