News

March 5, 2024
Yale has created Fall 2024 FAS courses in Canvas. You can now edit your course site. We invite you to take the following actions before Fall preference selection opens for students on April 1, 2024: Post your syllabus in the “Syllabus” section Publish your course site After you complete the two steps above, your course syllabus / expanded course description will become available to students through Yale Course Search within 2 hours. Canvas Updates for Fall 2024 Check out our Canvas Updates for Fall 2024 article for continuously updated... read more
February 21, 2024
Media Library (otherwise known as Panopto) will be undergoing scheduled maintenance to perform necessary updates and account unification. During the maintenance window, users will not be able to access the Media Library (Panopto) or view/upload content.    Maintenance will take place on Monday, February 26 for approximately 3 hours starting at 2:00 a.m. EST / 11:00 p.m. (February 25) PST.
February 19, 2024
The Sign Up tool is currently experiencing a service outage that is preventing users from accessing the tool. This outage is being investigated and we are working to restore functionality. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience as we resolve the issue. — Update The Sign Up tool functionality has been restored and can be accessed by all users once again. If you continue to experience any issues with the Sign Up tool, please reach out to canvas@yale.e... read more
February 13, 2024
Instructure has reported major outages to Canvas through out the US. We are monitoring the issue and awaiting updates about a restoration of service. —- Update Canvas access has been fully restored according to the vendor, Instructure. The outage first became known at 11:54am EST, the issue and fix was identified by Instructure at 12:19pm EST, monitoring of the implemented fix began at 1:07pm EST, and the issue declared resolved at 2:36pm EST.     Thank you for your patience as we addressed this service outage. If you have any questions... read more
October 19, 2023
Anthology Ally will be undergoing scheduled maintenance to perform necessary updates. During the maintenance window, Ally features including Institutional and Course Reporting, Instructor Feedback, and Alternative Formats may be delayed or unavailable for short periods of time. Ally will still be handling events and new files, however, processing may also be delayed during this maintenance period. Maintenance will take place on Saturday, October 21 from 2:00 AM - 9:00 AM EST / 11:00 PM (Oct 20) - 6:00 AM PT.
October 12, 2023
Yale has created Spring 2024 FAS courses in Canvas. You can now edit your course site.  We invite you to take the following actions before Spring preference selection opens for students on November 1, 2023:  Post your syllabus in the “Syllabus” section Publish your course site. After you complete the two steps above, your course syllabus / expanded course description will become available to students through Yale Course Search within 2 hours. Canvas Training Opportunity Canvas 102: Semester Startup (Oct 27 @ 12:30 - 1:30pm EST) This one... read more
September 28, 2023
In consultation with instructors and technology experts at Yale and beyond, the Poorvu Center offers guidance on exploring how Generative AI works and suggestions about how to adapt your current teaching. We also offer advice for teaching fellows and a list of recommended reading. Additional resources include examples for incorporating AI into teaching from Yale instructors and resources from Poorvu Center events on teaching in the age of AI. Please see the following page for more information.
July 13, 2023
The Blackboard Ally integration that provides accessibility tools in Canvas is now functioning and properly generating accessibility reports, and alternative formats on all course materials. We thank you for your patience as this issue was resolved.
June 28, 2023
The Blackboard Ally integration that provides accessibility functionality in Canvas is currently experiencing issues with generating accessibility reports and alternative formats on course materials. The Educational Technology team that supports Canvas @ Yale is currently working with the Blackboard Ally vendor to resolve the issue. If a student needs immediate accessibility support during this service disruption, please contact sasat@yale.edu.
June 6, 2023
This one-day workshop will feature faculty and staff who will present and demonstrate instructional design within Canvas. Presenters will share through interactive sessions that showcase optimal use of Canvas for course engagement, organization and accessibility… Canvas Course Templates will be available for import, and sessions will encompass working open lab/ drop-in hours for faculty to work directly in their course sites.. . Friday, Aug 18, 9am-3pm (in person, food provided). — Event Details: https://yaleconnect.yale.edu/rsvp?id=2115614
March 30, 2023
Is the Canvas Gradebook a mystery to you? Do you often wonder what students can see once you grade their assignments? These are topics we will discuss in this workshop as well as understanding how to use Assignment Groups, the Grade Posting Policy, and much more! This workshop includes dedicated time for questions as well as a consultation with a member of the Educational Technology team. This workshop is via Zoom and will take place three times during the Spring 2023 semester: April 28th, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm May 11th, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm... read more
March 7, 2023
To FAS Faculty teaching Fall 2023 courses: Now that Yale Course Search is live for Fall 2023, Canvas course sites will be created on a rolling basis as departments offer courses.   In preparation for fall term registration activities, the FAS Dean’s Office requests that faculty who are teaching a Fall 2023 course to please post their Expanded Course Description by March 31 in their Canvas course site. The fall-term registration cycle begins with the opening of Preference Selection on April 3, while course registration begins on April 14 for... read more
December 12, 2022
The Poorvu Center’s Educational Technology team is hosting Canvas drop-in hours on December 12th and 13th. Drop-in hours will be held in person at the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning as well as via Zoom. The Educational Technology team can help you prepare your Canvas course for final exams, answer questions related to grading and the Canvas Gradebook, or answer questions regarding Spring 2023 course design. Event details and registration information can be found at Yale Connect.
October 12, 2022
Yale has created Spring 2023 FAS courses in Canvas. You can now edit your course site.  We invite you to take the following actions before Spring preference selection opens for students on November 1, 2022:  Post your syllabus in the “Syllabus” section Publish your course site. After you complete the two steps above, your course syllabus / expanded course description will become available to students through Yale Course Search within 2 hours. Further information about the expanded course description deadline and registration timeline will... read more
February 8, 2022
Take advantage of Gradescope’s online workshop series and learn how instructors are using Gradescope. This series will cover all Gradescope assignment types and course formats, including the LMS workflow. In the sessions, Gradescope will offer guidance on the delivery of assignments that are handwritten, fully online, and a combination of the two. Gradescope February 2022 Workshop Series Available sessions include: Gradescope for In-Person Teaching Friday, February 11, 9am PT / 12pm ET Tuesday, February 22, 11am PT / 2pm ET... read more
August 18, 2021
New Quizzes is now available in academic courses and sandbox sites.  The New Quizzes tool is an upgraded and improved quizzing tool which will eventually replace the current quiz feature in Canvas (“Classic Quizzes”).  As of August 2021, brand new quizzes can be created in either New Quizzes or Classic Quizzes and any existing quiz that was previously created in Classic Quizzes can be migrated into a New Quizzes version. Although Classic Quizzes is not going away immediately, New Quizzes will likely become the default quiz tool by Summer 2022... read more
July 16, 2021
The remaining Fall 2021 Canvas course sites will be created on Monday, July 19th.  If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at canvas@yale.edu.
March 31, 2021
Fall 2021 Yale College courses are now available in Canvas in preparation for early registration. You can now edit your course site.    If you do not see your course in Canvas, please contact your departmental registrar to ensure that your course has been offered.   Before the fall early registration period begins, instructors are invited to: Post your syllabus in the “Syllabus” section Publish your course site. After you complete the two steps above, your course syllabus will become available to students in Yale Course Search within 2 hours... read more
March 30, 2021
On Monday, March 29, 2021 all Yale College Fall 2021 course sites were created in Canvas in preparation for the Yale College early registration period.  If you are teaching a Yale College course this fall and do not see your course listed, please contact your departmental registrar to ensure that your course has been officially offered.   For more information about the Yale College registration process, please visit the Registration Website and the Registration Calendar Page. For information about when Graduate School and Professional School... read more
March 10, 2021
The Yale College Dean’s Office in coordination with the Yale University Registrar’s Office is rolling out a revised registration schedule which includes early registration for current Yale College Students in advance of the Fall 2021 semester. To facilitate the early registration process, Canvas course sites for Yale College Courses ONLY will be created on Monday, March 29, 2021.  For up to date information and details about the early registration and the registration process, please visit the Registration Website and the... read more
January 22, 2021
Pronouns can be set locally in Canvas through an individuals profile settings. These pronouns are local to Canvas, and need to be set if individuals wish to use this option. When enabled, pronouns will appear next to your name in many areas in Canvas.  To learn more, please see the following guide.
December 8, 2020
Please review the following article in our help guides for important updates to Canvas for Spring 2021, including information on significant changes to Canvas itself, and new External Applications.
February 19, 2020
In February 2020, Google will roll out an update to their Chrome browser that changes how third party cookies are handled.  This update, which was announced in May of last year, will provide a safer and more secure user experience when browsing content on the web, but it could have negative impacts on those websites/systems that are not prepared. The update specifically uses a feature called “SameSite Cookies” to restrict the ability for third-party to use cookies to track users across sites.  Any site which uses third-party cookies will need... read more
October 22, 2019
  The Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning has licensed Gradescope for use in Canvas, and as a result, all Yale instructors have access to the Gradescope Institutional plan. Institutional Plan Features include: Answer grouping: You can create groups of similar answers and grade all answers in the group simultaneously, for any question type. AI-assisted Grading: This will automatically generate groups of answers for you, which cuts grading time by 75% or more. This is currently available for multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank math, and... read more
October 22, 2019
  Learn more about PlayPosit, now fully integrated into Canvas! PlayPosit is a tool that allows you to transform passive video into interactive, learning-focused experience. We’ve all been there: We integrated videos into our program because we’ve read that they work. They’re supposed to lead to better learner performance and success. But how can you tell if students are actually learning from the video? Are they engaged in the assignment? Or are they just hitting the play button and then opening another tab? PlayPosit’s platform... read more
August 27, 2019
    Canvas users will notice that we have implemented Ally, an accessibility scanning and remediation tool, in our Learning Management System. If you select the colored dials next to documents and other media in your Canvas course sites you’ll be provided an accessibility score for that item, along with instructions on how to improve the file’s score. For more information about Ally, check out this quick video, which highlights some of its features, or visit Canvas’s Ally help documentation.
July 22, 2019
We have updated our Zoom external application to the latest Zoom Pro LTI version.  Please check out our External App: Zoom help article for details!
May 3, 2019
Canvas @ Yale drop in hours are beginning for quick consultations. Join us at Poorvu Center Welcome Desk and we will be available to answer all you Canvas related questions from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on select days. Registration is not required but is encouraged. Please see link below for more information!
April 22, 2019
Register now for the 2019 Canvas @ Yale Lightning Talks!  This year’s theme is Strategies for Inclusivity and Engagement.  For more information, please check out our Canvas @ Yale Lightning Talks website. Event Date:  Wednesday, May 1, 2019 Event Time:  11am - 1pm Location:  Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning - Rooms 120 A & 120 B Address:  301 York Street, New Haven CT Please register to ensure an accurate headcount!
December 10, 2018
With Spring 2019 course sites now created in Canvas, instructors can now prepare their materials for the upcoming semester.  Part of this preparation includes ensuring that your Syllabus appears in Yale Course Search by completing these two steps: Post your syllabus in your course site’s “Syllabus” tool. Publish your course site. For other information, please check out these helpful links: Beginning of term checklist Copy content from your old Canvas course into your new Canvas course Spring 19 Educational Technology Tool Pilots... read more
November 30, 2018
For Spring 2019, the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning will conduct a series of Educational Technology Pilots.  Many of these pilots are third party integrations with Canvas.  Please check out our Technology Pilots page to learn more about some of these tools including: Gradescope - an online grading platform that helps accommodate large class grading and distributed grading. NoteBowl - a discussion board tool with custom auto-grading features and a Bulletin where students can post anonymously. PlayPosit - an interactive assessment tool... read more
November 9, 2018
The Yale Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) seeks an Assistant Director of Educational Technology who will bring excitement and energy to advanced level support for Yale’s Learning Management Systems (Canvas).
October 10, 2018
Check out our course, The Science of Well Being, featured in @Coursera’s roundup for World Mental Health Awareness Day. https://bit.ly/2NfF44O  #WorldMentalHealthDayhttps://twitter.com/coursera/status/1050057185483313154 …
September 24, 2018
The Mid-Semester Feedback Instructor Tool was released Friday, September 21st to the instructors of participating schools! Check out our #CanvasAtYale guides on Mid-Semester Feedback FAQ, https://buff.ly/2MXMk5e  and Instructor Documentation, https://buff.ly/2xCoCGH .
September 14, 2018
Sign up today for the @1stgenyale inaugural @yalealumni webinar “Making Unconscious Bias Conscious” #yalealumni #dei #webinar https://buff.ly/2x8Ly05 pic.twitter.com/htIA1zszbv
September 10, 2018
Did you know that in Canvas you can assign Peer Reviews for assignments? To learn more, visit us at the CTL located at 301 York Street, September 11th, from 2:00-2:30! Register here: https://buff.ly/2M796XX 
September 9, 2018
Are you interesting in learning more about Canvas? Stop by for the #CanvasAtYale workshop this Monday, September 10th, to review Canvas basics for designing your course! Reserve your spot here: https://buff.ly/2Cwz4V8
September 7, 2018
Drop in hours will be closing today at 12pm. Please visit us next week between 10am-12pm at the CTL! The #CanvasAtYale team is here to answer your questions!
August 30, 2018
#CanvasAtYale drop-in hours continue today through September 14th! We are here to answer your questions Monday-Friday from 10am-2pm at the Center for Teaching and Learning.
August 24, 2018
We're looking forward to the STEM Education Seminar Series. Starting on September 28 with Dr. Keivan Stassun of @VanderbiltU. He will present: Toward Inclusive Excellence: Increasing Ph.D. Attainment in the Physical Sciences for Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilitiespic.twitter.com/bUmd3aAR5G
August 24, 2018
Drop in hours continue! Visit us to have your Canvas questions answered by one of our #CanvasAtYale team members! We will be at the front desk of the CTL at 301 York Street from 10am-2pm, until September 14th! See you here!
August 22, 2018
Missed the Getting Started workshop yesterday? No problem, we have many more scheduled! Visit us today to learn more about Canvas! View our full schedule of workshops here: https://buff.ly/2N3r0fx  #CanvasAtYale
August 21, 2018
Ever feel like there is more to know about Canvas? Join us for our #CanvasAtYale Getting Started workshop! We will go over posting your syllabus, creating assignments, discussions, course settings, and much more! Register here, or just drop in! https://buff.ly/2Mqi7Am 
August 20, 2018
The #CanvasAtYale Tool Series begins today! Join us to learn more about how you can use Canvas to make the most of your site for your students! Register here: https://buff.ly/2LaqWsh 
August 20, 2018
Canvas drop in hours begin today! The #CanvasAtYale team is here to help you answer any questions you have about your Canvas course site. See you here at 301 York street anytime from 10am-2pm, Monday-Friday!  
August 13, 2018
Do you have questions for the #CanvasAtYale team? Email us at Canvas@Yale.edu, visit our help guides https://buff.ly/2P16mxK , or schedule a consultation https://buff.ly/2KGZKRW
August 8, 2018
#CanvasAtYale Drop in hours will begin August 20th! We will be available to answer all of your Canvas related questions from 10am-2pm, Monday-Friday, from August 20th-September 7th. We can't wait to see you there!
August 7, 2018
Transferring content from a previous semester into a current semester? Follow this step-by-step help guide for more information! https://buff.ly/2M7mbV1  #CanvasAtYale
July 27, 2018
Muneer Ahmad, Deputy Dean for Experiential Education, Clinical Professor of Law, and Director, Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization, champions the immersive role that clinics play in legal education: https://ctl.yale.edu/TeachingExcellence/MuneerAhmad …pic.twitter.com/Acv3A5eIrF
June 7, 2018
Watch the #CanvasAtYale Lightning Talks here: https://buff.ly/2LqU9QC  Presentation topics range from using Modules in Canvas, to fostering community within Canvas. You don't miss this great presentations!
June 5, 2018
Missed the #CanvasAtYale Lightning Talks? No problem! Watch it here: https://buff.ly/2LqU9QC 
May 1, 2018
Join us for the #CanvasAtYale Lightning Talks tomorrow from 1pm-3pm at the Yale Center for Teaching and Learning! Register here: https://buff.ly/2KqWMCj  We look forward to seeing you there!
March 20, 2018
You can now create announcements specific for each section within your course. Read more about how to use this feature in our #CanvasAtYale help guides, https://buff.ly/2FSeETD.
February 19, 2018
Student view is now accessible from the Home Page as well as from the Settings tab within your Canvas course! #CanvasAtYale
January 19, 2018
#CanvasAtYale drop-in hours are here! Visit us at 301 York Street, 10am - 4pm to get your Canvas questions answered!
December 12, 2017
Do you have Canvas questions you would like answered? Visit us at Canvas drop-in hours at the CTL, 301 York Street. The #CanvasAtYale team will be here from 10am-4pm, until December 21st!
October 31, 2017
#CanvasAtYale workshops resume tomorrow. Register today! https://buff.ly/2A18Wwq 
October 19, 2017
Join us for a lunchtime CTL Tech Talk with Dr. Jim Rolf on Wed. Oct. 25. #CanvasAtYale Register today: https://t.co/mu8s87BqnR
October 16, 2017
Midterm #CanvasAtYale drop-in hours will be available 11 am - 1 pm every day this week in the CTL Lobby, 301 York Street.
March 10, 2017
New Tools Email Lists - This tool, similar to the Email Archive tool in Classes*v2, generates an email address for you to use to connect with the users in your course. Please see the article How do I use the Email Lists tool? for additional information.   Anonymous Feedback - We have created a special tool to mirror the Anonymous Feedback tool in Classes*v2. This tool can now be found in the course navigation for all Yale College courses. Please see the article Anonymous Feedback Tool for additional information. Featured External App Piazza is... read more
February 28, 2017
Canvas @ Yale and Media Library (Panopto) was unavailable due to the AWS S3 outage on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 from 12:35pm - 3:45pm.  This impacted everyone’s access to Canvas during this time, including students attempting to access their course sites. We maintained an alert on our login page during this outage to keep the community informed.
February 2, 2017
Announcement The Canvas learning management system experienced a disruption of service on January 31 from approximately 4:40 p.m. to 11 p.m. that prevented some students from accessing their courses during that time. We apologize for any impact this had on their teaching and learning, and this issue is now resolved. Spotlight: Canvas Discussion for Collaboration Learning Students may not have frequent opportunities to see and learn from their peers’ approach to problem solving. In this spotlight, Jessica Helfand explains how she leverages the... read more
January 13, 2017
Announcement Spring 2017 course sites are available. Please see the Beginning of Term Checklist to get started on your course site. Spotlight: Getting Started with Canvas French lector Matuku Ngame talks about his initial experience making the transition to Canvas. Read the article Getting Started with Canvas. New Feature: Course Home Page Announcements If a course has a content page set as the course home page, instructors can now display a specified number of recent announcements at the top of the page. Register for an Upcoming Workshop... read more
December 1, 2016
Announcement Spring 2017 courses will be created in Canvas in early December. Please keep an eye out for an announcement in Canvas and a separate email stating that the courses are available. Spotlight: Low-stakes Quizzing in Canvas Yale lector Julia Titus has explored how she can use Canvas to create quizzes and to provide students with regular feedback throughout the semester in her Russian language courses. Read the article Low-stakes Quizzing in Canvas. Tip: Broken Links Are your students telling you that a link on your course site is not... read more
November 3, 2016
New Features You can now manually collapse the Global Navigation Menu to hide the menu text. All items with a due date now display in the “To Do” list on your Dashboard. Tip: Video Assignments You can create video assignments using Media Library. Video assignments allow students to upload videos that they have recorded or created directly to a media library folder, or to a “no submission” assignment to use in conjunction with “SpeedGrader.” Please see the Canvas @ Yale article: How do I create a video assignment? Tip: Broken Links Are your... read more
October 13, 2016
Canvas Transition Progress Yale instructors have adopted Canvas at a much faster rate than we had initially predicted, with more than 40% of active course sites using Canvas for fall 2016. Canvas is supporting 802 fall courses taught by 803 instructors and 633 teaching assistants (known as Teaching Fellows), with more than 8,600 students using the platform. We are well on our way to 100% Canvas adoption by fall 2017. Read more: “First Semester of Canvas Sees High Adoption Rate” Update: Accessibility Canvas has added an Underline Links option,... read more
September 22, 2016
Welcome to the first edition of the Canvas @ Yale Update. As you have a vested interest in the learning management system transition, we hope to share valuable information with you to create a positive experience with the new Learning Management System (LMS) at Yale.   Tip The Canvas @ Yale transition team recommends that you update your notification settings on the new LMS platform. We have created the following guides to help you navigate these changes to your settings: Faculty (and instructors) recommended notification settings Student... read more
August 5, 2016
Canvas instructors will notice a number of exciting changes for fall 2016, including: A new user interface The popular “Photo Roster” tool from Classes*v2, now available to TFs Canvas accounts for all active NetIDs Syllabus integration with the Registrar’s Online Course Information system, and Umbrella sites for multi-section course groups.   New User Interface The new user interface offers improved ease of navigation to Canvas’s most important tools for course management, and it has been specially designed to display well on a variety... read more
May 5, 2016
Canvas is getting a new look, just in time for the 2016 summer session! The new user interface offers improved ease of navigation to Canvas’s most important tools for course management, and it has been specially designed to display well on a variety of screen sizes, including mobile devices. The screenshot below highlights the two most significant changes: the Dashboard (1) and the Global Navigation Menu (2). The Dashboard defaults to the course view, which provides easy access and activity notifications for your favorite courses. Each... read more
May 4, 2016
The Yale Center for Teaching & Learning hosted its first “Canvas Open House” event on Tuesday, May 3 from 2 – 4 p.m. inside the Hall of Graduate Studies. Despite the cold, rainy weather outside, nearly two dozen faculty, librarians, and other academic staff members visited the event to learn more about the Canvas learning management system! Several CTL staff members were on hand to demonstrate Canvas’ features and guide faculty through a hands-on tour of the platform. This was the first of scores of events the CTL will host over the next... read more
April 21, 2016
The Canvas transition was highlighted in April 18th’s edition of the Yale Daily News: Beginning in fall 2017, Yale will officially replace learning management system Classes*v2 with Canvas. Following the review of a pilot program last fall in which 71 classes tested the course management software as a possible substitute for the aging Classes*v2, the Learning Management System Steering Committee — composed of administrators, professors and graduate students —recommended in February that the University switch to Canvas. Read the full article... read more
April 7, 2016
A message from Scott Strobel, Deputy Provost for Teaching & Learning Welcome to Canvas @ Yale, the campus community’s information hub during our transition to Canvas as the centrally-supported learning management system at Yale. Read more about why we need to replace ClassesV2 Review the results of the comprehensive fall 2015 pilot Learn about advantages of the Canvas platform The transition to Canvas is not just a technology project, it is a teaching and learning initiative. Over the next 18 months, the majority of you will be... read more
April 2, 2016
In this production release (April 2), admins can manage courses in their accounts with a new storage report, manage users with two permission changes, and edit global announcements. They are also notified when they are using the Theme Editor with High Contrast Styles. Instructors can view calculation improvements in the Gradebook and Quizzes, access student analytics directly from the People page, and more accurately reply to group comments in SpeedGrader.  All users benefit from improvements to Notifications and the Assignments submission... read more
In hybrid course, traditional strategies expand and extend beyond their natural enviroment when integrated effective technology based tools. Specifically, courses that are well-organized help students be motivated, perform well, and persevere. Digital courses can be designed in a variety of rich ways by instructors to foster student motivation and improve prospects for more efficient learning. The development of conceptual awareness, the ability to synthesize information, and the start of knowledge construction can all be aided by a course... read more