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Canvas Release Notes (2019-05-11)

Canvas Release Notes (2019-05-11)

Upcoming Canvas Changes

Internet Explorer 11: August 3

On August 3, Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported as a Canvas browser.

New Gradebook: January 18

On 18 January 2020, the existing Canvas Gradebook will be replaced with the New Gradebook. 

For more information, please see Upcoming Canvas Changes‌.

In this Canvas release (May 11), instructors enrolled in courses associated with a trust account can copy those courses using the Course Import Tool.

Feature Options

  • The Canvas Parent feature option has been removed from Canvas.
  • For institutions using the New Gradebook, Final Grade Overrides are displayed in the Student Context Card.

External Tools (LTI)

  • For institutions using the Quizzes.Next LTI, the Canvas beta environment supports most Quizzes.Next features.

Release notes also include API updates and fixed bugs.

Release notes describe upcoming Canvas functionality and are subject to change.

 

Feature Options

The following feature options are addressed in this release:

  • Account: Canvas Parent (removed)
  • Course: Final Grade Override

Canvas release summary by user roleCanvas New Release ScreencastCanvas Release Collaborative ChatCanvas API Change Log


Release Notes Change Log

Updated Features

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Account Settings

Canvas Parent Feature Option Removal

 

Affected Canvas Areas

Account Settings - Feature Options

Beta/Test Environment Support

Yes

Permissions

Feature Options - enable / disable

Affects User Interface

Yes

Affected User Roles

Admins

Feature Enhancement Ideas

Existing Account Settings feature ideas

Specified Tag for Feature Ideas

Account Settings

 

Summary

The Canvas Parent feature option has been removed from Canvas. Functionality has been replaced by pairing codes. 

Change Benefit

This change allows admins to not have to control access to the Canvas Parent app, as the feature option no longer manages access. If a user has an observer account, that observer can access the Canvas Parent app.

Affected User Roles & Behaviors

Admins

The Feature Options tab in Account Settings no longer includes the Canvas Parent feature option. Users can only access the Canvas Parent app if they have an observer account and have a pairing code. For more information about pairing codes, please see the Pairing Codes - Frequently Asked Questions PDF.

Previously, the Canvas Parent app operated on a platform that allowed any user to create an account and link to a student if the user had the student’s credentials.

Course Import

Trust Account Course Copy

 

Location to Enable Feature                     

Course Import

Configuration Details

Trust Account (contact Customer Success Manager)

Affected Canvas Areas

Course Import

Beta/Test Environment Support

Yes

Permissions

Course Content - add / edit / delete

Related APIs

Content Migrations API

Affects User Interface

Yes

Affected User Roles

Instructors

Feature Enhancement Ideas

Existing Course Import feature ideas

Specified Tag for Feature Ideas

Course Import

 

Summary

Instructors enrolled in courses associated with a trust account can copy those courses using the Course Import Tool.

Change Benefit

This change allows instructors to copy courses where they are enrolled from another account. This option is currently limited to accounts located in the same region.

Affected User Roles & Behaviors

Instructors

Instead of creating two separate accounts and merging them together, a trust relationship allows separate Canvas accounts to share user identities, so a user can log in to one account and access courses from both accounts. When an instructor accesses a course that is associated with a trust account, that course can be copied in the Course Import Tool. Courses available for course copy are based strictly on enrollment; courses do not provide any indication that they are associated with a trust account.

The Course Import Tool includes the same functionality as with other courses; if the course account contains fewer than 100 courses, the Course Copy option displays a drop-down of all available courses that can be copied. Accounts with over 100 courses display a search menu.

New Gradebook

Student Context Card and Final Grade Override

Location to Enable Feature                                                                  

New Gradebook, Individual Gradebook, Account Settings - Student Context Card Feature Option

Configuration Details

New Gradebook Feature Option

Final Grade Override Feature Option

Student Context Card Feature Option

Affected Canvas Areas

New Gradebook, SpeedGrader, Student Grades, Student Context Card

Related APIs

Enrollments API

Affects User Interface

Yes

Affected User Roles

Instructors

Feature Enhancement Ideas

Existing New Gradebook feature ideas

Specified Tag for Feature Ideas

gradebook_new

 

Summary

Final Grade Overrides are displayed in the Student Context Card.

Change Benefit

This change allows Final Grade Overrides to be included in the Student Context Card.

Affected User Roles & Behaviors

Graders

When a course has enabled the Final Grade Override option in the New Gradebook Setting Menu, and the Student Context Card feature option is also enabled, clicking a student’s name in the New Gradebook (or any course location with a link to a student’s name) displays the override grade as the student’s grade. When an override is not set for a student, the Student Context Card displays the final grade.

Quizzes.Next

Beta Environment Support

Location to Enable Feature                     

Quizzes.Next

Configuration Details

Quizzes.Next LTI

Affected Canvas Areas

Quizzes.Next

Beta Environment Support

Available after the 2019-05-11 Canvas release

Affects User Interface

No

Affected User Roles

Instructors, Admins (+ other users allowed Beta access)

Feature Enhancement Ideas

Existing quizzes.next feature ideas

Specified Tag for Feature Ideas

quizzes.next

Summary

The Canvas beta environment supports most Quizzes.Next features. However, reports, statistics, and item bank search and tagging are not supported.

 

Change Benefit

This feature allows users to view most Quizzes.Next features in the Canvas beta environment instead of waiting for production releases.

Affected User Roles & Behaviors

Instructors, Admins

Instructors, admins, and other users with access can create, manage, and take Quizzes.Next assessments in the Canvas beta environment. The beta environment is refreshed every Saturday with data from the production environment.

If data changes are made directly in the beta environment, please be aware of the following exceptions:

  • Quizzes.Next reports, statistics, item bank search, and item bank tagging are not currently supported in the beta environment.
  • Outcomes added to Canvas in the beta environment after the beta refresh will not display in the Quizzes.Next beta environment. Outcomes must be added to the production environment to display in the beta environment.

Other Updates

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Files

Restricted Access Permissions Interface 

 

Location to Enable Feature

N/A                                                                  

Configuration Details

Files

Affected Canvas Areas

Files

Beta/Test Environment Support

Yes

Permissions

Course Files - add / edit / delete

Related APIs

Files API

File Uploads API Page

Affects User Interface

Yes

Affected User Roles

Instructors

 

Summary

The Restricted Access files interface has been simplified in page design and includes individual icons for each permission type. However, no functionality has been affected.

Change Benefit

This change more clearly defines the two options offered for files set with restricted access.

Affected User Roles & Behaviors

Instructors

When permissions for a file are modified, the Files menu displays the Permissions window and includes a simplified interface. The Restricted Access options have been streamlined into two separate options and include individual icons for each permission type.

Before and After views of the Files Restricted Access interface

The icon for the specified option is reflected in the Files list.

Updated view of new icons in Files page

Platform/Integration

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API

API Change Log

Adjustments have been made to the following APIs as noted in the API Documentation change log:

  • Assignments API

  • SIS Imports API

  • Users API

Fixed Bugs

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Accessibility

Global Navigation

The Inbox counter can be read by screen readers.

Syllabus

Syllabus items can be identified by screen readers.

API

Update Authentication Provider API

The Update Authentication Provider API includes the required auth_type parameter.

Explanation: When a user viewed the Update Authentication Provider API, the example call did not include the required auth_type parameter. Canvas code has been updated to include the missing parameter in the example.

Assignments

External Tool (LTI) Submissions

When four or more external tools are enabled for a course, External Tool assignments can be submitted using the More tab.

Explanation: When an assignment was submitted using an external tool (LTI), and four or more LTI tools were enabled for the course, submitting the assignment using the More tab would not submit the assignment. Canvas code has been updated to correct behavior when uploading an assignment using the More tab.

Blueprint Courses

Rich Content Editor and File Links

File paths created in pages by linking files from the Rich Content Editor are retained in course copies.

Explanation: When a Blueprint course includes a file linked in pages using the Rich Content Editor, the page displayed a direct link to the file. When the course was copied to an associated course, the file path to the link was updated to the main folder in the course, which broke the link. Canvas code has been updated to retain file paths created from the Rich Content Editor in Blueprint syncs.

Course Settings

Arc Content and Course Link Validator

The Course Link Validator does not identify embedded Arc content as broken links.

Explanation: When Arc media was embedded in a course, the link validator identified the content as broken and noted that non-existent content was referenced in the resource. Canvas code has been updated to not identify Arc content as broken links.

Dashboard

To Do Grading Counts

Grading count notifications are only visible to users whose section(s) require submission grading.

Explanation: When an instructor was limited to participate in a specific section, and a student from a different section submitted an assignment, the instructor was notified that a submission needed to be graded. Canvas code has been updated to confirm an instructor’s participation before displaying grading count notifications.

DocViewer

Stylus Action Button

In DocViewer, the stylus action button is not required for point, free draw, free text, or area annotation types.


Explanation: When a user used a stylus in DocViewer, all annotation types required the action button, which did not align with typical stylus usage. DocViewer code has been updated to better align stylus usage with expected behavior. Note that users will still need to press the stylus action button to use the highlight or strikeout annotation types. When using Google Chrome, users can still scroll through pages using their finger. Scrolling with your finger is currently only supported in Edge when in Selection mode.

Rubrics

Range Criterion Overlap

The Range Criterion feature does not affect the height of the rubric sidebar.

Explanation: When a rubric range included an excess amount of ratings, the rubric sidebar could overlap the rubric body on lower resolution screens and prevent the Edit and Delete buttons from being used. Canvas code has been updated to restrict the height of the sidebar to prevent overlap.

Saved Rubric Comments Scrollbar

Rubrics that include saved comments through the Free-form Comments option display all comments in the sidebar.

Explanation: When a rubric included five or more saved free-form rubric comments, the sidebar did not display a scrollbar to view all comments. Canvas code has been updated to allow all comments to be viewed in the sidebar.

Release Notes Change Log

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Date
2019-05-10

 Added—Fixed Bugs

  • Assignments: External Tool (LTI) Submissions
2019-05-08

 Removed—Fixed Bugs

  • Accessibility: For Conversations, removed "In the Compose window, the bottom text is not cut off of long conversations when focus is lost."
2019-05-08

 Removed—Updated Features

  • Quizzes.Next: In Affected User Roles & Behaviors, removed Quizzes.Next quiz questions cannot be used with SpeedGrader.
2019-05-06                   

Added—Fixed Bugs

  • DocViewer: Stylus Action Button 

Changed—Updated Features

  • Quizzes.Next: In Affected User Roles & Behaviors, added Quizzes.Next quiz questions cannot be used with SpeedGrader.
2019-04-29Release Notes Published

Change Log

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