Category Archives: Course Hub

Canvas is here

We are pleased to announce that as of July 1, Canvas is officially live for the MIIS community! Faculty can now create Canvas resources for the fall 2016 term using the Course Hub. Course Hub is the Institute’s gateway to integrated digital resources and support for students and faculty. Canvas sites created via the Course Hub will sync student enrollment just like it does for Moodle.

If you would like to request a Canvas site for non-teaching purposes (working group, committee, or other administrative purpose), complete this non Course Hub Canvas Site Request form which will be directed to DLC staff and the MIIS Help Desk. Expect 2-3 business days for requests to be completed.

Recommended Training Resources & Migration Process

Creating Canvas Resources, Course Pages & Requesting Content Rollovers

Self-paced Training Resources

A course in Canvas with a focus on teaching in the Canvas environment. Created by the Office for Digital Learning in partnership with the Digital Learning Commons and Academic Technology. Working through this Canvas course is highly recommended for all faculty planning to transition from Moodle. Facilitated training opportunities hosted by the DLC will be based on this resource. Also, check out this blogpost for tips on using Canvas as a critical, pedagogical tool.

Facilitated Training Opportunities To Begin in August

The DLC will offer facilitated workshops and virtual training opportunities in August based on the Canvas Canvas curriculum. Stay tuned, and be sure to check the weekly Institute e-newsletter for scheduling announcements.

Canvas Transition Process & Background

The blogpost is part of a series of updates the DLC Team has shared with the MIIS community on the status of the Canvas adoption. Please refer to our June blogpost for more context and timeline considerations.

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Canvas (alternative to Moodle LMS) Adoption Proposal Under Review

A collaborative proposal for the adoption of Canvas, crafted and submitted by the Curricular Technology Team, a cross-departmental and -institutional advisory group which the DLC is a member of, was recently completed, posted to the Middlebury Canvas Pilot project website, and submitted for review by senior leadership.

The Institute pilot cohort represented 25% (9 of a total 38) participating courses from across Middlebury. Institute pilot coordinators, Bob Cole and Amy Slay, sincerely appreciate the participation and feedback of the faculty from GSTILE, GSIPM, and CACS (and their nearly 120 students):

Note: The Institute adopted the open source LMS Moodle back in 2008 as a self-hosted solution when First Class, the e-mail and course folder system, was de-commissioned. This was about three years before the College transitioned to Moodle, so we have been overdue for a review. Institute participation in the pilot reflects a strategic interest and on-going effort to “sync-up” planning and improve access to Middlebury’s cyber-infrastructure platforms and resources.

Review the Recommendation

We encourage Institute community members to review the recommendation to adopt Canvas as the alternative to Moodle, the current “learning management system” (LMS) at both the undergraduate College and Institute. Download a copy of the proposal here. The recommendation includes:

  • rationale for reviewing current LMS platforms and conducting the pilot
  • background on Canvas by Instructure in higher education
  • evaluation criteria as well as faculty and student feedback survey data considered in drafting the recommendation to adopt Canvas
  • implementation and support timeline for Fall 2016 adoption based on FY17 budget approval

Recommendation at a Glance:

  • Middlebury (including undergraduate College, Institute, and Language Schools) adopt Canvas as its LMS beginning the fall term 2016
  • Implementation planning to begin March 2016, contingent on FY17 budget approval
  • Canvas course site provisioning integrated through the Course Hub (as currently configured with Moodle) beginning July 2016
  • Moodle LMS to be maintained during transition to Canvas through 2016-17 fiscal year
  • Premier Tier 1 technical support (24/7/365 anytime chat, phone, e-mail, online guides) by Instructure is included in the adoption; e.g. Instructor Guides and Student Guides
  • Moodle course content migration and faculty training beginning July 2016 supported by Middlebury Academic Technology Group (ATG) and DLC
  • Moodle decommissioning June 2017
  • As per current policy, 2 years of course content archives to be maintained to support on-going course migration from Moodle to Canvas
  • Projected Moodle archive decommissioning between June-December 2018

Questions or Comments about the Recommendation?

Please direct your additional questions or comments about the Canvas pilot to the comments field on the Canvas Pilot Project site (scroll to the bottom of the post), or via e-mail to Bob Cole, Director of the Digital Learning Commons.

Curious about Canvas LMS Features?

We encourage you to reach out to Institute faculty or DLC Staff involved in the pilot project to discuss their experience with Canvas. We expect we will coordinate some conversations about the Canvas Project once we have a stronger sense of how the recommendation is received during budget planning review. You can also learn more about Canvas features here: https://www.canvaslms.com/higher-education/features

Spring 2016 Course Hub Sites Available

Course Hub sites for the latest version of the Spring 2016 academic course catalog are available online. When you login to the Course Hub at http://courses.miis.edu look for “Spring 2016” courses in your “My Semester Dashboard” menu to the left.

Here are the top tasks you can perform in Course Hub as you begin to prepare for the Spring term:

1. Check your Course Roster
Review a dynamic course roster with student names and headshots
Video: How To View Class Roster

2. Upload your Syllabus
Provide students with your course syllabus before the first day of class
Video: How to Add Course Syllabus to Course Hub

3. Link your Course to a New Moodle Site
Set up a new (empty of content) Moodle site for the Spring term. You need to do this step even if you are planning to import content from a previous term
Video: How to Add a Moodle Resource in Course Hub.

4. Link Your Course Hub to Library E-Reserves
Simplify student access to your course Library E-Reserves
Video: How to add a Link to Library E-Reserves

5. Import & Re-purpose your Moodle Course Content from a Previous Term
Import or “rollover” Moodle course content from a previous term into a new Moodle resource for the current term. Complete task #3 above before your import.
VIDEO: go.miis.edu/diyrollover

6. Join Multiple Sections of a Course to a Single Moodle Resource
Faculty teaching multiple sections of a course can join students in these sections to a single Moodle site to help streamline management of content, communications, and activities
Web: Step-by-Step Instructions to Link Multiple Sections

7. Make your Moodle Site Visible to Students
By default, when a new Moodle resource is added to your Course Hub, the site is set to “not available to students“.
Web: Step-by-Step instructions to Update Moodle Resource Visibility

Additional Assistance for Importing Moodle Course Content From Previous Terms –AKA “Rollover”
Returning faculty who teach with MIIS iLearn (Moodle) should be more or less familiar with the Moodle Course “rollover” process of importing archived course content from previous terms into a new Moodle site. To request additional assistance with your course archive import, use the Moodle Archive Import Request Form. Expect a 3-4 day turn around on these requests.

You may also direct questions to helpdesk@miis.edu or call Help Desk at (831) 647-6656.

Update Your Fall 2015 Course Hub Sites

Course Hub sites for the current version of the Fall 2015 academic course catalog are available online. When you login to the Course Hub at http://courses.miis.edu look for “Fall 2015” courses in the “My Semester Dashboard” menu to the left.

Check your Course Roster
Review a dynamic course roster with student names and headshots | Video: How To View Class Roster

Upload your Syllabus
Provide students with your course syllabus before the first day of class | Video: How to Add Course Syllabus to Course Hub

Add a Moodle Site via Course Hub
Add a new Moodle site for the current term, review the steps | Video: How to Add a Moodle Resource in Course Hub.

Link Your Course Hub to Library E-Reserves
Simplify student access to your course Library E-Reserves | Video: How to add a Link to Library E-Reserves

Import Course Content From Previous Terms
Import or “rollover” Moodle course content from a previous term into a Moodle resource for the current term |  VIDEO: go.miis.edu/diyrollover

Link Multiple Course Sections to a Single Moodle Resource
Faculty teaching multiple sections of a course can link students in these sections to a single Moodle site to help streamline content posting | Web: Step-by-Step Instructions to Link Multiple Sections

HELP DESK Assistance for Importing Moodle Course Content From Previous Terms – AKA “Rollover”
Returning faculty who teach with MIIS iLearn (Moodle) should be familiar with the Moodle Course “rollover” process of importing archived course content from previous terms into a new Moodle site. To request additional assistance with your course archive import, use the Moodle Archive Import Request Form. Expect a 3-4 day turn around on these requests.

You may also direct questions to helpdesk@miis.edu or call Help Desk at (831) 647-6656.

Spring 2015 Course Hub Sites Available for Moodle Rollovers/Imports

imgresCourse Hub sites for the current version of the Spring 2015 academic course catalog are now available online. When you login to the Course Hub at http://courses.miis.edu you will now see “Spring 2015” courses in the dashboard menu on the left. Please note that Fall 2014 courses will continue to appear when you click on “My Semester Dashboard” until the term is over.

Adding a new Moodle Site via Course Hub
To add a Moodle site, review the steps for Setting up a Moodle Resource in Course Hub.

Self-Service Steps For Importing Moodle Archives From Previous Terms
Last term we introduced a How-To Guide demonstrating and outlining the steps to complete the Moodle Course Archive Import process on your own. To fast track and complete this process on your own, watch the brief How-to Guide video and follow the steps for completing a Moodle course import: go.miis.edu/diyrollover

Assistance With Importing Moodle Course Content From Previous Terms – AKA “Rollover”
Returning faculty who teach with MIIS iLearn (Moodle) should be familiar with the Moodle Course “rollover” process of importing archived course content from previous terms into a new Moodle site. To request assistance with your course archive import, use the updated Moodle Archive Import Request Form. Expect a 3-4 day turn around on these requests.

You may direct questions to helpdesk@miis.edu or call Help Desk at (831) 647-6656.