Stacked or Combined courses are Canvas courses made up of sections which are each listed in the same department. Instructors of Record (IORs) can create stacked or combined courses if they are the IOR for each of the sections: 

1. Log in to  ORCA  with your TAMU NetID and Password.
2. Click Semester Courses, then click Request Combined Course. A list of your current semester courses will appear under Course Request. 
3. Select the checkbox for all the sections to create the combined course then select  Next. Courses can be selected for the same Subject and Course Number or across Subjects if needed. 
4. On the Request Confirmation page, the selected sections will appear. The Title field will fill in with the title of the first course selected by default. Change the title to the title of the newly created combined course.  
   Note: The combined course may appear right away but may not have the course template applied. Wait a few minutes, refresh the course, and it will appear.  
5. To view your Combined Courses in ORCA, select Semester Courses, then View Semester Courses.

There are two 2 options for creating a stacked course from sections with different instructors from the same department. 

Option #1:  Contact your department’s Academic Liaisons with the following information:  

• List all the course sections to be merged (Subject, Course Number, and Section Number) 
• New Title of the stacked course (this will apply to all merged course sections) 

 
Option #2: Submit a request with the Office for Academic Innovation Service Desk by emailing aihelp@tamu.edu, including written consent from ALL instructors with sections to be merged OR written consent from the Department Head.

Cross-listed courses are Canvas courses made up of sections which are not listed in the same department. Individual or multiple Instructors of Records (IORs) can create cross-listed courses. 
Contact the Office for Academic Innovation with the following information: 

• Written consent from ALL instructors with the course sections to be merged OR written consent from the Department Heads. 
• A list of all course sections to be merged (Subject, Course Number, and Section Number). 
• A new Title for the cross-listed course (this will apply to all merged course sections)

All individuals associated with a course in Canvas are required to have completed FERPA and Information Security Awareness training in TrainTraq. This includes Canvas course associate roles (Lead TA, TA, Designer, Grader, Grade Submitter).

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• FERPA Training – TrainTraq Training #11012
• Information Security Awareness Training – TrainTraq Training #3001

 
FERPA training will need to be recertified every four years. Information Security Awareness training will need to be recertified every year.
Those who have not completed these trainings will be listed as "Training Required" when added through ORCA. Upon completion of the required trainings, the individual will be added to the section(s) in the respective course associate role. 
 

1. Via Compass

With assistance of your Department Scheduler, the course associate roles can be added and will appear in Canvas during the daily feeds. Adding through Compass will require the two TrainTraq trainings listed above.

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2. Via ORCA 

Course Instructors and Academic Liaisons can add course associate roles using the steps below. Adding through ORCA will require the two TrainTraq trainings listed above.

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Course associates who have not completed these trainings will be listed as Training Required when added through ORCA. Upon completion of these trainings, the individual will be added to the section in their respective role. Please allow up to 24 hours after successfully completing both​trainings for the individual to appear in the Canvas section(s).

Through ORCA, you can manage a user’s enrollments by changing their existing role, adding them to additional sections or removing them from a section. ORCA also has the ability to limit enrollments to a Duplicate section.

 
Users can only be assigned ONE role per course (for the exception of Grade Submitter). Issues accessing content might occur if multiple roles assigned to a user in a course. 

Enroll a Course Associate Role

1. Log in to ORCA with your TAMU NetID and Password.
2. From the landing page, select Courses then Enrollments.
    Note: A list of additional members already added to course sections will appear on this page.
3. If the individual you are trying to add does not appear in this list, select Add Enrollment. In the UIN field, input
    the user's UIN. 
4. Select the Tab key on the keyboard to move to the next field as the individual's information should automatically
    fill in. In the Role column, select the down arrow and select the desired role from the drop-down menu.
5. Click Search Sections to display current course sections. 
6. Select which section the user needs to be added to by clicking the box next to the course name. If the user only needs to be added to a Duplicate section, select ONLY the Duplicate sections needed. Duplicate sections will contain “.DUP#” in the CRN column.
7. Scroll down and click Select. Select Add to submit. 

On the Enrollments page, the individual's Status will appear: 

• Training Required: The user has not completed one or both of the required TrainTraq trainings. If an individual is required to complete FERPA and/or Information Security Awareness training, indicators will appear in red at the top of the Edit Enrollments page in ORCA.
• Pending: The user has completed the required training and will be added to the section(s) during the next process of enrollments. The user should appear within 30-60 minutes in the Canvas section(s).
• Ready: The user will now appear in the Canvas section.

If after 24 hours the individual’s status is Ready and they do not appear in your People list in Canvas, please contact Canvas Support and request a ticket be opened with Texas A&M University support. Please include the section, user's UIN, and the date/time you added them through ORCA.

*If an individual is requiring FERPA and/or Information Security Awareness training, indicators will appear in red at the top of the Edit Enrollments page in ORCA

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Remove a User from a Section

1. Log in to ORCA  with your TAMU NetID and Password
2. Click on Enrollments. 
3. If a user already appears in the Enrollments list through ORCA, select Edit under the Actions column.
4. The user’s information will appear at the top of the Edit Enrollment box and the current section enrollments will appear below.
5. Select the # selected box to see which sections the user is added to: 
6. If the section shows (Compass), this means that the user was added through Compass and cannot be edited through ORCA. Please contact your Department Scheduler to make updates for this user.
7. To remove the user, click on the dropdown menu under Sections with the # Section. Click on the section you would like to remove the user from. The selection will change from an X at the end to a +.
8. Click Save. 

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Change a User’s Existing Role

1. Log in to ORCA with your TAMU NetID and Password
2. Click on Enrollments. 
3. If a user already appears in the Enrollments list through ORCA, select Edit under the Actions column.
4. The user’s information will appear at the top of the Edit Enrollment box and the current section enrollments will appear below.
5. From the Sections column, select the # selected box to see which sections the user is added to: 
6. If the section shows (Compass), this means that the user was added through Compass and cannot be edited through ORCA. Please contact your Department Scheduler to make updates for this user.
7. From the dropdown menu, select the new role. Click Save. 

The individual requesting access for the non-employee in the course will need to complete the following: 

1. Join the distribution list from TrainTraq by emailing TrainTraqHelp@tamus.edu to request joining the mailing list. From this mailing list, you will be sent additional information to provide the non-employee. 
2. The individual completing training via TrainTraq will download a copy of their training certification and provide these to the individual who requested the training.  
3. Maintain a copy of these certifications for as long as the non-employee is enrolled in a course associate role in a course in Canvas AND until the Certified TAMUS Retention Schedule is met. 
4. Send a completed .CSV file using the Non-Employee Course Associate Template to the Office for Academic Innovation. 

1. Navigate to TrainTraq External Gateway.   
2. You will be prompted to type in your email address and a password. Use your NetID@tamu.edu if possible. The password is provided by TrainTraq and can be obtained by the individual requesting to complete the training.    
3. A list of courses will appear. Search for Course Number 11012 (FERPA) or 3001 (Information Security Awareness). 
4. Select the course name and click Start. 
5. You will be prompted to provide some information about yourself, such as your name, employer, TAMUS Member, and how you heard about the course. The information you provide is what is displayed on your completion certificate. 
6. Click Start Course. 
7. Once you receive your training certificates, send it to the individual requesting the training so they can submit the verification on your behalf. 

Training that is taken through TrainTraq’s external gateway does NOT sync with the Canvas/ORCA system. Due to this the professor is responsible for maintaining a copy of these certifications for as long as the non-employee is in a course associate role within Canvas AND until the Certified TAMUS Retention Schedule is met.

In order to give non-employees course associate roles, the training completion CSV document is manually entered into the system by the Office for Academic Innovation. Before entering in the CSV, the professor must confirm the training has been completed by the non-employee and state that that they are responsible for retaining the records of the non-employee trainings.

To do this the professor is responsible for sending a completed .CSV file using the Non-Employee Course Associate Template to the Office for Academic Innovation. 

After you have received the training certificates from the Non-employee, proceed with filling out the Non-Employee Course Associate Template.

1. Fill in the CSV exactly as follows otherwise the CSV will not be able to be used to manually enrolled the individuals training statuses.
   • Enter the Students UIN under the “StudentUIN” column
   • Enter the Students First and Last name under the “StudentName” column
   • Enter the Students TAMU email under the “StudentEmail” column
   • Enter ONE training course ID under the “CourseId” column
     • The course ID will be one of the following:
       • 11012 for the FERPA Training
       • 3001 for the Information Security Awareness training
   • Enter  the score that the student received on the training under the “Score” column
   • Enter the date that the student completed the training under the “CompletionDate” column (It must be in the following format: MM/DD/YYYY)
   • Enter the “VerifiedUserUIN” with the individuals UIN that is responsible for maintaining a copy of these certifications for as long as the non-employee is in a course associate role within Canvas and until the Certified TAMUS Retention Schedule is met.
   • Repeat this process for each student’s individual training, making use there is only one student and one training per row.
   • Lastly, save the file as a CSV other wise it will not be able to be uploaded into the system.
2. Email the completed CSV to the Office for Academic Innovation.

Below are the steps to request a duplicate section of a course: 

1. Log in to ORCA with your TAMU NetID and Password.
2. Click Semester Courses, then click Request Duplicate Course.
3. Select the checkbox of each course you would like to duplicate. As each course is selected, the course details will appear below the table. 
4. Click Submit to request duplicate sections.

In Canvas, the duplicate section will appear named with the original course title along with “(DUPLICATE)”. The course ID will also have a “DUP#” to easily identify the section as a duplicate. You may need to wait at least 15-20 minutes before working in the duplicate course to make sure it has successfully loaded rosters and the Canvas course template. 

Important Note: Grades in duplicate sections CANNOT be imported from Howdy. If you have questions about grades in both the original Live Shell and Duplicate Course, please contact aihelp@tamu.edu for further assistance.

Students who would like to request an Incomplete for a course should communicate with the Instructor of Record (IOR). Both parties will discuss any necessary assignments, assessments, and activities that need to be completed.

IOR might propose that the student complete the course outside of the LMS. View Resolving Incompletes Outside of LMS section to learn more.

This self-service process will allow the IOR the ability to select and manage the course all within ORCA. This process has been created in line with Student Rule 7 with the ability for a course to be opened for the student that needs to resolve the incomplete up to the last class day of the next long semester. If a different date is needed, please contact the Office for Academic Innovation.

1. Log in to ORCA at https://orca.tamu.edu with your NetID and password.
2. From the main menu, select Incomplete Section.
3. Under Course Section, select the dropdown menu and select the section the student was originally enrolled.
4. Under Student, enter the student’s UIN or click Search Students to browse the roster from the selected course. Once the student is located, click Select on the left. The student’s name will auto-fill the rest of the fields for the Student section.
5. Under Incomplete Method, select the dropdown menu under Type, and select the option that best suits the situation:
   • Extension: will re-open the original course. This method is suggested if student has only 1 – 2 major assignments to submit.
   • Groupwork: will enroll the student to a current course section assigned to teach for purposes of groupwork activities (group assignments, peer review, discussions).
6. If Extension is selected, a dropdown menu will appear under Extension Deadline. Select the deadline that appears. This deadline is auto-populated with the last day of class of the next long semester, consistent with Student Rule X.
7. If Groupwork is selected, a dropdown menu will appear under Group Work Course. Select the current course section for the student to be enrolled in.
8. When done, click Next.
9. The next page will display a confirmation. Review the information on this page. To make edits, click Back. To save, click Submit.

Once the Incomplete (INC) section is created in Canvas, the IOR will then identify relevant course materials and assignments. Students should receive access to these materials and be assigned new due dates to resolve the incomplete separately from the rest of the course roster. A helpful way to assign to multiple students resolving an incomplete in the same section is to assign to the INC section and not the individual students.

Resources:
How do I assign an assignment to a course section?
How do I assign an assignment to an individual student?
 

Instructors can filter the Grades page to view only the INC section in Canvas.

1. From the course navigation, click on Grades.
2. Under View, choose Filter and click Section.
3. Filter by Incomplete (INC) section.
4. Instructors will then be able to view and grade incomplete students’ assignments. 

 
Resources:
How do I filter columns and rows in the Gradebook?
 

After the students resolving the incomplete submit the necessary requirements, instructors will grade the assessments in Canvas and submit a grade change request through Howdy.

At this time, please contact the Office for Academic Innovation Service Desk The Combined course should NOT be published if requesting these changes.

At this time, please contact the Office for Academic Innovation Service Desk with the Combined Course current name and the updated name needed.

At this time, please contact the Office for Academic Innovation Service Desk with the Course Subject and Number. The Development Shell will be a blank course with the course name and number.

No. Before a user can access our instance of Canvas, they will need a UIN. Contact Identity Management Office with the Division of Information Technology for instructions on how to obtain a UIN for the individual.

There are two potential routes you can get them added. Depending on the role the individual will need in the course, the method to add them may differ.
  
If you would like to request this user to be enrolled as a course teaching and learning role OR one of the 4 observer type roles, contact your designated department scheduler to have the individual added through Compass.   
 
If you would like to request this user to be enrolled as a course associate role, the instructor of record or Academic Liaison can add the individual to the course through ORCA. 

If you have an individual who displays a “Training Required” status in ORCA, this means either they have not taken the required FERPA and/or Information Security Training (ISA) or we need proof of them completing this training.  
 
TrainTraq is the designated system to deliver and record training. If someone is officially hired by the university, they should have access to TrainTraq by logging into sso.tamus.edu and selecting TrainTraq from their SSO Menu. They should search for the FERPA and ISA training by selecting the Course Catalog tab and entering the Course ID in the Course Number field. 

If The individual is not an employee, please refer to the Procedures for Non-Employee Training in TrainTraq section. 
 
Course IDs for required Training: 
11012 (FERPA)  
3001 (Information Security Awareness)