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Learning Management System Texas A&M University Learning Management System
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Enhancing the Canvas Template


TAMU Canvas Template

The Texas A&M University template in Canvas has been designed and updated for ease of use by course instructors to enhance the student learning experience.  The template is automatically applied to all courses in Canvas to enhance the student experience. 

New! The Summer and Fall 2023 template includes:

•    Updated Syllabus page to allow faculty to stay up-to-date using the minimum syllabus requirements as approved by Faculty Senate.  
•   Refreshed look and feel for the Student Resource buttons on the homepage.   
•    Brand new Mental Health Resources button linked to a Page with quick access to mental health resources for students.
•    Removed the Week navigation buttons from homepage based on usage data and student feedback.  
•    Removed prompting text for the welcome message to allow faculty to easy adopt the homepage with efficiency in mind. 

Enhancing Template Buttons

Included in the template are buttons, graphics, and assets that are added to enhance the student experience based on best practices in instructional design. If you would like to instead create enhanced buttons to personalize your course, we have also included editable templates to enhance the template even further. 

Homepage Banner

The Homepage Banner is the first graphic a student views when entering your Canvas course. We have provided a Homepage banner that can be enhanced with your course name. Modifying this banner can be the first step to making your homepage a unique experience for students. This enhancement will help students orient themselves with which course they are in and sets the tone for engaging them in the digital learning environment.
The Student Resource Buttons include five frequently used buttons designed to provide students with quick and efficient access from within the Homepage that link to important resources students rely on such as Syllabus, Office Hours, University Resources, Canvas Resources, and Mental Health information.  

Homepage Banner in Your Course





Homepage Banner Template

For additional assistance on how to modify and add the Homepage Banner to your course, navigate to the Modifying the Homepage Banner Template section below.

Modifying the Homepage Banner Template

Below are the steps for how to modify the Homepage Banner template asset we have provided and add it to your course:
  1. Click on the Homepage Banner Template asset. This will open a Google Drawings Copy Document page. Click Make a copy.
  2. Within Google Drawings, you can add/replace images or edit the text as desired. 
  3. Rename the file by selecting File > Rename.
    • Note: This image title will be a part of the default Alt tag so it is important to name the button to correspond with the intended destination/hyperlink. For example, you would name a file "Homepage Banner" versus "Copy of Homepage Banner".
  4. Once all edits are made, select File > Download > PNG image (.png).
    • Note: JPG and SVG files are also supported
  5. Navigate to your Canvas course, and click on Files from your course navigation pane.
  6. Click Upload and choose the image file that was downloaded.
Below are the steps for how to add the button to your Homepage: 
  1. From the course navigation, click Home to navigate to your Homepage, then click Edit.
  2. From the Rich Content Editor, click on the downward facing arrow next to the Images icon and select Course Images. 
  3. Select the image from the right-side menu.
  4. Click Save. 

For additional guidance, watch the Adding Buttons to the Course Homepage in Canvas video (5:40).


Student Resource Buttons

The Student Resource Buttons include five frequently used buttons designed to provide students with quick and efficient access from within the Homepage that link to important resources students rely on such as Syllabus, Office Hours, University Resources, Canvas Resources, and Mental Health information.  

Syllabus
This button is linked to a Page pre-loaded with Texas A&M’s minimum syllabus requirements that is designed as a guide to help with the heavy work of creating a syllabus. Use this Page to fill in the blanks provided with the course information. 

Office Hours
This button is linked to a Page pre-loaded with Office Hours information that serves as a place for faculty to add detailed information about office hours, including a place to add a Zoom link or office location.

University Resources
This button is linked to a Page with links to helpful university support resources for students.  This includes links to contact information for academic resources, such as the Library, University Writing Center, and also Technology and Campus Resources.

Canvas Resources
This button is linked to a Page with important Canvas resources for students, such as tutorials to help students with getting started in Canvas, Canvas tools, and links to Canvas support.  

Mental Health
This button is linked to a Page with links to mental health resources available to all students at Texas A&M University, including a QR code to download the MySSP app for 24/7 access to care.

Note: Do not delete the folder titled 23 SPRING TEMPLATE ASSETS (DO NOT DELETE) located within the Files section of your course. Deleting these assets will cause the image files provided to break and cause issues for students while viewing your content.

Below are the steps for how to modify the Student Resource Button template assets we have provided and add it to your course:
  1. Click on the Student Resource Button asset (linked in the above section). This will open a Google Drawings Copy Document page. Click Make a copy.
  2. Within Google Drawings, you can add/replace images or edit the text as desired. 
  3. Rename the file by selecting File > Rename.
    • Note: This image title will be a part of the default Alt tag so it is important to name the button to correspond with the intended destination/hyperlink. For example, you would name a file "Course Resources" versus "Copy of Resource Button".
  4. Once all edits are made, select File > Download > PNG image (.png).
    • Note: JPG and SVG files are also supported
  5. Navigate to your Canvas course, and click on Files from your course navigation pane.
  6. Click Upload and choose the image file that was downloaded.

Below are the steps for how to add the Student Resource Buttons to your Homepage: 
  1. From the course navigation, click Home to navigate to your Homepage, then click Edit.
  2. From the Rich Content Editor, click on the downward facing arrow next to the Images icon and select Course Images. 
  3. Select the image from the right-side menu.
  4. Click Save. 
Below are the steps for how to link a Student Resource Button to a resource: 
  1. From the course navigation, click Home to navigate to your Homepage, then click Edit.
  2. From the Rich Content Editor, select the newly created button and click the downward facing arrow next to the Links icon. 
  3. Select one of the following: 
    • External links: This will hyperlink the button to an external URL
    • Course links: This will hyperlink the button to a course content item.
  4. Locate the course link or paste the external link, then click Save. 
For additional guidance, watch the Adding Buttons to the Course Homepage in Canvas video (5:40).


Navigation Buttons

Navigation Buttons were designed in five colors to select from to provide students quick access to their learning materials directly from the Homepage. The Navigation Buttons can be enhanced based on your course structure, such as by week or module. 

By default, these buttons no longer included by default in every template. If you choose to use these buttons, you can easily upload them into your course shell and create hyperlinks to the buttons using the tools in the Rich Content Editor in Canvas. 

For additional assistance on how to modify and add the assets to your course, go to the Modifying the Navigation Buttons section below. If your course is organized using another structure such as Chapters or Units, we recommend creating modified versions of the Module navigation buttons using the Blank Button Template. 
 

 Grey Button Blank
 
 Yellow Button Blank
 
 Maroon Button Blank
 
 Black Button Blank
 
 Blue Button Blank
 

 Grey Week Set
 
 Yellow Week Set
 
 Maroon Week Set
 
 Black Week Set
 
 Blue Week Set
 

 Grey Module Set
 
 Yellow Module Set
 
 Maroon Module Set
 
 Black Module Set
 
 Blue Module Set
 

Modifying the Navigation Buttons

Below are the steps for how to modify the Navigation Button template assets we have provided and add it to your course:
  1. Click on the Navigation Button asset (linked in the above section). This will open a Google Drawings Copy Document page. Click Make a copy.
  2. Within Google Drawings, you can add/replace images or edit the text as desired. 
  3. Rename the file by selecting File > Rename.
    • Note: This image title will be a part of the default Alt tag so it is important to name the button to correspond with the intended destination/hyperlink. For example, you would name a file "Week 1 Button" versus "Copy of Week 1 Button".
  4. Once all edits are made, select File > Download > PNG image (.png).
    • Note: JPG and SVG files are also supported
  5. Navigate to your Canvas course, and click on Files from your course navigation pane.
  6. Click Upload and choose the image file that was downloaded.

Below are the steps for how to add the Navigation Buttons to your Homepage: 
  1. From the course navigation, click Home to navigate to your Homepage, then click Edit.
  2. From the Rich Content Editor, click on the downward facing arrow next to the Images icon and select Course Images. 
  3. Select the image from the right-side menu.
  4. Click Save. 

Below are the steps for how to link a Navigation Button to content: 
  1. From the course navigation, click Home to navigate to your Homepage, then click Edit.
  2. From the Rich Content Editor, select the newly created button and click the downward facing arrow next to the Links icon. 
  3. Select one of the following: 
    • External links: This will hyperlink the button to an external URL
    • Course links: This will hyperlink the button to a course content item.
  4. Locate the course link or paste the external link, then click Save. 
For additional guidance, watch the Adding Buttons to the Course Homepage in Canvas video (5:40). 
 


Student View

You can view a course the same way that your students view it using the Student View feature in Canvas. Enabling Student View creates a Test Student in your course. You can also activate Student View in your Course Settings.
 To access Student View, click on the Student View button located on the top right of most pages. 

You will know that you are in Student View because of the magenta bar at the bottom of a page. This will remain on each page as you stay in Student View. 
We recommend using the Student View feature for the following: 
  • View course content 
  • Post and reply to Discussions
  • Submit Assignments
  • View Grades
  • View People
  • View Pages
  • View the syllabus
  • View and submit Quizzes
  • View the Calendar and the Scheduler (if enabled)

Resetting vs Leaving

If you would like to reset the Test Student data, use the Reset Student option. Prior to doing this, keep in mind that Test Student activity that involves interactions with other students cannot be removed, such as discussion replies. Test Student data that involves interactions with other students are retained even if the Test Student is reset.  

If you would like to only leave Student View, but retain the data in your course, you can leave Student View by clicking on Leave Student View on the banner that appears on the bottom of the screen. Examples of why you would consider keeping the data is if you would like to manipulate it from the Teacher perspective, such as grade an assignment submitted by the Test Student.

Student View Considerations


The table below illustrates limitations of using the Student View feature in Canvas. 

Student View at Texas A&M University
Each Canvas course has a separate Test Student account. Whenever you move to a new course you will need to enable Student View for that course.
Submissions and scores for the Test Student do not affect course analytics.
You can only view the course layout as it is seen by your students. You cannot view student-specific information, such as conversations between students.
Once you activate Student View, the Test Student is shown at the end of the Gradebook and SpeedGrader and is automatically added to every section in your course.
New Quizzes assessments should be previewed in New Quizzes and not taken as the test student. Test Student attempts cannot be reset and will affect analysis reports.

As a note, you are unable to use the Student View feature to preview:
  • Attendance
  • Inbox
  • Collaborations
  • Differentiated assignments
  • External third-party tools
  • Groups
  • Peer reviews
  • Profiles
With these features, you will see only what you, as the instructor, allow your students to see. 

Accessibility and Mobile Friendliness

Navigation Buttons

Consider designing your courses with mobile friendly guidelines in mind. Some students will access your Canvas course and materials from a computer at school or home. Other students will use their mobile device, standing in line at a local coffee shop, or while commuting from class to class. Students will have a slightly different experience whether accessing Canvas from a browser or using Instructure's free Canvas app.
 

Dark Mode - Mobile Devices

The Canvas Student and Canvas Teacher app each have a Dark Mode setting. Due to the Texas A&M Canvas style guide, some buttons and features are difficult to use when in Dark Mode. Below are the best practices to optimize the Dark Mode for users.
  • Ensure that the chosen colors for each course provide high contrast. Users can adjust the color for each course if necessary.
  • Change the dashboard to High Contrast UI on a computer. This can help eliminate some of the issues encountered in Dark Mode.
  • Instructors may find it easier to review Quiz results in Light Mode rather than Dark Mode.
  • Some course content, such as pages that rely heavily on the TAMU template, may need to be temporarily viewed in Light Mode.


Additional Resources

Spring 2021 Canvas Template Update
Canvas Spring Template 2021
TAMU Canvas Template Demo -Syllabus Page

Customizing the Course Menu Navigation Bar
Adding Buttons to the Course Homepage in Canvas
Using the TAMU Spring 2021 Template in Different Teaching Modalities