Canvas Release Notes (2019-05-11)

Upcoming Canvas ChangesInternet Explorer 11: August 3On August 3, Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported as a Canvas browser. New Gradebook: January 18On 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.

Follow the Canvas release notes space to be notified of updates
For all release changes, view the Release Notes Change Log
If you notice any contrary functionality compared to the outlined behavior in these notes, please file a Canvas support case according to your institution's support protocol
Other questions? View the Canvas Release Notes FAQ

Feature Options

The following feature options are addressed in this release:

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

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 Functionality has been replaced by pairing codes.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.

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Comments

vrichter

Does the information below mean a school can no longer prevent parent access to Canvas via the parent app? Or does it mean that the school would have to grant observer accounts to parents in order for them to see what students see in Canvas? Can anyone else (like the student or the parent) create an observer? Please clarify. Thanks.

Summary

The Canvas Parent feature option has been removed from Canvas.

Change Benefit

erinhmcmillan

Hi, Vi,

If an admin enables self registration for observers as noted in How do I configure self registration through Canvas authentication for an account?, observers can sign up for an account as noted in How do I sign up for a Canvas account as a parent?

When the user signs up as an observer, the user must also have a pairing code. Pairing codes are most commonly created by instructors or students, though admins can enroll users as observers when adding users to an account. If you need more information about each of these user actions, view the following guides:

Additional information is also available in our Pairing Codes - Frequently Asked Questions PDF.

Hope that helps!

Erin

stimme

I really like the simplification of the interface teachers use to update file states. I also think that the options would be even clearer if they were grammatically parallel. As implemented in Beta, the teacher has three options that are actions / verbs (publish, unpublish, schedule...) and one that is a description (not visible in student files). The description could become an action such as "Hide in student files," and the tooltip on hover for files with this status could become "Hidden in student files".

Another detail that could make the file state interface clearer would be adding colors to the scheduled availability icon: green if it is available presently, orange or red or gray if it is not available presently.

cjr201

Even with all the caveats, I do like that quizzes.next is being deployed to beta.

kmatson

Canvas what did you mean that the student context card would have the final grade override? I made an assumption that you would label it so the student would know but I gather you don't think the student should know that it is an override?

I anticipated seeing Grade Override not Grade. This is the same context card but it has the over ride grade in there but doesn't label it.

Karen Matson

University of Oregon

erinhmcmillan

Hi, Karen,

The only place that labels the override specifically is the Gradebook override column. Other locations, such as the student context card and the student Grades page do not indicate if a grade is an override or not. The student does not know if a grade is an override or not. This behavior just ensures that if an override grade is entered in the Gradebook, the grade is properly reflected in the student context card.

Hope that helps!

Erin

kmatson

Erin,

Why aren't you letting the students know? That is not transparent.

Thank you for letting me know,

Karen

lftapper

hi erinhallmark‌, do you know when the screencast will be posted? I usually link to it for our faculty Smiley Happy Thank you!

erinhmcmillan

Hi, Lindsey!

Thanks for the note. Looks like the screencast was inadvertently posted in the wrong place; I've moved it to the correct location and it now displays in the list of screencasts. The link is here: https://community.canvaslms.com/videos/4346-canvas-new-feature-screencast-2019-05-11

Thanks!

Erin

erinhmcmillan

Hi, Karen,

Great question. When researching workflows for this feature, our product team interviewed dozens of instructors who noted that the adjustment not be called specifically to the student as a manual change. The intention is not to cause undue confusion and concern for students, which happens if they see that their grade isn't the one they actually earned, but instead was manually adjusted by their instructor. Best practice for using a final grade override is adjusting a grade minimally to bump a student who may be on the edge of a grade range, and this is usually the result of a change made after a discussion directly with the student (instigated by the student or instructor).

Hope that helps!

Erin

tina_busch

Was there also an update to the default Canvas font with this release? The font appears to have changed over the weekend?

Chris_Hofer

Posting a link to this question that was posted this evening for more context: https://community.canvaslms.com/thread/34436-have-the-basic-font-changed-in-canvas I see that you've already replied there, too.

erinhmcmillan

Hi, all,

June's release notes have been posted! Canvas Release Notes (2019-06-01)

Thanks,

Erin

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