Canvas Production Release: March 14, 2015

Canvas operates on a three-week release cycle through which features are added or updated. Courseware Support posts highlights from Canvas’s production release notes, a link to these notes, and other relevant content to the Canvas at Penn blog a few days before the production release, which usually occurs on Saturdays. Please contact Courseware Support at canvas@pobox.upenn.edu if you have any questions about an upcoming production release.

3/14/15 Production Release Highlights:

Modules- Manage Files: Instructors can manage files directly from the Modules page. This feature aligns publishing functionality of all items within Modules and allows an instructor to publish, unpublish, or restrict a file. The state of the file is aligned with the Files Index page. If a file is unpublished within Files, the file will also be shown as unpublished on the Modules page.

Quizzes- Average Scoring Policy: When allowing multiple attempts in a quiz, instructors can choose to score a quiz by the average score. This feature generates an average score for all attempts in a quiz.

Announcements- Settings Menu: The Announcements Index page includes a settings menu for each posted announcement. In addition to improving accessibility, this feature aligns Announcements with all other areas within Canvas and allows quick access to closing an Announcement for comments or deleting an announcement.

Announcement Content: If an instructor created an announcement but did not include any content (i.e. if the announcement only included an attachment), Canvas created a page error when the page was saved. Canvas code has been updated to generate a message if content is not included in the announcement.

Gradebook Drop-down Menu (Chrome): When Chrome users tried to access the Gradebook section and settings drop-down menus, users could not access the menus or select items after they had initially been viewed. Canvas code has been updated to to support a rendering issue in Chrome 40 and 41.

Additional Updates

Quiz Log Auditing will be set to “Allow” as part of this weekend’s release so that users may opt in. This feature is designed to help instructors investigate problems that a student may have encountered in a Canvas Quiz.For more information please see the January 31, 2015 Production Release Notes.

On April 4th, Facebook will no longer be supported as a Canvas integration. More information will be posted to the Canvas at Penn blog closer to this date.