Canvas Production Release: September 17, 2016

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.

8/27/16 Production Release Highlights:

  • Calendar Event Edits: After an event has been created, instructors can move the event from one calendar to another. To move an event, open the event in the calendar, click the Edit button, and select the new calendar in the “Calendar” drop-down menu. In the “Edit” menu, calendar changes cannot be made for section-specific events, assignments, and Scheduler appointments.
  • “Help” Menu Placement: The “Help” icon displays as the last item in the Global Navigation menu instead of being placed at the bottom of the page. This update helps users be able to view the “Help” icon as part of the entire Global Navigation Menu and be accessed more easily. Additionally, to align with other Global Navigation features, the “Help” icon displays a navigation menu instead of a modal window. “Help” links are not affected and display according to the links set for the Canvas account.
  • Index Page Style Update for Assignments, Conferences, Modules, and Quizzes: Instead of all items being grouped in columns in the same content line, data has been reorganized for easier readability. No functionality has been affected. Individual items include a larger icon and additional whitespace. All page content is responsive within a browser window. Names are no longer truncated; long titles wrap to the next line. Item content, such as availability dates, due date, and point value, has been moved below the item title. For instructors, published assignments/quizzes/modules also include a green bar for easier recognition.
  • Sidebar Updates: In the Rich Content Editor sidebar “Links” tab, the Wiki Pages link has been renamed to Pages. This update helps align terminology throughout Canvas. Additionally, pagination in each content section has been increased from 10 to 50 content items.
  • Rubrics Button Placement: The Cancel and Create/Update Rubric buttons have been moved to the left side of the Rubrics page.
  • Download Submissions and Anonymous Grading: The Download Submissions button in the Assignments page does not include student names if “Anonymous Grading” is turned on.
  • Grading Scores Checkbox: If the scores opt-in checkbox is disabled at the account level, students cannot view the option in “Notifications” to opt-in to grading scores.

For a complete production release update, please see:

Canvas Production Release Notes: August 27, 2016

2016-08-27 New Feature Screencast from Canvas LMS on Vimeo.

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Last Updated: 4 Jan 2019