Student View

In a recent update Canvas now has a Student View that teachers can use to see how the course appears and functions as a student.

To use the student view click the Settings link in the left-hand navigation of the course you are in.

In the right-hand panel click the Student View button.

You will be redirected to the course homepage and the area where your name is will be replaced with Test Student along with a link exit the student view.

When you enter the student view you will be viewing your course as your students see it. To exit the student view click on the Leave Student View link and it will return you to your original account.

Threaded Discussions and New Discussion Management Features now Available

With the recent update to Canvas you can now choose to have threaded discussion topics or comment style discussion topics. This has been an expected addition for quite a long time. In addition you can also enable threading on existing discussion topics and from that point on the discussion will be threaded. In this tips and tricks you will learn how to enable threaded discussions for existing topics and new discussions. You will also get a glimpse of how they look and behave.

Converting an existing discussion topic
Note: this process is not retroactive, in existing discussions you may not notice much of a difference till students start to post replies.

First we need locate and edit the discussion topic.

Click on Discussions from the left navigation menu.

Click on the pencil icon to the right of the discussion topic title to edit the topic.

Alternatively you can click on the title of the discussion topic and then click the gear icon to edit the discussion topic.

Below the discussion text click the This is a threaded discussion checkbox and then click Update Topic.

Create a new threaded topic

Click on Discussions from the left navigation menu.

In the right side of the screen click the Start a New Topic button.

After you have entered a title and information click the This is a threaded discussion checkbox and then click Add New Topic.

When navigating threaded discussions there are several new features to help you.

1. Unread replies and total replies
   This will track how many new replies have been posted along with the total number of posts in the discussion. This works in conjunction with 2.
2. Unread/read indicator
   For new posts a blue bar will appear next to the name of the poster and will remain blue for a few seconds while on the screen and then will change to a grey color indicating that the message has been read.

   Unread

   Read

3. Reply management menu
   This menu will allow you to edit or delete posts from the discussion topic.
4. Add Reply to Topic
   The style has been modified to better indicate where you post will go.

You can also click the poster’s name to collapse that portion of the thread for easier viewing of other reply threads.

You can also use the the display options on the right to Collapse All, Expand Unread, or Expand All threads. Additionally you can click the Jump to the Next Unread message button to move quickly to each new message throughout the entire topic. If you want to prevent anymore posts being added you can click the Close for Comments button.