Hello everyone. A few updates on recent changes in our LMS that you’ll be happy with, and explanations on recent issues…
So to get the “bad” out of the way, in the last month both students and instructors experienced problems with files not uploading, submissions not rendering in the gradebook, and e-mail not being received. The first two problems were due to issues Instructure had with load balancing and with Scribd, a third-party app integrated in Canvas that provides the ability to preview submissions in the gradebook and file area. The result to the end user was that files were not automatically opening in preview any longer, but instead needed to be downloaded to view. File uploads didn’t appear instantly either as a backlog of files was building behind the scene delaying the process. Instructure has worked with Scribd diligently over the last month to solve the configuration problems and recently added a new program called Crocodoc to help offset the load. The third issue of e-mail not being received was limited to conversations sent from Canvas to UMW e-mails. Once reported, our IT group was quick to identify the problem and reset parameters on UMW’s e-mail systems to allow for e-mail from Canvas senders.
So on the “good news” – Crocodoc. With the addition of Crocodoc to Canvas, annotation and peer review markup is now possible on homework submissions. You may have noticed in the upper left corner of your SpeedGrader submission that a suite of tools has been added which will allow for commenting, highlighting, drawing and more. Here’s an example:
Here’s the details on how preview file rendering works in Canvas since Crocodoc debuted with the 9/29 release.
· If the file is anything but an assignment (e.g. a course file), the preview will render in Scribd or Google Docs*
· If the file is an assignment AND it’s in a Crocodoc-supported format (.doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx, .xls, .xlsx, and .pdf), the preview will render in Crocodoc
· If the file is an assignment but is not in a Crocodoc-supported format, the preview will render in Scribd or Google Docs*
One more note from Instructure….some of us love that the LMS is continually tweaked and some of us don’t. Bug fixes will now be applied every three weeks instead of two. Changes in the LMS (such as what we saw with the SpeedGrader last summer) will now be placed on a track that will take into account benchmark dates before implementation. We may still see incremental changes but Instructure’s goal is to disrupt the learning management system market, NOT the learning itself. They’re listening!
Speak Your Mind