Teach Talk Webinar: Hacking Canvas Parts I and II

Have you discovered a cool feature that Canvas does well? Or have you found a neat work-around to "hack" your Canvas course page?

Photo by Taskin Ashiq on Unsplash

We've recently done two Teach Talk webinars titled "Hacking Canvas" where we shared some interesting tips and tricks. Naturally we are progressing in our learning about Canvas, so our "hacks" are unveiling more hidden features each time.

We define "hacks" as:

• making Canvas do something unintended
• unveiling hidden features
• workarounds for Canvas limitations

In May 2019, we hosted a popular webinar about hacking Canvas (Part I). Being relatively new to Canvas at the time, we wanted to share what we had uncovered after the first semester of using the online learning environment fully. 

We covered the following "hacks" during that session:

• formatting hacks
• autotext function
• autoscored attendance
• the elusive median
• collaborative pages
• custom dashboard course cards
• individualizing messages
• "what if" grades
• accessibility checker

Afterwards, we realized that another webinar was needed! There are so many tips and tricks to share regarding Canvas, and ways to be more efficient while supporting your students. This week's webinar (Part II) focused on the following "hacks":

• Create a custom homepage
• frequently-asked questions
• online office hours
• undelete feature
• auto-open preview
• unscored task due dates
• bonus: Emojipedia and Unsplash

We want to hear from you! What "hacks" have you discovered, or are there any specific things you wish you could do on Canvas that you're hoping to find a solution for? Share with us in this survey.

Resources

Part I 

• video recording
• presentation slides
• Canvas Shortcut Keys
• Canvas Guides- Search for Answers!
• Canvas Accessibility Checker

Part II

• video recording
• presentation slides
• Undelete feature
• Auto-open preview
• Unscored task due dates
• Emojipedia
• Unsplash 
• Edit course card