Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I copy a course in Canvas? 

Upcoming courses generally become available in Canvas the same day the course schedule is released for the particular semester. To save time and effort it is common practice to copy the content from a previous course into a new course. The Instructure Community’s article on copying course content walks through the process step-by-step. And, of course, CIRT is always here to assist!

• How do I enroll users or students in a Canvas course?

While instructors may add additional users such as other teachers or TAs, they cannot add students to term-based courses. External users can be added with a few specific steps. Explore our articles on Term-Based Course Enrollment and External Users to learn more. If you need to reach out, CIRT is always here to assist!

• Can I combine multiple sections of the same course in Canvas?

Instructors are permitted to combine course sections in Canvas, but there are implications to consider when combining courses in Canvas that are not also cross-listed on the course schedule. Read our article on combining course sections to learn more. And, when you have additional questions, CIRT is always here to assist!

• How do I monitor student activity in a Canvas course?

Canvas’ “New Analytics” feature allows instructors to really drill down into different aspects of student activity in a course. For a higher-level overview, instructors can view the Course Access Report for individual students. Take a look a these Instructure resources, but remember – CIRT is always here to assist!

• What's a good way to share narrated PowerPoints in Canvas?

While there are a few different ways that narrated presentations can be added to Canvas, our top recommendation is to add them to Canvas Studio. If you have already added narration using the embedded tools in the PowerPoint (or similar) application, you can export the presentation as a video and upload it. If you need to record your narrations, you can use the Canvas Studio screen capture option to page through the presentation as you provide a voice-over. For Mac users, Keynote offers the same functionality. Refer to our collection on Canvas Studio to learn more. And, of course, CIRT is always here to assist!

• How do I allow extra time for students taking a quiz in Canvas?

For timed quizzes, you can allow extended time for individual students. You do need to keep in mind that the quiz time limit and the “available until” time in the quiz settings are mutually exclusive. The availability window trumps all else – so if you extend the timer you just need to make sure the availability window is open long enough to incorporate the extra time. CIRT is happy to help you double check all of these settings, so please don’t hesitate to reach out!

For answers to even more questions, visit the CIRT Knowledge Base and Search by Category. We have articles on Canvas Studio, Assignments, Discussion Posts, Best Practices, and more.

Contact Us

Faculty can call (904) 620-3927 or email CIRT at cirtlab@unf.edu any time during our hours of operation. The OLS team also offers one-on-one consultations by phone and video conference. If you prefer to meet in-person, email us directly at cirtlab@unf.edu to make the request.