Rutgers.eduIn an effort to continually improve Canvas, Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, releases Canvas upgrades every three weeks along with Release Notes. Pertinent features and upgrades are listed below.
Upcoming Canvas Changes
Internet Explorer 11: August 3
On August 3, Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported as a Canvas browser.
New Gradebook: January 18
On 18 January 2020, the existing Canvas Gradebook will be replaced with the New Gradebook.
For more information, please see Upcoming Canvas Changes.
In this Canvas release (June 1), the Compose Message window does not include an option to remove previously received messages. Additionally, the beta label has been removed from the Student Context Card feature option.
Feature Options
- For courses using the New Gradebook, the Message Students Who window alphabetizes student names by last name.
External Tools (LTI)
- For quizzes using the Quizzes.Next LTI, calculators can be enabled for an entire assessment, and Numeric questions support scientific notation.
Release notes also include API updates and fixed bugs. This announcement lists pertinent updates that affect instructors and students and omits features that are not applicable for Rutgers Canvas. You may view the full Production Release Notes (June 1), and its accompanying screencast. The next release will be on June 22, 2019.
Updated Features
Conversations
Compose Field Message Removal
The Compose Message window does not include an option to remove previously received messages. This change improves accessibility within the Compose Message window.
In the Compose Message window, previously received messages in the thread display below the text field. The Remove option to each specific message has been removed.
Individual messages can still be deleted from a conversation in the Conversations window by opening the message, selecting the Settings menu, and clicking the Delete link. Please see Production Release Notes: Compose Field Message Removal for image comparison.
New Gradebook
Message Students Who Alphabetical Sorting
The Message Students Who window displays names in alphabetical order. This change allows instructors to find student names in the window more easily. When an instructor accesses an assignment column and clicks the Message Students Who option, any names that display in the window are displayed in alphabetical order (first name, last name). The list of names remained alphabetical when a different messaging criterion is selected. Student names can be removed manually from the list at any time. Please see Production Release Notes: Message Students Who Alphabetical Sorting for image.
Quizzes.Next
Assessment On-Screen Calculators
The Settings page includes an option for allowing calculators during the entire assessment and not just for individual questions. This change allows students to view a calculator throughout an assessment. Please see Production Release Notes: Assessment On-Screen Calculators for images.
In the Settings menu, instructors can choose to allow students to view a calculator with basic or scientific functions.
Students can open the calculator by clicking the Calculator icon. The calculator functions are the same as calculators enabled from the individual question.
Numeric Question Scientific Notation Responses
Numeric questions accept scientific notation answers for the Exact Response and Within a Range requirement options. This change allows instructors to create questions that require responses in scientific notation.
Instructors can create Numeric questions that require responses in scientific notification. For the Exact Response requirement, student answers must match the scientific notation input exactly. For the Within a Range requirement, student answers must fall within the scientific notation range inputs.
The accepted format for scientific notation answers is m*10^n, where m represents the coefficient (the number being multiplied), the asterisk represents the multiplication function, and ^n represents the exponent. For example, the answer 6.9832*10^8 would represent 6.9832 times 10 to the eighth power.
Scientific notation answers are not supported for Margin of Error or Precise Response options. Please see Production Release Notes: Numeric Question Scientific Notation Responses for images.
Fixed Bugs
Please view the Canvas Release Notes for June 1, 2019 Fixed Bugs descriptions and its accompanying screencast for more information concerning accessibility improvements and other bug fixes. Some bugs that may have affected Rutgers users are stated here.
DocViewer
Empty Rows and Columns
DocViewer previews of XLSX files render empty rows and columns to maintain formatting from the original document. Explanation: Previously, DocViewer removed empty rows and columns from XLSX spreadsheet files. DocViewer has been updated so empty rows and columns will no longer be removed.
Excel Graph Rendering
Graphs created in spreadsheets and rendered in DocViewer display correct data and legend information. Explanation: In some cases, DocViewer would render graphs created in spreadsheets with incorrect or missing data or legend information. DocViewer has been updated to correctly render graph data and legend information.
Numbered Lists
Numbered lists are rendered correctly and display the correct information in the list in DocViewer. Explanation: In some cases where vertical text beginning with the number 1 or for sentences with sequential numbers, DocViewer was rendering the text as an ordered list and inserted a period after the numbers in the list. DocViewer has been updated so text and ordered lists will be rendered correctly.
Scatter Graph Trendlines
Scatter graphs in Word documents correctly display trendlines in DocViewer. Explanation: In some cases, scatter graphs created in Word documents would not display the correct trendline when rendered in DocViewer. DocViewer has been updated so trendlines will be correctly displayed.