Canvas Spotlight on Instructors
In April 2025, we asked students to share examples of instructors with exemplary Canvas courses and tell us why they thought these courses made particularly good use of Canvas. The following themes emerged: 1. Exceptional Organization Courses are consistently praised for being well-structured, with content arranged in weekly modules. Clear labeling of assignments, readings, and
Are Your Grades Accurate in Canvas?
Dear Chapman Community, Many instructors use Canvas’s Gradebook to calculate final grades, but did you know that the Total column does not automatically treat missing assignments as 0s? This can cause discrepancies between what you see in Canvas and what students have actually earned. To help, our team developed a built-in Grade Accuracy Report tool:
Padlet for Schools
Emoji reactions Emoji reactions are now available for new padlets. Every post can be reacted to with any emoji from the Padlet set. Emoji reactions details. New table format The table format gives you the organizational power of a spreadsheet. Every column understands its data type and gives you powerful ways to organize information through
Introducing our Student Technology Assistant
My name is Greyson Chavez. I’m from Los Angeles and currently studying Software Engineering at Chapman University. I am interested in working in the tech field, and I hope to be a software engineer in the future. Outside of work and school, I try to spend as much time doing the things I love as
YouTube Videos in Canvas May Contain Ads Starting in October
Previously, sharing a YouTube video in Canvas would prevent ads from appearing, allowing for a cleaner viewing experience. However, that will no longer be the case due to a change in how Instructure (Canvas) works with YouTube. What’s Changing Starting October 31st, 2025 (note: originally September 22nd), YouTube videos embedded in Canvas may begin displaying
Your back-to-school tech BINGO card
I belong to a book club, and this summer we were all about “book club bingo.” We filled out a blank bingo card with different genres and book ideas, and made our promises to read. I’ll admit I’m a completionist, and my bingo card is full, even the box I wasn’t excited about (memoir). One
Redesigned Files Experience in Canvas
Canvas has launched a redesigned Files experience across both course and user Files, aimed at making file management simpler and more accessible for everyone. Prefer the Old Files Page? You Can Still Use It (for Now) If you’re more comfortable with the classic layout, you can switch back using the Switch to Old Files Page button.
Being stalked by Read.ai? Steps to remove your Read.ai account
Is Read.ai following you around and trying to join all your Zoom meetings? Read on to find out how to make it stop. Why does Read.ai join meetings? Read cannot join a meeting unless invited by a user. In order for Read to join a meeting, the following steps would need to take place: (i) user creates
Follett Discover introduces Kortext and My Materials
Dear Chapman Instructors, I’m writing to share an update about how students will access their ebooks and digital materials starting Fall 2025. Our bookstore partner, Follett Higher Education, is introducing Kortext, a new ebook platform that will improve the student and faculty experience with digital course materials. What is Kortext? Kortext is a leader in
Poll Everywhere Course Management
Managing interactive activities across multiple courses shouldn’t feel like déjà vu. Whether you’re teaching one section or two, Poll Everywhere’s Course Management features enable new grading methods not previously available for participation or attendance, help you organize activities by course, and allow more efficient roster management. While also enhances how instructors integrate Poll Everywhere with