Faculty Resources

Welcome to Fall 2023!
Here are some things you should know before the semester starts!

Communicating with Students Before the Start of the Semester

You have multiple options for reaching out to students before the first day. Here are some useful tools and steps you can use:
- Use the “Course Spreadsheets and Student Web Sites” app in your eWeber portal to find and copy the email list of students to email your whole class at once.
- Make your Canvas syllabus visible without opening your course in your course settings by customizing your course visibility.
Opening a course early requires additional authorization and may put students who register at the last minute at a disadvantage. If necessary, instructors can modify course start dates in Canvas. Just be aware that students will be adding/dropping classes up until the first day of the semester. Canvas course rosters are not finalized until the Sunday before the semester starts, so it is important to use alternate ways to communicate with your students before day one.

Student Course Roster

Since we are finalizing enrollments during the weekend before the semester starts, you may see some discrepancies between your Banner and Canvas student rosters before then. Don't Panic! Please be assured that so long as students are in your Faculty Dashboard roster, they will show up in your Canvas class once the Fall semester begins.

If you’re planning on opening a course early, be sure to look at your course settings to verify that the start date has been updated to the date you want to start and that your course is published for student access.

Tutoring

Weber State University provides free online, virtual, and on-campus tutoring. Students can register for on-campus sessions at weber.edu/tutoring

Have your students take a look at etutoringonline.org for online services that could apply to your course.
Special Note: Only current students and tutors will have a login to eTutoring, faculty are not provided logins.

These can be fantastic resources for your students who need a little extra help!

Important Updates for Fall 2023

Assignment Enhancements: The Assignment Enhancements feature in Canvas LMS is now active! This new feature provides a more streamlined and user-friendly experience for your students, allowing them to manage multiple submissions and to easily view and recieve submission feedback.

Copyleaks Plagiarism Checker: With the collaborative efforts of multiple departments across campus, including the Provost's office, we have acquired and implemented the Copyleaks plagiarism checker tool, now available for immediate use. For those familiar with Turnitin in Canvas, enabling the plagiarism review in your assignment settings and selecting Copyleaks from the list should be straightforward. To assist you in getting started, we have compiled some helpful resources:
Pearson Integration Updates: Over the summer, Pearson's "MyLabs and Mastering" and "Revel" integrations in Canvas have been upgraded to a more secure and streamlined app called "Access Pearson."
- If you are using Pearson content, but have it delivered through VitalSource, you will not see any changes to your course or how this content is delivered.
- In most cases, assignemnt and most student course tools will be available in the copied course automatically after pairing. You will have the option to see a status or list of links.
- To get started, view this How to Set up the Access Pearson integration guide and video tutorial.
- If faculty would like help with any of the changes, they can book a time for one-on-one help with Pearson, or by email at customersuccess@pearson.com.
Best of Luck in Fall 2023!
End-of-Semester Tips

As you are wrapping up your semester, here are some tips to finalize your Canvas Course.

Apply a Zero to missing assignments to calculate your Final Grades.

How-To: From the Gradebook, locate the Total column
>> Hover over the column title
>> Select the three-dot icon
>> Choose “Apply Score to Ungraded”
>> Type ‘0’ for the percentage you want to apply to missing assignments
>> Apply the Missing status to display the label on student’s grades pages
>> Click the “Apply Score” button (Note: You can choose to only apply this grade to ungraded assignments that are past due or all ungraded assignments regardless of due date)

Alternatively, you can apply scores to individual assignment groups instead of the whole course by selecting this option from the assignment group columns. You must repeat the process for each assignment group.

Check if all assignment grades are posted to students in the Canvas Gradebook.

The grades of an assignment(s) are still hidden if you see a slashing-eyeball icon in front of that assignment title. Unposted grades are not included in the student’s final grade.

To post grades: Hover over the assignment
>> Select the three-dot icon
>> Choose “Post grades”
>> A panel appears on the right-hand side
>> Select “Graded”
>> Click “Post”
>> Repeat the steps for each unposted assignment grade.

Enable the grading scheme if your course final grades do not show in letter grades (e.g., A, A-, or B+).

How-To: Go to Settings (last menu on the left-hand course navigation)
>> Find the “Grading Scheme” label
>> Check the box “Enable course grading scheme”
>> Select the “view/set grading scheme” link to check if the default grading scheme matches for your course
>> To edit the grading scheme, click on the pencil icon in the top right corner
>> Make the changes
>> Click on “Save”
>> Select “Done”
>> Click “Update Course Details”

For more Canvas tutorials, visit the Canvas Guides.

Input Final Grades through Canvas

Use the Input Final Grades menu on the left-hand course navigation to submit your course final grades to the registrar's office. Step-by-step instructions are available upon selecting the menu.

Course Grading and End Date Policies

PPM 4-19 3.2.1: Prior to the close of each semester, final grades shall be entered into the Electronic Grading System by instructors. Grades are to be entered online within three working days following the last scheduled examination of each semester. Upon request, the Office of the Registrar will supply the instructors with a copy of instructions for using the Electronic Grading System.

A student must qualify for an Incomplete (PPM 4-19 3.5) to be granted extra time to complete coursework without re-registering for the class. Please reach out to the Registrar and WSU Online for more information.

Live Training

WSU Online hosts back-to-school workshops live, right before each semester. Visit our Live Canvas Training page for more information. Brush up on your Canvas skills, learn how to put your Canvas tests in the testing centers, and discover new features and products available through Canvas!

We are here for you:
On-site support is available during regular business hours, send us an email at:
lmssupport@weber.edu or call 801-626-6188
Instructional Design requests are available via email or Google chat at:
instructionaldesign@weber.edu