Canvas regularly adds new features and updates existing features based on the input they receive from users. This page will always contain a list of the latest changes to Canvas, as well as information about features you may want to consider adding to your course. For more information about new features, updates, and fixed bugs see the Canvas Release Notes web page.

September 21, 2019 Update

Updated Features, September 21, 2019

• The Announcements page includes an updated design and several feature enhancements, including announcements by section.

March 10, 2018 Update

Updated Features, March 10, 2018

• Announcements page includes an updated design and several feature enhancements, including announcements by section.

February 17, 2018 Update

Updated Features, February 17, 2018

• Individually Graded Group Assignment Comment Options - Instructors can choose whether they want to send a comment to the student only or to the whole group.
• Course Home Page Student View Button - This change allows instructors to access student view without having to open Course Settings.
• New Gradebook (beta) - Entered Grades Calculation Value - enter grades in the New Gradebook in any format without having to confirm the grade display originally set for the assignment.
• Last Attended Date - In the User Details page, an instructor can note the date that a student last attended in the course.

January 27, 2018 Update

Updated Features, January 27, 2018

• Blueprint Courses - When a course is associated with a Blueprint Course, the associated course displays a link to the Blueprint Course in Course Settings.
• New Gradebook (beta) - In the New Gradebook, the Enter Grades as menu allows the assignment grade to be entered and viewed in a different format than the default display for the assignment.
• Decorative Image Checkbox - When a user clicks the Embed Images icon and selects an image source, the Attributes section displays a decorative image checkbox, which indicates the image is for decorative purposes.

January 6, 2018 Update

Updated Features, January 6, 2018 

• New Gradebook (beta) - Late policies allows instructors to automatically apply grading rules for late and missing submissions in their courses. 
• Images Alt Text Field - In the Content Selector, when a user opens the Images tab and selects an image to upload, the sidebar displays a text field to add alternative text for the image.
• Rubric Criterion Points now allow instructors to provide extra credit through rubric criteria.

December 9, 2017 Update

Updated Features, December 9, 2017

• Assignments - The Assignment Group Settings menu includes a Move Content option, which moves all assignment content items in an assignment group to another group.
• Groups - Instructors can view the inactive label for students within a student group. 
• Languages - Italian (Italiano) has been added as an available language in Canvas.

November 18, 2017 Update

Updated Features, November 18. 2017

• New Gradebook - The New Gradebook is a beta feature that allows instructors to view an improved version of the Gradebook; contact DESupport@santarosa.edu for more information.
• Module Items Duplication - Assignments, graded discussions, and pages can be duplicated within a module. 
• Rubrics - Criteria can be duplicated within a rubric. This feature allows instructors and course designers to easily copy and modify existing criteria.
• Conversations - Users can select multiple conversations to archive, delete, mark as read, mark as unread, or star at the same time. 

October 28, 2017 Update

Updated Features, October 28, 2017

• Accessibility Checker - A new tool verifies content created within the Rich Content Editor according to 10 accessibility rules.
• Discussion Duplication - Discussions can be duplicated in the Discussions page or the Assignments page. 
• Gradebook History Filters - The Gradebook History page allows instructors to view all grade changes in the course and now includes display filters for a specific student, grader, assignment, and start and end date. 

October 7, 2017 Update

Updated Features, October 7, 2017

• Student Late and Missing Status Labels - For students, the submission details page and student Grades page no longer display labels for missing or late submissions. For instructors, SpeedGrader has not been affected and continues to display missing and late labels for online assignments.
• Rubric Criterion Range - Rubric criterions can include a point range instead of just an individual point value. 
• DocViewer Delete Icon - In DocViewer, when a user creates an annotation, the Delete icon displays above the annotation.

2017-10-07 New Feature Screencast from Canvas LMS on Vimeo.

September 16, 2017 Update

Updated Features, September 16, 2017

• Conferences - Enhancements have been made to the interface, presentation features, user roles, public chat, full screen mode,  whiteboard, and shared notes.
• Course Import - After a content file import, the imported file displays as a file download in the Current Jobs section. The imported file expires after 500 days and can no longer be downloaded. Previously the files had no expiration date.
• Notifications - When users view course notifications in their email, all notifications are sent from the course name. This change helps students more easily identify notifications from a specific course. 

2017-09-16 New Feature Screencast from Canvas LMS on Vimeo.

August 26, 2017 Update

Updated Features, August 26, 2017 

• DocViewer
  • Point and Area Annotation Comments - point and area tools can be used without leaving a comment.
  • Session Expiration Warning - annotation sessions last for 10 hours to avoid losses.
• Rich Content Editor
  • Insert/Edit Media - easily embed online media content to a course without having to use the HTML Editor.

August 5, 2017 Update

Updated Features, August 5, 2017

• Assignments
  • Late and Missing Status Labels - Labels for late assignment submissions are more prominent, and new labels for missing assignments will appear in these areas of Canvas:
    • Submission Details Page
    • Student Grades Page (Note: Canvas reversed this new feature in October, 2017. Labels do NOT appear in a student's view of grades.)
    • SpeedGrader

July 15, 2017 Update

New Features, July 15, 2017

• Assignment Duplication - Assignments can be duplicated in the Assignments index page. (Assignments currently cannot be duplicated for discussions and quizzes.)
• Pages Duplication - Pages can be duplicated in the Pages index page. 
• Conferences - Observer Invitations - Observers can be invited to participate in course conferences with all course members or individually.

June 24, 2017 Update

 New Feature, June 24, 2017

• Blueprint Courses - allows for the creation of course design templates with locked objects, with the ability to sync to apply updates to courses using the template.
• Canvas DocViewer - replaces the Crocodoc annotation tools in Canvas Speedgrader.

June 3, 2017 Update

Updated Feature, June 3, 2017

• Recent Announcements can be displayed at the top of any course Home Page type, including Modules. 
• Rich Content Editor - more table layout designs are available when creating a table. 

May 13, 2017  Update

New & Updated Feature, May 13, 2017

• Dashboard - Color Overlay - Users have the option to remove the color overlay from course cards. However, the color still displays in the More Options circle in the upper-right corner of each card.
• Pages - Front Page Individual Setting - The settings for each page now includes the option to Use as Front Page. The Front Page still can be set from the Pages index.

April 22, 2017 Update

New & Updated Feature, April 22, 2017

 

• New Instructor Tutorials - Course set-up "tutorials" replace the course set-up checklist; this feature has not yet been implemented at SRJC.
• Dashboard View Menu - The Dashboard toggle has been updated to a settings drop-down menu to switch between Recent Activity and Course Cards.
• People - Pending Enrollments View - When a user is manually added to a course, the pending enrollment only shows the name of the user, the user’s section, and role. Additional information (email address, login ID, or SIS ID) will show once the user accepts the enrollment invitation.

April 1, 2017 Update

New & Updated Feature, April 1, 2017s

 

• Modules - ​Course Content Export - A new feature allows course content to be downloaded and viewed offline. Students are able to export modules as zip files and open them as html files offline.
• Calendar - Scheduler Workflow - Instructors can create Appointment Groups to manage appointment slots.
• Chat - Chat Enhancements - Course instructors are identified by a label in chat. Users can add emojis in their messages. Instructors can delete chat messages.
• Student Context Card - Graded Item Assignment Names - When an instructor hovers over a graded item on a Student Context Card, the name of the assignment displays.

March 11, 2017 Update

​ Updated Features Updates from 3-11-17

• Rich Content Editor Updates from 3-11-17 - A new feature to "link to a new page" creates a placeholder link for a new Canvas page until you add content and publish the new page.
• People Updates from 3-11-17 - You can copy and paste multiple email addresses from a spreadsheet at once to add new users to a course. 
• SpeedGrader Updates from 3-11-17 - When an instructor unmutes an assignment in Speedgrader, Canvas displays a warning indicating that the grades and feedback will be visible to all students.

February 18, 2017

  New & Updated Features Updates from 2-18-17

• People Updates from 2-18-17 - Student Context Cards display student information including an overview of the student's grades and analytics. 
• Discussions Updates from 2-18-17 - Deleted replies are hidden by default; instructors can choose to see deleted replies by clicking the "show" icon. 
• Groups Updates from 2-18-17 - Instructors can be added to a Google Doc collaboration group.
• People Updates from 2-18-17-01 - When adding a user to a course, instructors choose from among three search types: by email, Login ID, or SIS ID.

January 28, 2017 Update

Updated Features Updates from 1-28-17

• Accounts Updates from 1-28-17 - Context Cards show details for students in a sidebar window.
• Assignments Updates from 1-28-17 - Group Assignments options now allow instructors to specifically limit groups to users within a specific section. 
• Course Imports Updates from 1-28-17  - SCORM content is included when copying or exporting a Canvas course.
• Dashboard Updates from 1-28-17 - After the due date for an assignment, it will no longer display in the To Do list for students.
• Pages Updates from 1-28-17 - When instructors view the course home page, the announcement display is now the same view that their students will see in the home page. Delayed announcements do not display until the date set for each announcement.
• Quizzes Updates from 1-28-17 - The option to "Let Students See Their Quiz Responses" now includes the explanation that incorrect questions will be marked in student feedback.

January 7, 2017 Update

• New Features Updates from 1-7-17
  • Account Settings Updates from 1-7-17  - Instructors can choose to open/close individual Announcements to comments.
  • Pages Updates from 1-7-17 - If a course has a content page set as the course home page, instructors can display a certain number of recent announcements at the top of the page. Instructors can select the Show Recent Announcements checkbox in Course Settings and specify the number of recent announcements that should be shown (up to 15). By default, the interface displays three announcements unless the number is adjusted. Announcements display in the home page for two weeks.
• Updated Features Updates from 1-7-17
  • Course Imports Updates from 1-7-17 - In the Copy a Canvas Course option, the course drop-down menu is sorted in order from newest to oldest terms, then alphabetically by course. This change helps admins and instructors more easily locate terms and courses for course copies.
  • Courses Updates from 1-7-17 - Canvas has increased the number of courses automatically displayed in the Dashboard and Global Navigation Courses menu from 12 to 20.
• Other Updates Updates from 1-7-17
  • User Interface Updates from 1-7-17 - The existing Canvas icon font has been updated with a new Instructure icon library.

December 10, 2016 Update

• New Features Updates from 12-10-16
  • Groups Updates from 12-10-16 - allows instructors to specifically limit groups to users within a specific section.
• Updated Features Updates from 12-10-16
  • Courses Updates from 12-10-16 - automatically adds all new course shells as a favorite to the Dashboard.
  • Files Updates from 12-10-16 - When a user creates a folder or renames a file, clicking a check mark saves the folder or file name. 
  • Multiple Grading Periods Updates from 12-10-16 - The start date defaults to 12:00 AM for new grading periods.
  • Notifications Updates from 12-10-16 - Instructors and TAs can receive notifications for course groups without being added directly to a group. 
•   Other Updates Updates from 12-10-16
  • Rich Content Editor Updates from 12-10-16 - For links with auto-open inline preview selected, a Minimize Preview link is included. When hyperlinks are added to the Rich Content Editor, the links are underlined by default. 
  • User Interface Updates from 12-10-16 - The default font in Canvas has been updated to a modern typeface, Lato.

November 19, 2016 Update

• New Feature Updates from 11-19-16
  • Mastery Paths Updates from 11-19-16 - Allows instructors to customize learning experiences to students based on student performance. For detailed instructions, see the MasteryPaths document.
• Updated Features Updates from 11-19-16
  • Analytics Updates from 11-19-16 - Instructors can now view Analytics in concluded courses. 
  • Calendar Updates from 11-19-16 - Week and Agenda views have a new look-and-feel; functionality is the same.

October 29, 2016 Update

New Features Updates from 10-29-16

• Assignments Updates from 10-29-16 - settings for Peer Reviews have more options when using student Groups
• Global Navigation Updates from 10-29-16 - the Global Navigation Menu can be manually collapsed

Updated Features Updates from 10-29-16

• Dashboard Updates from 10-29-16 - all items with a due date display in the To Do list, including ungraded quizzes and assignments that do not require a submission.
• Groups Updates from 10-29-16 - minor changes have been made to the navigation menu within Groups  

October 8, 2016 Update

Updated Features Updates from 10-8-16

• Assignments Updates from 10-8-16 - a link to SpeedGrader appears in completed Assignments
• Authentication Updates from 10-8-16 - when users log into Canvas using Facebook and LinkedIn authentication, more information beyond just ID is passed to Canvas
• Dashboard Updates from 10-8-16 - the Dashboard sidebar displays short names for courses
• Grades Updates from 10-8-16 -  submitted LTI assignment shows an icon rather than a blank in Grades
• Quizzes Updates from 10-8-16 - question details and correct answers can be viewed in Question Banks with fewer than 50 quiz questions
• Theme Editor Updates from 10-8-16 - admins can change the main text color in Canvas templates
• User Settings Updates from 10-8-16 - an Underline Links option underlines hyperlinks in the Course Navigation and User Navigation Menus

 

September 2016 Update

• Updated Features Updates from 09-16
  • Course Settings Updates from 09-16 - a new visibility setting for institution
  • Gradebook Updates from 09-16 - a new Excessive Points Alert
  • Notifications Updates from 09-16 - users with existing SMS notifications set to daily or weekly have had their notifications set to never
  • Quizzes Updates from 09-16 - the Moderate Quiz page includes a search filter
  • SpeedGrader Updates from 09-16 - a new Excessive Points Alert
• Other Updates Updates from 09-16
  • Canvas Interface Updates from 09-16 - new brighter colors as well as grayscale colors
  • Rich Content Editor Updates from 09-16 -  images will render more consistently; improved image accessibility for all users
•