FAQ - Canvas Instructors

See these questions for instructors from instructors.

Canvas Accounts

Can I add students to my course?

No, student enrollment can only be populated by Banner. Feeds run every 4 hours.

Can instructors who have not yet signed a contract access Canvas?

No, per Human Resources policy, we are unable to create Canvas accounts for instructors who have not yet completed the hiring process.

A signed appointment letter prompts division-level approval and HRIS application of the appropriate EPAF/HP, which activates the employee and enables their ability to set up necessary access. Whenever there are access concerns, please relay those to the College AA Division Office for further guidance.

Instructor Guides & Videos can help you begin learning Canvas.

Can instructors request a test student account?

Our Canvas environment does not support creation of test student accounts.

Instructors can use Student View to view the course, post and reply to discussions, submit assignments, view grades, view people, view pages, view the syllabus, view quizzes, view the calendar, and view the scheduler (if enabled). Attendance, conferences, conversations inbox, collaborations, differentiated assignments, external apps, groups, peer reviews, and profiles do not work in Student View.

How do I request an external account?

Access to Canvas is solely available to users with active PirateID accounts.

If non-ECU users need access to a course, you must request external accounts within the ECU Canvas support ticket. Additional licensing costs may be associated with some external accounts.

Grades and Analytics

How are incompletes managed in Canvas?

The process is automated. When an incomplete is entered in Banner, a student is automatically added to a new section in the existing course. The end date for this new section is set to one year past the end date of the original course. Students with incompletes can access the course normally until they have satisfied the incomplete.

Cross-listed Courses

If a course is cross-listed, the section containing incompletes will appear in the original course. They must be cross-listed again in order to be included in the parent course.

Exceptions

In some situations, there may be exceptions that allow students with incompletes to be added to a different course or course section. Submit an ECU Canvas Support ticket to request an exception.

Can instructors request student data reports from Canvas Support or the ECU Canvas Team (i.e., Page View reports)?

No. Canvas student data reports cannot be provided due to student privacy concerns and inconsistent data. Canvas is designed to support teaching and learning and is not equipped to be able to detect academic integrity violations. See How do I View Course Analytics for more information about course analytics available to instructors.
 
Instructure, the developer and publisher of Canvas, has advised that page view data should not be used to assess academic integrity. Mobile page view data is based on device settings and network connection, and may vary from the time the page views actually occurred. In addition, pages loaded in multiple tabs or devices will register an initial page view, but multiple idle tabs will not continue to generate page views unless the user interacts with the page.

Can instructors request student IP addresses?

No. For the same reasons articulated above, disclosure of IP addresses implicate student privacy, without providing the value sought by the instructor.

Considering analytics, page views and participation

There are two things to consider when analyzing student activity and time spent in Canvas.

1. The number of hours in a course is just the number of hours logged in and does not reflect activity. If students do not log out, this number could be infinite if a student leaves a browser open and never reboots.
2. The mobile device stats are inconsistent and activity like clicks from a mobile device is not consistently tracked.