How can I use third-party tools for teaching?
How can I use third-party tools for teaching?
This article was last updated .
The Office of Academic Innovation (OAI) consistently explores new teaching and learning platforms, applications, and resources to serve the PSU community. This article provides an overview of what tools are available, how new digital tools become available, and what to consider when deciding if a tool is right for your course.
What is the Digital Learning Environment?
The Digital Learning Environment (DLE) is the collection of PSU’s digital teaching and learning tools, including our central platforms and third-party tools. The central tools are available to all current PSU faculty and students.
Central tools in the digital learning environment are:
Canvas
Learning Management System
Canvas by Instructure is PSU’s learning management system (LMS). Canvas features may be used to support in-class, hybrid, or for fully-online teaching.
Google Workspace
Email, documents, and calendar (Google Docs, Gmail, Google Sheets, etc.)
In addition to Gmail, Google’s Workspace suite of applications include: Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drive, Forms, Jamboard, Classroom, Assignments (a plagiarism checker), and Calendar.
MediaSpace
Video editing and publishing
MediaSpace is where you can upload, create, and edit video and audio resources. Your Zoom recordings are also backed up there once you activate your account. Multimedia production support is available by request from OAI.
Zoom
Videoconferencing
Zoom is PSUs primary videoconferencing platform for teaching. All PSU faculty, staff, and students have an account. For full features, download the Zoom desktop “client” app and keep it updated.
Note: Faculty and students are not required to use these tools. However, opting to use the provided tools comes with distinct benefits, such as support from the Office of Academic Innovation and the Office of Information Technology (OIT).
What third-party tools are available to use in my Canvas course?
You can use the third-party tools listed in the DLE integration list. Some tools may only be available to specific colleges or departments, so be sure to check this list before requesting a new tool be added.
We welcome you to access an up-to-date list of 3rd party tools available for integration with Canvas. You must be signed in to your PSU account to access this list.
How do I request a new third-party tool?
To request a third-party tool to be integrated within the Digital Learning Environment, submit a request using the New Teaching Tool Request form.
Note: Please submit your request at least one term before you would like to use the tool to allow enough time for the review process.
What should I consider when using a third-party tool?
Security, Accessibility, and Data Privacy
When using a new tool, it’s important to think about security, accessibility, and student privacy. Staying up to date with technology is great, but you also need to follow PSU’s rules about keeping student records private. Tools that haven’t been checked for security and accessibility compliance could put student data at risk because there might not be an agreement in place to ensure FERPA requirements are met.
Tools that haven’t been reviewed for accessibility, usability, and support can also make things harder for students. OAI and OIT have formal processes for reviewing digital learning tools. They’ll work with you and the company that developed the tool to ensure they follow the rules and protect everyone’s data.
Note: If a tool hasn’t been reviewed for security and privacy, you should only use it if students are permitted to opt-out. If a student cannot participate fully in the course without the tool, contact OAI to discuss available alternatives in the DLE.
Affordability
Student costs for educational tools are rising, so it’s crucial to consider the price of any tool you want to use. Ask the developer how much the tool costs per student so you can share that information with students upfront. Try to keep costs low and use free alternatives when possible. We encourage you to visit PSU Library’s collection of information on Open Educational Resources. If you have questions about how to meet your teaching goals without adding extra costs, contact OAI for advice.
Student Support
If you introduce a new tool to your course, department, or college, it is your responsibility to manage supporting it. OAI and OIT staff are not guaranteed to know how to use the tool or have the necessary access to troubleshoot problems.
Here are some tips to help support your students:
- Look at the support materials on the tool’s website. You can usually find these by searching for “support” or “help.”
- Think about what questions students might have and prepare answers ahead of time.
- Add the tool’s support contact information to your syllabus.
- Try using the tool yourself before assigning it to students. This will help you foresee problems they might face and allow you to prepare to mitigate them in advance.
- Check if the company offers student support materials, like guides or tutorials. Sharing these resources can make things easier for everyone.
Student Experience
Make sure the tool is easy for students to use and won’t cause confusion. If the tool doesn’t have a “student view” feature, contact the tool’s developer to learn more about what students will see. You can also check user forums to find out what problems others have faced and whether they were able to get help.
If the support materials for students or instructors are not very good, be careful about using the tool. Addressing technical problems during the term can be stressful, especially if using the tool is required for graded activities.
If you decide to use the tool, start with low-stakes activities. Let students know it’s a “trial run” and share instructions and support resources with them.
Note: OAI and OIT are unable to help with third-party tools.
Consider how adopting this tool might impact the individual student across a program or degree. As more tools are adopted in various individual courses, be mindful of how many tools a student may be required to use for their other courses. Ask other faculty in your department what tools they use to meet the same objectives or contact OAI to assess currently available tools.
Upload to MediaSpace from a mobile device
You can share media recorded on your phone or tablet using Kaltura’s KMS GO application. The application is available for Android and iOS mobile devices. It allows you to upload audio, video, and images from your device to your PSU Kaltura MediaSpace account. Once uploaded and published as Unlisted, you can share that media in Canvas or via email.
Begin by going to the Apple Store or Google Play Store, and search for “Kaltura MediaSpace GO – Education” (do not select “KMS GO for regions“).
- Install the application and select Open.
- The app asks if you want to allow notifications. Select Don't Allow or Allow.
- You'll see a prompt to log in. Enter https://media.pdx.edu. This connects the application to the PSU Kaltura platform, but you're not yet logged into your own MediaSpace account.
- You may see a prompt asking if you want to allow KMS GO to "make and manage phone calls." We recommend you select Don't Allow.
- Your display will now show that you're connected to PSU MediaSpace. To log in, select the Profile icon. If you're uploading media you may select the Upload icon, which will also prompt you to log in.
- Sign into MediaSpace with your PSU Odin/password and authenticate with Duo. You'll now see Settings and Profile icons. Select Profile to see your current media list. You'll also see icons for:
- Home – returns you to the homepage.
- Upload - select to upload media.
- Inspire me - shows publicly available media.
- Explore - lets you search shared PSU videos on MediaSpace.
- Select the Upload icon and choose the type of media you want to upload: video, audio, or image.
- You'll be asked to allow KMS GO to access media on your device. Select Allow.
- From the options shown, select the area of your device where the media is stored.
- Enter a title for your media and select Upload.
- Agree to the copyright protection prompt.
- When the upload is complete, you'll be prompted to publish the media now or later. If you want the video to remain private, select Later. To share the video, select Yes.
- The media will display with these publishing options: Private (default), Unlisted, and Public. To share your media in a Canvas course or via email, select Unlisted. This makes the media viewable by those with the link or in your Canvas course.
- Select UPDATE.
- You'll be prompted to copy the media's URL to your device clipboard. To share, select Yes.
- Open your email or Canvas course account to share your URL. To paste the URL, press and hold within your email or Canvas text field. For more information on how and where you can share media links in Canvas, please see Add media files to Canvas.
This article was last updated on .
Canvas media recorder troubleshooting
Canvas Media Recorder Troubleshooting
When attempting to record media in Canvas using the Rich Content Editor , you may encounter problems with your browser or operating system. Follow the steps below to troubleshoot common Canvas recording issues.
Check your browser
The solution can often be using the correct web browser or adjusting the settings.
Safari will not work with the Canvas Media Recorder.
Ensure the browser is up to date by checking the links below:
OAI recommends clearing your browser cache at least once each term. This may clear saved passwords, so be sure to keep a record of them elsewhere. Follow the links below for guidance on clearing your cache in Chrome and Firefox:
On first use of the recorder, a pop-up message appears requesting access to your camera and microphone.
It’s easy to dismiss this alert instead of allowing access. To correct that, follow these steps:
Check your operating system
Make sure your computer’s operating system is up to date.
For PSU-managed computers
- Check for operating system updates by launching the “Self Service Software” or “Software Center” application: https://www.pdx.edu/technology/self-service-software .
- If your computer is managed by your area’s TAG or OIT, contact them directly.
For non-PSU-managed computers
If you’ve gone through all the steps above and are still experiencing issues with the Canvas media recorder, please submit a request to OAI Support with a brief description .
This article was last updated .
Teaching Strategies for Digital Class Meetings
Contributors:Lindsay Murphy
Digital class meetings are sessions that some or all students attend via Zoom or another virtual meeting platform. Such meetings may be recorded for students to also use asynchronously. Digital class meetings are most often associated with these delivery methods:
- Online – Scheduled Meetings: Online courses with required meeting times
- Hybrid: Fewer in-person class sessions with more online, remote, or self-directed activities
Learn more about PSU course delivery methods, including examples and guidelines, in the Faculty Guide to Course Delivery Methods.
Set Expectations
You and your students may have varied experience with digital class meetings. It can help to gauge student expectations and circumstances at the start of the term and to communicate your expectations clearly.
Try a Pre-Course Survey
A pre-course survey is a great way to get to know your students and understand where they are in their learning. When your course includes digital class meetings, it can help to include questions about students’ technology setups and their expectations for participating. For example, you might ask how students anticipate they’ll usually attend class (in-person or via Zoom). If they’ll attend via Zoom, it’s a good idea to ask about their Zoom and technology setup.
Will they join:
- From a smartphone, tablet, or laptop/desktop computer?
- At work, on campus, or at home?
- In a private space or from a shared space?
- With a camera and reliable internet?
All these factors can influence access to digital class meetings.
You can use what you learn from the survey to set your expectations and plan your digital class meetings. For example, if many of your students will join from a smartphone, asking them to pull up Google Docs, Canvas, or specialized software may prove challenging.
Communicate Your Expectations
As you plan your course, take some time to reflect on your expectations for student participation in digital class meetings.
Consider:
- How will you assess engagement in person? On Zoom? When students use recordings?
- How will you handle questions in the chat?
- How will you handle technological issues that emerge?
- Are there bare minimum requirements for participating (e.g. a way to take notes, access to the textbook or handouts)?
- Will you require attendance?
- Will you require or expect students to keep their cameras on? If so, how will you handle accessibility, equity, and privacy issues?
Consider:
- Do you expect students to attend in-person and use Zoom only for emergencies?
- Will you record every session and make it available to all students? Only when requested? Only in some circumstances?
- Will you always attend in-person? What is your backup plan if you or a family member gets sick?
- Will remote students interact with in-person students? For example, during small group activities or class presentations?
Consider:
- If students miss scheduled synchronous activities (whether digital or in-person), how can they make up the work?
- What will students need handy during scheduled meetings?
- How do you expect the class to stay in touch and on track between meetings?
Once you have a sense of your expectations, how can you communicate them to your students or even collaborate with students to define participation norms collectively? At a minimum, consider sharing expectations in your syllabus and in early class communications.
Beyond Lecture: Active Learning in Digital Class Meetings
Student feedback indicates that when synchronous class time is heavily lecture-oriented, students are less motivated to attend remotely. As you plan teaching strategies, remember to factor in what you know about your particular group of students and any technological or logistical constraints.
Among the many teaching strategies to consider, this handful may be particularly well suited to the constraints and capacities of digital class meetings:
- Include self-paced activities online before class to help build a cohesive and well-balanced blended-learning environment.
- Use short, ungraded knowledge checks to assess learning during sessions.
- Give students opportunities for peer-to-peer learning using think-pair-share, jigsaw, and other small group activities.
- Allow students to choose how to give presentations: via Zoom, in-person, or recorded and shared.
- Punctuate lectures or course discussions with polls, problem sets, example generation, and/or other applied practice. Use Google Docs and forms to give students space to contribute answers and ideas regardless of how they attend.
Deliberately plan each class, accounting for the technological complexity of digital class meetings. Plan your first class session especially carefully; it sets the tone for the rest of the term. As you plan, find ways to intentionally bridge the gap between modalities and create a supportive learning environment.
Here are some example plans with teaching strategies to engage students across modalities — and with planning down to the minute.
Along with creating a detailed lesson plan for yourself, consider sharing a brief agenda with students at the start of each class meeting. This can help you set the tone for the day and communicate any particular needs or high priority items.
Here are some example class agendas.
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- Business Administration 336U, Dr. Kam Moi Lee
- Management 510, Prof. Beth Jensen
Across modalities, it may be easier to connect with some students than others. However, it’s crucial to engage with all students regardless of how they attend. Here are a few suggested practices to help connect across modalities:
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- Welcome everyone to each class, specifically speaking to in-person students, remote students, and students using the recordings.
- Learn your students’ names, how to pronounce them, and which pronouns they use. Greet and refer to students by their names. (Get tips on learning students names, even in large classes.)
- Find ways to show the contributions of remote and asynchronous students live and in class. For example, share the collaborative documents remote students are working on, or screen share the discussion posts asynchronous students have contributed.
- Use Canvas as a “home base” for the course. This centralizes communications and provides a consistent space for students to interact across modalities when possible.
- Take proactive steps to foster community and connection in your course.
- Maintain your digital presence through timely feedback, virtual office hours, regular announcements, and other means.
Ideally, complete a practice run before your course starts in the classroom or space you’ll teach in.
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- Try out your classroom equipment, run through your day-one plan, make a practice recording, and test anything you’re worried about.
- Ask a colleague or TA to join as a practice remote student.
- Practice including all groups of students (in-person live, virtual live, and/or asynchronous).
- Practice pulling up the various content you want to display and sharing it in the room and on Zoom.
- Practice switching between items you’re sharing.
- Practice basic touch-screen functions such as managing participants, turning the waiting room on and off, and starting/stopping the camera and microphone.
- Use your practice recording to note any potential problems.
Streaming Class Sessions from Campus Classrooms with Zoom
Zoom capabilities in general pool classrooms might be different from what you’ve experienced elsewhere. Consider these key distinctions.
These assume the instructor joined the meeting via the classroom’s Logitech touch panel.
You can
- Start and stop recording.
- Share screen from classroom computer display, doc cam or HDMI connection.
- Mute/unmute Zoom participants.
- Share computer audio to Zoom participants through screen sharing options.
- Engage in limited chat with Zoom participants.
You cannot
- Show chat screen and gallery view simultaneously.
- Pause recording.
- Launch Zoom polls.
- Launch or manage breakout rooms.
- Display remote participants in classroom.
These assume in-person students are not individually signed into the class Zoom session and are relying on the default setup for classroom technology.
Available to Students
- Remote participants are audible. (Volume is controlled by classroom speaker settings.)
- The instructor’s shared materials are visible — by either computer display or doc cam. This may mirror what the instructor is screen-sharing to remote students via Zoom.
Not Available to Students
- Remote participants’ video and thumbnails are not visible.
- What students say in the classroom likely isn’t audible over Zoom. (The default microphone is at the front of the room; audio pickup varies when the speaker is not close to the microphone.
- Zoom chat is not visible.
These assume remote students are individually signed into the class Zoom session and the instructor is using the default setup for classroom technology.
Available to Students
- The instructor is visible when at the front of the room, and audible when behind the default microphone.
- A shared screen is visible, either from a computer feed or a doc cam, controlled by the classroom Logitech touch panel.
- Zoom chat is available.
Not Available to Students
- In-person students are not visible.
- The in-class whiteboard is not reliably visible or legible.
- In-class questions or conversations are not reliably audible.
To learn more about in-classroom Zoom technology, contact OIT’s Audio Visual Services and/or review OIT’s full technical documentation for Zoom rooms.
Getting More from Zoom in the Classroom
- Move the podium or the monitor/webcam to capture different camera views, if possible. This may be helpful for student presentations, or other times when you want to share a view of the full classroom with remote students.
- Ask an in-class student to join the Zoom meeting and keep an eye on the chat. Make sure that student does not join audio. When questions or comments come up in chat, the in-person student should raise their hand and voice the chat contribution, crediting the contributor. Rotate this role each class session and let remote students know the plan. Let remote students know that direct messages to you may go unnoticed.
- Join as the meeting host or co-host from your laptop or the podium computer. Don’t join audio (recommended), or keep your microphone and speakers muted to avoid audio feedback. As a host or co-host of the meeting from your laptop, you can:
- Add live transcription to your meeting.
- Pause and restart the video recording.
- Initiate and manage breakout rooms.
- Expand the chat window on your laptop view so you can more easily monitor and respond to chats.
- Check audio or other Zoom functionality as a regular meeting participant.
- Launch polls.
- Join from your smartphone. Mute the phone microphone and speaker when using the podium mic, and vice versa, to avoid feedback. Adding the additional microphone connection allows you to:
- Move around the classroom without dropping audio.
- Use the second microphone to pick up student questions that can’t be heard clearly through the default microphone.
Learn More Elsewhere
Zoom meeting roles: co-hosts and alternative hosts
Zoom meeting roles: co-hosts and alternative hosts
Zoom defines meeting management roles as:
- Host: The user that scheduled the meeting. They have full permissions to manage the meeting. There can only be one host of a meeting.
- Co-host: Shares most of the controls that hosts have, such as managing attendees. The host must assign a co-host during the meeting. Co-hosts cannot start a meeting.
- Alternative host: Shares the same controls as co-hosts, but can also start the meeting. Hosts can assign alternative hosts when they schedule a meeting.
Alternative hosts must have PSU credentials
In your PSU Zoom account, an alternative host must be a PSU community member and have an Odin username to login and authenticate with.
Co-hosts may be non-PSU guests
A co-host may be a meeting participant from outside the PSU community. To admit a non-PSU participant to your meeting, first adjust the default sign-in requirement from PSU account membership to any Zoom account. Once the guest is admitted to your meeting, you can assign them the co-host role.
Next, make sure your own account settings have the co-host role enabled.
- Sign into the Zoom web portal at https://pdx.zoom.us/
- In the navigation panel, click Settings.
- Click the Meeting tab.
- Under In Meeting (Basic), verify that the Co-host setting is enabled.
- If the setting is disabled, click the toggle to enable it. If a verification dialog displays, click Turn On to verify the change.
There are two ways to make a participant a co-host during a meeting.
Once the guest is admitted:
- Hover over their video.
- Click the ellipsis (….) icon.
- Click Make Co-Host.
Or use the participants panel:
- Click Participants in the meeting controls at the bottom of the Zoom window.
- In the participants panel, hover over the name of the guest who will co-host, and choose More.
- Click Make Co-Host.
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Display your syllabus file in the Syllabus area
The Syllabus tool can be configured to display your uploaded syllabus file. Optionally, you can also display a Course Summary, which lists course activities by date.
- Navigate to the Syllabus tool and open the Insert menu below the Syllabus Description heading.
- Select Document and Upload Document.
- Locate the syllabus file on your computer and upload it. This creates a hyperlink.
- Select the hyperlink and then Link Options.
- In the Link Options panel, rename the hyperlink if desired.
- Select Preview inline and Expand preview by Default.
- At the bottom of the Link Options panel, select Done.
- Optional: below the description field you may select Show Course Summary.
If selected, a Course Summary is automatically generated based on assignments and calendar events. Summary Items can only be changed by editing or deleting the assignments or events. All assignments (unpublished and published) are visible to instructors in the Summary, but students don’t see unpublished assignments. - Select Update Syllabus. Your document will now automatically preview, and can also be downloaded by selecting the Download icon.
This article was last updated on .
Canvas student support and syllabus statement
Here’s how you can help support your students with Canvas.
Syllabus statement
Consider adding this statement to your syllabus:
This course uses Canvas as the main learning platform. If you haven’t used Canvas before, I recommend you take the PSU Learning Center’s remote readiness course this week. If you’ve used Canvas and you just need occasional technical support, contact the OIT Helpdesk. If they can’t help you, please let me know.
Canvas resources for students
The Learning Center has self-paced learning resources for students new to Canvas. We recommend sending students there first — and encouraging them to take the Center’s remote readiness course during the term’s first week.
The OIT Helpdesk offers “just in time” technical support. This is good for students having trouble logging into Canvas, finding or accessing Canvas materials, and other technical issues.
The Help item (on the global navigation bar within Canvas) reveals links to OIT’s Canvas resources and to technology support through the myPSU portal.
Growing with Canvas
Growing with Canvas
Resource type: Self-paced Canvas course
Intended for: New faculty, emerging practitioners
Growing with Canvas is a self-paced training course to introduce the main Canvas tools. You can self-enroll through the Canvas learning system. The course is organized into modules with videos, text explanations, examples, and practice exercises. Consider working through the modules in order, because some topics build from others.
What's in the Growing with Canvas course?
In this module, you’ll learn more about the basics of navigating your Canvas course as well as how to communicate with students via the Inbox and Calendar tools.
This module covers:
- Getting Around in Canvas
- Communication Tools
This module focuses on overall course design, sharing strategies for customizing your course appearance as well as organizing content to support student learning.
This module covers:
- Customizing Your Course
- Course Design
In this module, you’ll learn more about the different Canvas activities you can use to support student engagement in your course.
This module covers:
- Pages
- Discussions
- Assignments
- Quizzes
This module shares strategies for effectively using Canvas SpeedGrader™ to assess your students’ work and share their grades with them so they can keep track of their progress in the course.
This module covers:
- Course Settings and Weights
- SpeedGrader and Gradebook
This module reviews how the Canvas Groups tool can be used to support learning and develop a sense of community in your course. It also outlines the steps for copying your course materials from term to term, as well as how to share content with your colleagues.
This module covers:
- Groups and Collaboration
- Copying and Sharing Courses
Tools You'll Use
The Growing with Canvas self-paced course is built within PSU’s learning management system, Canvas by Instructure. You can learn more about how to use Canvas with our Canvas Tutorials.
About the Course Creators
This course was adapted from the Instructure’s Growing With Canvas: Faculty Development course and customized for the PSU community by OAI staff.
Add a User to a PSU Canvas Course
Add a User to a PSU Canvas Course
This article was last updated .
While most people are added to a Canvas course through an automated process, you may occasionally need to add one or more people manually. In most cases, this is something you can do yourself, but some situations may require support from OIT or OAI.
Note: If you wish to share course materials with a colleague or other instructor, we recommend sharing a copy of the course instead of the “live” Canvas shell with student enrollment. This helps keep confidential student information private while allowing you to share what you need. Review the PSU Registrar’s webpage, FERPA & Student Records Privacy FAQs for more information about FERPA and confidential student information.
Adding a user with an Odin ID
You can add anyone with an active Odin ID to your Canvas course, as long as it is during the active course dates or prior to the course start date.
- In Course Navigation, select People (1) link.
- In the upper right corner of the class list, select the +People (2) button.
- Enter the PSU email address (3) of the person you want to add. (Note: To add multiple users, enter their email addresses on a single line separated by commas.)
- Using the dropdown menus, assign the user(s) Role (4) and Section (5). (Note: When adding multiple users at once, only one role and section can be assigned. If you’re not sure which role to choose, read User Roles in Canvas.)
- Select Next (6).
- If located, the users to be added to the course are displayed. Confirm these are the correct users, then select the Add Users (7) button.
If you are unable to add a user with their email, you can also try adding them with their Login ID. This is the same as their Odin ID (or the part of the email before the @). If you continue to have trouble, contact the Office of Academic Innovation for faculty support.
Adding a user without an Odin ID
A user must have an Odin account to be added to a Canvas course. If you are working with a community partner or other colleague outside the PSU community and would like them to have access to your course, they must first obtain an Affiliate Account and Odin username.
After receiving an Affiliate Account and Odin username, you should be able to follow the steps above to add a user with an Odin ID. If you have any trouble adding the new user, contact the Office of Academic Innovation for faculty support. Please include the user’s pdx.edu email address in your request. This email address is required for our support professionals to add users to a course, as PSU IDs are not used in Canvas.
Student repeatedly removed from course
Question:
My student keeps getting kicked out of my Canvas course! Every time I add them back in, the student gets removed again. Can you fix this?
Answer:
Your student is likely being removed from Canvas because of enrollment status changes in PSU’s official enrollment system, Banner. Banner sends enrollment information to Canvas regularly to keep Canvas enrollment up-to-date. If you manually add a student to your Canvas course, but that student isn’t enrolled through Banner (or their enrollment changes after you add them), Banner will tell Canvas to remove the student because of the change in their enrollment information.
When this occurs, contact OAI. Our support professionals can work around the Banner unenrollment.
Copy or send items to a Canvas Course
Copy or send a course item to another Canvas course
Every Canvas index page (list of items in Modules, Assignments, Discussions, Pages, etc.) gives you the option to “push” a copy of an item to a different Canvas course in your account, or send it to another Canvas user at PSU. These options are found in the 3-dot menu to the right of the items listed. The example below is from the Modules index, but the Copy To… and Send To… options are the same in each area.
- In the course you want to copy materials from, select Modules from the left navigation menu.
- On the right side of the list, select the three vertical dots aligned with the item you want to copy.
- Select the Copy To… menu item.
- Select the course you want to copy this item to. You can also select a specific module to copy it into.
- Select Copy.
Note: if you copy the same material twice without changing the filename, the first copy will be overwritten.