Overview
Canvas makes regularly scheduled updates. There are two categories of updates:
- Latest Updates: New features are released every month. Descriptions of these features are listed on the Canvas - Latest Updates page. Note that some of these features may only be relevant to instructors, and others only to students. Only significant changes that impact CU Boulder are listed; to see the complete release notes from the vendor, visit Canvas: Release Notes.
- Feature Options: Feature Options are new tools released in Canvas available for instructors to use. These tools are not yet fully developed and Canvas is working on improving their functionality. Descriptions of the beta tools are listed below.
What are Canvas Feature Options?
Canvas Feature Options are new tools released in Canvas that are available for instructors to use. These tools might not be fully developed and Canvas is working on improving their functionality. Consequently, there may be some limitations to these features and you may experience changes in functionality while using them.
Benefit of using Canvas Feature Options
Because the tool is still in beta, instructors have the opportunity to try it out and share feedback with Canvas, toward informing its final design.
How can I use Canvas Feature Options?
Once a beta tool is activated in Canvas for our campus, it is available to all instructors within their course.
To enable a tool from your course home page:
- Click on Settings.
- Click the Feature Options tab.
- Find the tool you would like to enable.
- Click the switch to the right of the tool.
For more detailed instructions on enabling new features in Canvas, see How do I manage new features for a course? tutorial.
Please Note: If a tool is set as “On,” it is already available in your course. If a tool is set to “Off,” it hasn’t been enabled for CU Boulder yet. If you would like to explore a tool that hasn’t been enabled, contact the IT Service Center at oithelp@colorado.edu or (303)735-5419.
Current Feature Options
Final Grade Override
- Grade Override is a beta feature and needs to be enabled in your course. Learn how to enable it in the How Can I use Canvas Feature Options section.
- Learn more: How do I override a student's final grade in the New Gradebook?
Moderated Grading
- Moderated Grading allows anyone with assignment creation permissions to assign one or multiple specific graders to an assignment submission, review the assignment grades before they are released to students, and select which grade should be set as the final grade for each student.
- Learn more: What feature options are currently available for Canvas courses?
Anonymous Grading
- Anonymous Grading requires all course assignments to be graded anonymously in SpeedGrader. Students can view whether or not an assignment was graded anonymously on both the student Grades page and the sidebar of the assignment submission page.
- Learn more: What feature options are currently available for Canvas courses?
Support
You may experience issues with feature options. If you do, contact the IT Service Center at oithelp@colorado.edu or (303) 735-4357 to let us know. For consultation on these tools, contact OIT’s Academic Technology Consultants.
