Canvas Frequently-Asked Questions

• Q: How much file storage do I have?
• A: Canvas offers 2 GB of storage per course by default.

• Q: How should I record/store my Zoom class meetings?
• A: If you record lectures or classes via Zoom, we recommend, due to limited Zoom cloud storage, that you record to your computer, then place the videos in your OneDrive. All faculty have 1 TB of OneDrive space; OneDrive is also FERPA-compliant. You can then obtain the video link and embed it in your Canvas course. You may wish to create “shared” folders for courses co-taught, so the teaching team can access the course folder and assets. More OneDrive info here.

To access OneDrive - login to the O365 portal https://portal.office.com via a browser and Login with your Olin credentials (UPN and password).

• Q: I used the free Canvas before; can I import that course content into Olin canvas?
• A: Yes! Here’s how to export a Canvas FFT course, and here’s how to import it into Olin Canvas.

• Q: So IT imported my course roster into my Canvas course. What about Add/Drop students?
• A: To Add: At this time, faculty must check their Add/Drop notifications and then manually add students as needed. To Drop: Unfortunately at this time, faculty cannot remove students who drop their course. Forward the drop email notification CanvasHelp@olin.edu, and the Canvas team will remove the student(s) for you. You may wish to check your Add/Drop notifications in my.olin.edu prior to sending out email communications to your class.

• Q: I need to add a TA. How do I do that?
• A: Go into your course, click “People” from the left nav, and then click +people in the upper right. Add the student(s) via UPN email to your course, assigning the “TA” role. Here is what TAs can do.

• Q: Can I add external guests to my class?
• A: Yes: submit a HelpDesk request to IT (email: helpdesk@olin.edu) with the names and emails of the external guests; IT will create a Canvas account with their personal email address and notify faculty requestor who can then add them to the appropriate course.

• Q: Can I combine multiple sections of my cross-listed course into one for easier course management?
• A: Yes! As long as your course is unpublished, you can combine two or more sections. Students in the combined course retain their original enrollment course SIS IDs for your records. You will be able to un-merge them as well if needed. We recommend you merge your courses after the students are imported, typically 2 weeks prior to the start of the semester.

Note: Interdisciplinary courses have two course numbers and two sets of identical students; faculty should just pick one course in Canvas to use and ignore the other.

Cross-listed courses are where students can enroll in one course number OR another course number. Each course has a different set of students. Faculty may want to merge these into one single course. The other course still exists, but is empty, so neither the professor nor the students see it in Canvas, as they are not enrolled any more (in Canvas).

• Q: Can I populate my course for next semester with content before students are added?
• A: Yes. Once you receive confirmation that your course has been created for next semester (typically at the end of the previous semester), you may begin to edit and add content to your course. Students are not added until 2 weeks prior to the semester start. Students will not be able to access your course until you publish it.

• Q: Can I rename my course in Canvas?
• A: Yes. In your course settings, you can rename both the course name and course code. You may want to consider a naming convention that is appropriate for multiple semesters. The course code is the field students see in the top left when they are in the course. They see both the course name and course code fields when they are viewing their courses from their dashboards.

• Q: Is Zoom integrated with Canvas?
• A: Canvas offers integration with Zoom. You can schedule your class Zoom meetings right in the Canvas app. Go to “Settings” in your course to add Zoom to your left navigation options, or click on the Zoom link if it's already in your navigation.

• Q: Can I record video in Canvas?
• A: Yes! Canvas has a built-in video recording feature, which enables you to record and post materials to your class. There is an auto-caption feature that adds closed captioning to the videos if you wish.