FAQs for Instructors

You can log in to Canvas by visiting montana.instructure.com/login/saml using your NetID and Password.

Once logged in, your courses will appear on the Canvas Dashboard. If you don’t see your course, check the "Courses" tab and select "All Courses." Ensure your course has been assigned to you. 

If your course does not appear, check with your department and registrar office to confirm that you have been added as an instructor. If the course is still missing, contact your us at canvas@montana.edu

All credit courses are provisioned in Brightspace - instructors do not need to submit a course request for credit courses.

An instructor may choose to request a Master or Practice course offering for creating/saving course content outside a given semester or to test out Brightspace features not yet utilized. Instructors have on-going access to any Master or Practice courses requested and built.

Fill out request form for practice or master course. 

Please allow 5-7 business days for request processing.

 

Credit course offerings for an upcoming term(s) will typically be provisioned within a few weeks after registration begins for the upcoming term(s). Once Brightspace is updated with upcoming term(s) courses, instructors will see the upcoming term(s) credit course offerings in Brightspace.

Select this link to read more about Terms, Start and End Dates.

You can add content by going to the "Modules" section and clicking "+ Module" or "+" within an existing module to add files, pages, assignments, quizzes, or discussions. 

Yes. Go to "Settings," select "Import Course Content," and choose "Copy a Canvas Course." Then, select the course you want to copy from and specify the content you’d like to import.

In most cases, students are automatically enrolled through the institution’s system. If you need to manually add a person, go to "People" and click "+ People." Enter their institutional email address and assign them the correct role. 

If you have permission, you can publish your course from the Dashboard, Course Home Page, or Course Settings. Use resource How do I publish a course for specific steps. 

Notes:

• A course must be published before students can access it. Unpublished courses and content are invisible to students.
• If you cannot publish your course, your institution has restricted this feature.
• Publishing sends invitations to manually added users, but not to those added via SIS import.
• Invitations are sent after the course start date (typically the term date unless overridden in Course Settings).
• Free-for-Teacher accounts require email verification before publishing.
• Once a course with grades is published, its published status cannot be changed.

Learner, instructor, and course information in Banner get passed over to the Brightspace system.

Updates from Banner to Brightspace run multiple times during the day:

• Monday through Friday at  ~ 7:00 AM; 10:00 AM; 2:00 PM; 5:00 PM; 8:00 PM
• Saturday and Sunday at  ~ 12 PM and 8 PM

Actions related to accounts and courses are typically handled by the Registrar.

Select this link for more expanded information related to Canvas and Banner Information.

Yes.

To request a merge, instructors should send an email to canvas@montana.edu with the Course Rubric, Course Number, Course Section(s), and Course Title that need to be merged together. Ecat Team staff will then set up the various combinations to be merged into one course offering.

Merged courses contain a CL (for "cross-listed") in the course title as well as the course code. After the merge has been constructed by support staff, the instructor will have access to the merged course offering.

Select this link for information related to merge requests.

The best time to request a merge is at the front end of a semester after all course offerings are available to the instructor in Brightspace, and before instructors begin setting up the course.

Allow up to 72 hours for a merge process to be completed.

Go to "Assignments" and click "+ Assignment." Enter a title, description, due date, and submission type (file upload, text entry, etc.). Then, assign a point value and select "Save & Publish" when ready. 

SpeedGrader allows you to review and grade student submissions efficiently. Open an assignment, then click "SpeedGrader" on the right side. You can leave comments, annotate submissions, and assign grades directly. 

Yes. Navigate to "Settings," select "Course Details," and enable "Grading Scheme." You can either use the default scheme or customize it to fit your course grading policy. 

Go to "Assignments," click the three-dot menu in the top right, and select "Assignment Groups Weight." Enable "Weight final grade based on assignment groups," then set the percentage for each category (e.g., Quizzes 20%, Homework 30%, Exams 50%). 

Go to "Announcements" and click "+ Announcement." Enter your message and select "Save & Publish." You can also schedule announcements for a later date. 

Discussions allow students to engage in course-related conversations. Create a discussion by going to "Discussions" and clicking "+ Discussion." You can set it as graded or ungraded, allow threaded replies, and enable peer interactions. 

Yes. Use the "Inbox" feature in Canvas to send private messages to individual students or groups. 

Yes. The Canvas Teacher App is available for iOS and Android. It allows you to manage courses, grade assignments, send announcements, and communicate with students from your mobile device. 

Download the app from the App Store or Google Play. Log in using your institution’s Canvas URL and credentials. Once logged in, you can access your courses, review submissions, and communicate with students on the go. 

For any issues with Canvas you can contact the ECAT team at canvas@montana.edu to start a helpdesk ticket.  

Yes. Use the Training Page to find a training that works best for your schedule. You can also use the Canvas Training Portal to access on-demand options and Live training sessions offered by Canvas. 

You can access the Canvas Help menu for chat support, or submit a support ticket if needed. You can also use canvas guides and videos.