Technology Background

Servers

Here are some basics about the underpinning of your courses. Canvas is hosted on a remote server.  WebAdvisor handles all rosters at AandR and will automatically update student roster changes in Canvas.

 

Course Containers:

• Empty course container shells are automatically created for every section you are teaching each semester. These will appear in your Canvas account about the time registration begins. You can then build your course from these containers, add a Canvas template, and/or copy material and settings from previous courses into these containers (see

   

  Canvas Container Preparation).
• If you wish to include material or settings from a previous semester course, go into the new Canvas Shell course settings and click

   

  Import Course Content. You can then select the components of the current course you would like copied into that container and even convert dates.
  • Be sure to check Announcements.  Any announcements without Delay Posting dates will be sent out as soon as the course is published.
• Use the

   

  pre-semester checklist

   

  each semester.
•  Students for each section are automatically added into your container each semester (included late adds). Use WebAdvisor to drop students.
• At the end of the semester, after your course is over, use the

   

  post-semester checklist.

 

WebAdvisor/Colleague

 

(Cuyamaca's electronic roster): This is the only way to view and manage your student rosters (see tutorials below). Login usually has the same Username/ID as your email/network password, but can have a different password. View all online student rosters with daily updates by AandR. Enter final grades through this online system.  Teachers should also save Canvas Grades into Excel for printing and electronic storage.

 

Students will automatically be added to Canvas courses daily by WebAdvisor.  Be sure to alert your students to correct email addresses in WebAdvisor. To add guest lecturers or others to your containers, use the

 

Canvas Request form.

 

WebAdvisor will:

• add students into your containers automatically daily
• will set student status to Inactive when the student is dropped
• will create a student account in each container for each faculty member (identified as Test Student in gradebook) so that you can view your course as a student
• WebAdvisor Help for Faculty

Course Schedule Notes:

• The semester before your class begins, be sure to write and submit any notes that you wish listed in the notes section of the college course schedule. These notes can include instructions about your orientation, whether students should email you before the first day of class, your college web page, contact information, etc. (see this

   

  example of class notes

   

  or look in the

   

  Cuyamaca Schedule's

   

  online classes).
• You must submit these to your Chair, Coordinator, or Dean immediately following your class assignment (the semester before the course is scheduled to begin
• Your notes will be listed in both the online and printed schedules

Overall Timeline for Course Development:

• Before a class can be offered as online or hybrid, a special form needs to be approved by the curriculum committee.
• At the start of the prior semester:
  • Get

     

    course

     

    and section approval (by Chair or Coordinator)
  • Submit Course Schedule notes
• Months before the semester begins:
  • The container will be automatically created
  • Build your course within this container (include content and assignments)
• When registration begins:
  • Students automatically added by WebAdvisor
• Start of the semester:
  • Publish course
  • Begin teaching class

College Email and Cuyamaca Access:

• District/Faculty Email Instructions

   

  (including automatic forwarding)

Faculty Login:

• email: first.last@@gcccd.edu (john.smith@gcccd.edu)
• network login (for faculty web page creation, other areas on the college site):
  • username: first.last (john.smith)
    • [ may sometimes require "gcccdedu\" before username (gcccdedu\john.smith)]
  • password: PIN (birthdate - MMDDYY - on the first login,

     

    then

     

    can be changed)

Student Email:

• name: first.last@students@gcccd.edu (john.smith@students.gcccd.edu)
  password: college pin
• Student Email Instructions

Cuyamaca Web Standards

 

Contacts:

• Technology Contact List
• Canvas Request forms
• Help Desk

Faculty:

• Canvas login

   

  (same as network login):
  • username: first.last (john.smith)
  • password: PIN (birthdate - MMDDYYYY - on the first login,

     

    then

     

    can be changed)
• Can change

   

  first

   

  name (display name) in Canvas -  use the

   

  Canvas Request form.
• If the server should go down or have problems, you should call the

   

  Help Desk

   

  and report the outage: 660-4395 (on weekends record a message and it will be intercepted and action taken within the hour). You can also email the Help Desk at

   

  c-helpdesk@gcccd.edu

Student Canvas Login:

• Username: first.last (e.g. john.smith)
  Password: Your 8 digit birthdate (e.g. 07151985).
  The password can be changed after students

   

  login

   

  (make sure they use any changed password in future course logins)
• Login help:
  • Cuyamaca Students 619-660-4395
  • Grossmont Students 619-644-7383   
• Student accounts are available one day after they register for a class, but they will not see their online Canvas class until the instructor has published it.