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Canvas Non-Instructional Uses

Canvas shells are automatically created for instructors teaching courses at LPC.  Occasionally, employees use Canvas for other types of collaborations using Non-instructional course shells and Canvas Commons Groups.

Definitions

Non-instructional course shell: a course shell to post information and, possibly, for users to communicate. This is not an official LPC course. Typical uses include work within committees, task forces, departments, and clubs.

Canvas Commons Group: a group that allows easy sharing of instructional materials. Typical uses include academic departments that want to share assignments, quizzes, and documents with all instructors in their department. A Canvas Commons Group will not populate a shell on your Canvas Dashboard.

Considerations

  • Whether you use a Non-instructional course shell or a Commons Group, you will be be responsible for adding and removing users at the appropriate times. Examples:
    • If you use Canvas for department communication, you will need to regularly monitor your People list to add new hires and remove instructors no longer working in your area. 
    • If you use Canvas for a club, you will need to regularly monitor your People list to add new members and remove students no longer active in your club.
  • If you allow users to self-enroll, only share the link with your intended users.  Do not post your self-enroll link on any web site or public space. This can jeopardize the security of Canvas. 
  • On October 27, 2023, the LPC Distance Education Committee voted to allow one student each in student club non-instructional courses to be able to post Announcements, create Pages, and create Discussions. Therefore, if your non-instructional course is being used for student club purposes, you can give one student the role of Student Club Lead (not Teacher). Do not give any other LPC students a role other than Student.
  • You may give fellow instructors/employees student or teacher access.
  • Since students have to accept the invitation to join a non-instructional course or have to deliberately self-enroll in such a course, this constitutes a choice on their part. Therefore, FERPA requirements of students not being able to see or interact with each other do not apply. In the rare event that a non-instructional course automatically enrolls students (in which case they have no choice but to be enrolled in the course), FERPA requirements apply. An announcement explaining this will be posted when non-instructional courses are created.
  • All online content must be accessible.  For information about making accessible Canvas content, please review the "Web Accessibility Course" on your Canvas Dashboard. 

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