Staff FAQs

How do we log in?

• Using our new Single Sign-On accounts you can sign in through Office.com, Google.com, or Canvas (https://kernhigh.instructure.com/). This uses the same account information as your Microsoft Windows/Office information.

How do incoming freshman access Canvas?

• New students to the district will have to set up their Windows password first using Office.com. Once they have created a Windows password they will be able to log into Canvas directly.

• The temporary password is their birthday, !YYYYMMDD, example !19801106

How does a student access their school email from home?

• There is a Office 365 link on the “Student” section of the district home page. Or they can navigate to office.com and sign in using their Single Sign-On account information.

When can students access their course in Canvas?

• Students can now access Canvas and setup their information before the course is available.

• Courses will be available when school begins. Courses also have to be published in order for students to view them.

How do I generate a pairing code for a parent observer?

• Students can generate the pairing code from their account. Admin can also generate this code if needed. HERE are the instructions and there are also instructions for our parents in the Digital Learning link on the Kern High webpage located HERE.

• The parent observer account is how a parent can view a student’s work and grades in Canvas.

• The URL is different for a parent. They must use https://kernhigh.instructure.com/login/canvas

How does a parent view their student’s grade?

• Please see question 5.

How do I take attendance?

• The attendance is the same in Synergy as in the prior years.

Can I reset a student’s Office.com/Windows/Canvas password?

• To reset a student’s password using their https://portal.azure.com account. Please see the directions HERE. Also, see question 3 for additional password support.

  1. Do not require the user to change password

  2. Password can not use the user’s name

  3. Must be at least 8 digits

  4. No consecutive numbers

• If a password is reset, the student must use this link http://kernhigh.instructure.com/ .This link will log the students into Office and Canvas at the same time.

Do students need a textbook for Canvas courses?

• This is a site and teacher decision. If a textbook is needed for the course you are teaching or to supplement for your student’s needs, make arrangements to check out books with your admin.

Where do I find the link to the Canvas training sessions and are the training sessions recorded?

• All training sessions can be found under the “Staff” link on the district website using the Tech PD icon. They can also be found HERE. Most of the training sessions are recorded and are located in the Digital Learning Resources link which can be found on www.kernhigh.org or click HERE.

Why does Canvas keep opening with Edge instead of Chrome? Is this an issue?

• Yes, you must use Canvas in a Chrome browser. Instead of opening Canvas with the link on the computer, open a new browser window in Chrome. Go to kernhigh.instructure.com. Bookmark the link in Chrome. To do this, Then using the three vertical dots icon on the upper-right corner, select Bookmarks then “Show Bookmark Bar.” The Chrome icon will appear at the top. Use this to log on to Canvas each day.

Can I use Zoom in Canvas?

• YES. KHSD has a district-wide account for Zoom and all teachers have access to this. You'll first need to activate your Kern High Zoom account. This will likely be different than if you have already set up your account. Follow the instructions here. Afterward, you'll need to find and activate it in your Canvas Course.

  1. Set up your Zoom account.

  2. Log into Canvas.

  3. Navigate to the Course you want Zoom in.

  4. Select "Settings" from the Navigation Menu

  5. Select "Navigation" along the top of the Settings Menu

  6. Click and drag the "Zoom" menu option up to the top section

  7. Select "Save."

• Using Zoom's LTI in Canvas allows you to schedule meetings from within Canvas, without having to navigate to Zoom or open the app. Any scheduled meetings will appear in the relevant course's calendar for students to access easily.

Why am I not able to (use any Google application) embedded in Canvas? I am getting messages that I am not authorized.

• Usually, this happens when you have a separate Gmail account interfering with the connection between Canvas and your Google Drive. Open a new tab to Google. Log out of that account, then log back in using your kernhigh.org account and then refresh the Canvas page. It should appear then.

I received an "LTI tool is misconfigured, contact admin." error when attempting to access Google Drive on Canvas.

• There are two possible causes for this error:

  1. You are not using your Kern High Google account - this can happen if you are logged into multiple Google accounts at once as well.

     1. Fix: Sign out of all of your Google Accounts and sign into your District one alone.

  2. IOS/Safari - Apple and Canvas seem to have some form of communication issue.

     1. Fix: Download Chrome or Firefox and use those browsers. Canvas is most compatible with Chrome.

Does Canvas work with Google Classroom? Can I import my Classroom Classes over to Canvas?

• Unfortunately, no. You cannot import Google Classroom Classes over to Canvas Courses. You will have to manually upload/recreate the assignments and files you made for Classroom. There is some Google Apps integration in Canvas, these tools are built in from the Assignment creation tool, you should be able to add and embed files from Google Drive.

Will Google Forms import grades into Canvas, like it does with Google Classroom?

• No, you can still link Google Forms and have students fill them out, but you will need to manually import scores. On the other hand, Canvas has a built in Quizzes tool that is similar to Google Forms. You can even turn on "New Quizzes" in your Course settings -> Feature Options. This provides functions that are more complex than Google Forms. More Information

How do I move Google Drive files into Canvas?

• Once Canvas is linked with the Google Apps LTI (on by default, but can be double checked in Courses -> Specific Course -> Course Settings -> Apps), you can use Google Drive to embed files straight from your drive onto the rich text editor, that way your students can see them. You can also do this to distribute copies to individual students so that they do not need to make or upload their own files by using the External Tool submission type.

In order for you to view a Google Doc (sheet, slides, form, etc.) the students will have to set it up on their end for sharing.

• Google Doc Sharing Instructions:

  1. Open the Google Doc

  2. Click on the Share button (upper right corner of the page)

     1. If the document hasn't been given a title, Google will prompt them to add a title first, then proceed to step 3

  3. Under the Get Link heading, have students click Change link to...

  4. By clicking change, they have made the document viewable to Anyone at Kern High School District with this link can view (who is signed into Chrome with their KHSD Google Account)

  5. Now they can turn in the document by a link or an upload and you will not have to ask for permission to view it.

• The Canvas and Google partnership is different from the Google Drive and Google Classroom relationship. These steps will need to be performed each time a student submits work from their Google Drive.

When does the Canvas system sync with Synergy? (Regarding student information - See below for Grade Passback)

1. • Canvas pulls data from Synergy nightly, at 3 AM.

   • If a class or student is added the information would not be in Canvas until the next day.

   • The same process works for dropping a student. Once they are dropped in Synergy, the drop will be reflected in Canvas after the nightly sync.

How does the Canvas Sync to Synergy work?

• The Sync to Synergy process is started from the Actions menu on the Canvas Grade Book. A single score in Canvas is only sent back once during the grade passback process. Updates to Submission Status (None, Late, Missing, or Excused) will not mark the grade/score to be resent to Synergy. To resend a score to your Synergy gradebook (with a new Submission Status), you need to update the score of the assignment and Post Grades again (or trigger a Remaster Grade Passback event).

Why am I getting an error when I try to sync from Canvas to Synergy?

• There are a few different reasons that a Canvas sync may have errors:

  • Your Canvas Assignment Group name does not match a Synergy Assignment Type name

  • The Third Party Readonly toggle is turned off in an assignment

  • The name of the Canvas assignment is too long or contains special characters

  • The Canvas assignment point value is set to zero

What does Remaster Grade Passback do?

• The Remaster Grade Passback event can be triggered by going to the Grade Sync tab on the course navigation, and then to Settings. Remaster Grade Passback resends scores, submission statuses and assignment details to Synergy. The Remaster Grade Passback is a very intensive process, nothing should be done in Synergy while the process is running.

How long does it take for a Remaster Grade Passback to complete?

• Depending on the number of assignments in your Canvas class, if the class is cross-listed or not, and the number of other syncs in the queue, a Remaster can take anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours to complete.

When should the Remaster Grade Passback be used and why?

• The Remaster Grade Passback should only be used to fix a gradebook that is not getting synced scores using the normal sync process. Sometimes Canvas may get confused and think it has sent scores to Synergy but Synergy does not have them.

If an assignment is deleted in Canvas, will it be deleted in Synergy after syncing?

• The Canvas sync does not pass any information to Synergy about deleted assignments. If you need to delete an assignment in Synergy, you will need to unlock and save the assignment then delete it.

Can the Assignments screen in Synergy be used to edit the grading periods of assignments?

• Unfortunately, the Assignments screen cannot be used to edit or change assignments that have been synced from Canvas.

Why can’t my synced assignment be edited in Synergy?

• Assignments synced to Synergy are “owned” by Canvas and are locked for editing in Synergy. New student scores or updated/changed scores should be entered into Canvas and then synced to Synergy. If the Grading Period or Points value need to be changed, you must unlock the Third Party Readonly toggle, make the change, Save the assignment, then go back and lock the Third Party Readonly and save the assignment.

Why did my synced assignments and scores disappear in my Synergy Grade book when we switched from Progress to the Quarter (or semester for continuation sites) grading period?

• Most likely because they were only marked to show in the Progress grading period. Please insure that your setting for the Grading Period Default for New Assignments is set to: Assignment Due Date. This setting is found under the Grade Book menu > Grade Book Setup > Grade Book Settings tab. To fix this, edit the assignment, unlock the Third Party Readonly toggle, change add the appropriate grading period, save, edit again turn on the Third Party Readonly toggle and save.

Why don’t the totals match between Canvas and Synergy grade books?

• This can happen for a number of reasons:

  • Not all Canvas assignments are marked to be synced to Synergy

  • You have a filter set in the Canvas grade book that is showing less or more assignments compared to the Synergy grade book

  • Some assignments in Synergy are not marked to be displayed in the current grading period

Why do some of my assignments in Synergy say Hidden or Deleted?

• If the assignment type says Hidden, check that the setting for Which Assignment Types would you like to use for this class? Is set to Add My Types To The District Types. Setting is found under Grade Book menu > Grade Book Setup > Grade Book Setting tab.

• If the assignment type says Deleted, that means you are using an assignment type that was deleted after the assignment was put into Synergy. Unlock the Readonly toggle for the assignment and change the assignment type.

I have duplicate assignments in my Synergy Grade Book, how can I delete them?

• If possible, edit the assignment, turn off the Readonly toggle and save. Then click the assignment and delete it. If that does not work, try unlocking the other duplicate assignment in ALL class sections and then see if the unwanted duplicate can be deleted.

How do I use Pear Deck in Canvas?

• Here's a link to Pear Deck's tutorial on this!

How do I use Kami in Canvas?

• Here's a link to Kami's tutorial on this... and here's a video!

How do I get content from my Kern High Template course into my actual courses with students in them?

• There are two ways. The first way is to use the import content tool found in Course -> Settings -> Import Course Content. This allows you to copy anything from a template course into the currently selected course. The other way is described in the following questions, or on this page.

Can you merge/link courses?

• Yes, this can be done. It is called "cross-listing" in Canvas.

If I cross-list courses, will grades be kept separate? Will my students from different periods see each other?

• Once grades are able to be pushed into Synergy (a feature that is currently being worked on), they will be pushed into the individual sections/periods appropriately. Students that are in the same course, but different sections will only see students from within their sections. The exception to this is if you list a link to a Digital Conference, it will be the same across all of your sections in a course. This should be something you do by clicking a button, a "push to Synergy" or "Export Grades" sort of link.

How do I cross-list courses?

• There are detailed instructions here, and more here!

• If you want students to see all of your students across all of your sections, no further action is needed. If you do not want this you will have to manually disable this feature for each of your students.

How do I de-cross-list courses?

• Short Answer: You can't. You need to send an e-mail request to a Canvas Admin to de-cross-list a course. Keep in mind that this is a "destructive" action, which means that all student grades, completed assignments, and course progress will be erased. You can mitigate this by exporting your Canvas Gradebook before de-cross-listing.

• Admin - To de-cross-list a course follow these instructions.

How do I move the content from my practice course (manually created course) into the course with my students in it?

• Do you want to move all of the content, or specific parts of it?

  1. Instructions for importing ALL content from one course to another on the dashboard

  2. Instructions for importing specific content from one course to another course on the dashboard

I don’t have Commons/Commons doesn't show up when I sign in?

• This should be resolved shortly, some schools are still syncing up.

• An admin or another teacher just need to add you as a teacher to any course to become a teacher in the system.

I'm not a teacher or I am a new teacher and I can't seem to create any courses?

• Canvas doesn't recognize you as a teacher yet. You have to be added into a course as a teacher in order to make new courses. If you are a new teacher, this will be resolved as soon as your campus syncs your classes from Synergy into Canvas. If you are not a teacher, you will need to be added as one to a course - it can even be a blank course. After that, you should be able to create your own courses and invite students/teachers to join through the Course -> People window.

Is there a way to archive courses like in Google Classroom?

• The easiest way: Select courses -> select all courses -> and un-star any courses you no longer wish to see on your course list.

• The more complicated way: A more “semi-permanent” technique is to set an “end date” for your courses by selecting courses -> select specific course -> select “settings”
  -> change “course end date” to a day in the past -> check the “students can only participate between these dates” -> select “Update Course Details.” The course should be moved into the “Past enrollments” section of your “All Courses” page. This means, the course will not show up on your favorites list, nor will students be able to add or remove content from it. More Information

Is inbox on Canvas meant to be used instead of emailing on an Microsoft Office (Outlook) account?

• You can set notifications to inform you of messages in Canvas, but the two apps do not directly link. Think of Canvas as more a of a messaging/conferencing tool for using with students and parents than an email tool. It is a separate feature from email. All email based communication will not sync with Canvas, however you can have Canvas Inbox messages send a notification to your email. More Information

Can I look at student work in progress?

• In Canvas, no. But you can view files you add through Google Drive, from your Google Drive. For more information about distributing Google files so that each student gets a copy, click here. The Google Apps LTI must be enabled on your account (it is on by default, now). To add files to assignments in a way similar to distributing files in Google Classroom (where each student gets their own copy) it is recommended you use the "External Tool" option. This should still work with SpeedGrader. More Information

Student View doesn't show any of my embedded Google Apps - Slides say something like "Needs Authorization"? What happened?

• Nothing happened, Student View in Canvas doesn't have a Google Account linked to it. So when you look through Student View, its as if no one is signed into Google. There's no need to fix or change anything. Just be sure your embedded Google files are open to anyone in the Kern High School District to View.