November Canvas Updates

Post date: Nov 05, 2020 7:47:26 PM

First, the New Rich Content Editor will be enforced on December 19. I encourage teachers to turn this on now in at least one course to start getting used to it.

Here is more info from Canvas regarding the new RCE: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Canvas-Basics-Guide/What-is-the-New-Rich-Content-Editor/ta-p/12

We have it set as 'allow' for teachers which means you will need to turn it on within their course if you want to use it. I believe many people would like the additional functionality. To turn it on, go to your course settings>feature options.

Next, they have updated the math equation feature in Canvas called MathJax. This has added functionality so that its equations are able to be read by a screen-reader and more interactive rather than being an image.

From Canvas:

Summary

The MathJax JS library has been improved to render equations in a more accessible format and promote ease of use. Math equations created anywhere in Canvas will be rendered as MathML.

Change Benefit

This change improves accessibility for equations throughout Canvas. Previously, equations were treated as an image and included title attributes and alternative text and were not available to keyboard users. Additionally, image views varied by browser and screen readers, equations could not be copied, and alternative text could be inadvertently changed or removed.

Affected User Roles

All Users

For both new and existing content throughout Canvas, equation rendering has been replaced by MathJax.

Additionally, MathJax offers a context-menu providing function for interacting with the equation.

Another minor change is that you may have noticed History added to the Global Navigation. This allows you to navigate to what you have been working on most recently. It also has removed files, but the links will not be valid. This is a great time to remind staff that if they accidentally delete a page or assignment, they can add /undelete to the end of their Canvas site URL and have access to the deleted history (ex. "https://issaquah.instructure.com/courses/653/undelete").

Last but not least, the user Notifications have changed somewhat in how it looks. Instead of seeing all 4 notification options, users will click and then choose between the options. This looks the same as course notifications now.

Let me know if you have any questions!