Collaborative Space Guidelines

Collaborative Space and Assessment Course Definitions

A Collaborative Space is a specialized Canvas course environment designed to centralize academic resources and relevant information for students within a specific academic program or unit (e.g., college, school, department, or division). Serving as a web-based platform, a Collaborative Space consolidates information from various sources, presenting students with easy access to essential content in one streamlined interface. These spaces are not intended for interactive academic activities (such as submissions or assessments) but are purely informational. Collaborative Spaces can be developed in Canvas, Google Site, or Google Classroom.

Assessment Courses are Canvas course environments created to store and manage student artifacts (work samples), evaluations, and assessments within an Academic Unit. These courses facilitate end-of-term or program-wide assessments and archiving, serving as a repository for student data required by the institution for evaluation and accreditation purposes. Examples include onboarding documentation, exit surveys, and comprehensive exams administered by the Academic Unit. Students are only added to Assessment Courses when needed for assessment purposes and have limited interaction. 

Collaborative Space Guidelines

These Collaborative Space Guidelines establish a framework for the setup and maintenance of these spaces and include:

1. Request Eligibility - Collaborative Spaces can be requested for colleges, schools, departments, or divisions, allowing broad applicability across different levels of the institution.

2. Naming Convention - Each Collaborative Space should follow a specific naming format to ensure consistency across Canvas: [Name of College, School, Department, or Division] Collaborative Space. This naming convention helps students easily identify and access relevant spaces.

3. Communication Platform - Consider using the Collaborative Space as a communication platform for an Academic program, division, or cohort. Communicate with a subset of users with Canvas Groups or Canvas course sections. For example:

   • Announcements - Instructors can send announcements to all students in a Collaborative Space or to a specific group or section. Announcements are sent to student users based on their notification settings and are available on the Collaborative Space Announcements page. 

   • Inbox - Instructors can use the Canvas Inbox to communicate with all students, a specific group or section of students, or an individual student. Inbox is similar to an email system, and allows instructors to consolidate all Collaborative Space related communication in one place. 

   • Assigning Content - Instructors can assign modules and pages to course sections. This can be used to differentiate the content by Academic program, division, or cohort.

4. Content and Features Limitations - Collaborative Spaces are informational. An Assessment Course should be requested if interactive elements are needed for evaluation purposes, such as assignments or assessments. Interactive or evaluative features include:

   • File Uploads

   • Assignments

   • Quizzes

   • Surveys

   • Discussions

5. Link an Assessment Course within a Collaborative Space - If you require an Assessment Course, create a link for users to seamlessly access the Assessment Course directly from within the Collaborative Space.

   • Copy the Assessment Course URL - Navigate to the specific Assessment Course in Canvas. Copy the URL from the browser's address bar. This will be used to link directly to the Assessment Course from your Collaborative Space.

   • Add the Assessment Course URL to a Module in the Collaborative Space - Review How do I add an external URL as a module item?

   • Add the Assessment Course URL to an Announcement or Page in the Collaborative Space - Review How do I create hyperlinks to external URLs in the Rich Content Editor? 

6. User Management - Teachers in the Collaborative Space are responsible for managing user access. A Teacher within the Collaborative Space has permission to manually add or remove any role as needed, ensuring flexibility in user management based on the evolving needs of the Collaborative Space. 

   • Review User Roles and Permissions Available in Canvas

   • Users will need to be manually added to the Collaborative Space and Assessment Course. Students manually added to the Collaborative Space will have to accept the invitation. The option to import students into a Collaborative Space using a SIS Import is no longer available beginning Spring 2025. Review How do I add users to a course?

   • Only users with TWU Canvas User Accounts can be added as users in the Collaborative Space or Assessment Course.

7. Design Assistance - Requestors have the option to collaborate with an Instructional Designer to ensure that the Collaborative Space is well-organized, accessible, and optimized for user needs.

8. Inactivity and Archiving - Collaborative Spaces that remain inactive for an extended period will be archived from Canvas to maintain an organized and current digital environment. A Collaborative Space is considered inactive if there is no Teacher login or interaction for six months.

   • A Canvas Support Case will be created and sent to Teachers in the Collaborative Space with the date the Collaborative Space will be archived. A Teacher in the Collaborative Space can respond and request an additional 6 month extension.

9. Request Process - To initiate the creation of Collaborative Spaces, Assessment Courses, or course sections, submit a Canvas Support case. This ensures that requests are documented and processed efficiently. Canvas support will be available 24/7 by phone, live chat, or email through the Help menu within Canvas after you have logged in. 

   • For more information see How to Contact Canvas Support.

Support Options

1. Contact an Instructional Designer to ensure that the Collaborative Space and/or Assessment Course is well-organized, accessible, and optimized for user needs.

2. Canvas Support will be available 24/7 by phone, live chat, or email through the Help menu within Canvas after you have logged in. For more information see How to Contact Canvas Support. 

   1. Submit a Canvas Support case to create a new Section in the Collaborative Space and/or Assessment Course.

   2. Submit a Canvas Support case if you are unable to Remove a Student in the Collaborative Space.

3. If you are unable to log in, please contact the Technology Service Desk at 940-898-3971 or servicedesk@twu.edu for assistance.