Canvas for tutors

Canvas is a teaching platform for use by both students and staff at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. Communication between the subject tutors and students mainly takes place through Canvas.

Whether you are a new or experienced online tutor, Canvas A-Z is a good place to start. The course was developed by Link at the University of Oslo, but it is composed of useful resources from the entire sector. 

Teaching and instructing in real time with Zoom

Conducting teaching sessions online in real time may have something to offer certain subjects, depending on the nature of the subject and the type of course.

For some subjects, it may be favourable to have a permanent session each week for students to field questions, in which the lecturer keeps the Zoom session open, and the students can ask them questions, as they would have done in an ordinary classroom teaching session. Group tutorials are also particularly well-suited for this tool. As is the case for oral examinations.

Screen recording with Panopto

Publishing short video recordings of around 10 minutes is a good way to disseminate the subject matter that would have been presented in-person in the classroom.

Through the use of short video clips, it’s easier to hold the students’ attention on the screen, than if they were to watch a long recording. It is therefore a good idea to divide the subject matter into smaller chunks. We are able to do this in Canvas by using the tool Panopto. 

5 basic tips

  1. Use Canvas as the place where ‘everything’ happens. Having a primary source for all the information and teaching materials makes it easier for everyone to access the information they need.
  2. Divide the course into modules. This way, you can use the material you have ready and implement a structure and a progression throughout the entirety of the course.

  3. Define the learning objectives for your teaching, in both the individual modules and the course as a whole, and share these with the students.

  4. Arrange short teaching segments within the recording, and set fixed times for ‘question and answer sessions’ in which students are given the chance to raise issues related to their ongoing learning.

  5. Use the forum discussions to motivate the students before and after the teaching segments.