1. Should I use Canvas or Google Classroom?

Although they are used for similar purposes, Canvas and Google Classroom each offer unique features for teaching, learning, and productivity. For an overview of the features available to WCPSS students and staff through each tool, please review the Learning/Content Management Comparison Chart.

2. Where can I find courses that I am enrolled in?
   
   
   • The Dashboard displays courses that you teach as well as courses where you are a student if that course is published.
   • Click Courses > All Courses from the global navigation on the left of the screen to access all enrolled courses.
     
   • You can customize your course list giving you control over what is displayed on your Dashboard and your course menu. Instructions can be found at https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1288.

3. Where did my course content go?
   

It can appear that content is missing when a course term has ended. This can often happen by looking for content in a current term course but the content resides in a course where the term end date has already passed. These are two separate courses. To find missing content:

• Log into Canvas at http://wcpss.instructure.com.
• Click Courses > All Courses.
• Look under Past Enrollments at the bottom of the page for past term courses.
• Open the past term courses until the missing content is found. All content in the course will be in a read-only state.
• The teacher of the course can import content from the previous term course into the current term course. Directions for this process can be found at https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2685.

4. Are there different types of courses in Canvas?

   Yes. There are two different types of courses in Canvas; PowerSchool courses and manual courses. Learn more about the types of courses in Canvas.

5. Do PowerSchool courses disappear from Canvas after the course term has ended?
   

   No. Courses and their content remain in Canvas even after the term is finished.
   However, after the term has ended,

   • the course is in a "view only" state. Users can see their work but not participate in that course anymore.
   • quiz questions cannot be seen by students.
   • View past enrollments by clicking on Courses > All Courses.
     

6. Will manual courses remain from year to year?

Yes. Manual courses have no start or end date by default.

7. Can grades in Canvas be synced or pushed to PowerSchool?

No. Grades in Canvas will not sync or be pushed to PowerSchool.

8. Can courses be visible to the public?

Yes. Teachers can choose to make their course visible to the public.

• Teacher instructions can be found at https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1936.
• View the Canvas Course Visibility Options to learn what content can be publicly visible and what content requires a user to log into Canvas to view.
• Teachers must be certain there is no confidential data or content under copyright law.

9. Do parents have access their own Canvas account?

No. Parents do not have their own Canvas account. If a parent wants to view their child's activity in a course, they can sit with their child as they log into Canvas.

Note: Grades in Canvas are not official records. Only PowerSchool contains the official record of grades.

10. I received an email with information about a Content Link Error. What should I do?

The email probably says something like this: "Students are attempting to access unpublished content, [Page Name], in [Page Name.]."

Click on the linked pages in the email to see which links are not working for students. Take action to remove the link if students no longer need to access it. Otherwise, be sure the link is correct and content is published. If the link appears to work for you, double check that the page is published by looking for the green check mark at the top right corner of the page. Content must be published in order for it to be visible to students.

Use the Validate Links in Content tool to check links periodically.