Topical Menu

Canvas: Managing Courses
Canvas: Managing Users
Course Accessibility
Teaching Online at PCC
Technical Support: Canvas-Related Issue
Technical Support: Non-Canvas-Related Issues

Canvas: Managing Courses

Course Shells

I need a Canvas shell for my course

Canvas shells for course sections are auto-populated the day the schedule of classes is published publicly. Faculty can begin building content at that time. Course shell creation maybe be delayed a day or two in cases where LMS maintenance is scheduled. If you would like to request a Canvas shell for course development, departmental resources, etc. please fill out and submit a Canvas Sandbox request form.

When are course shells available for Faculty?

Scheduled courses are created automatically and generally appear in Canvas when the schedule of classes is available. Please consult the Registration Calendar for exact dates. For a sandbox or other Canvas shell, please contact pcconline@pasadena.edu for further assistance.

How do I request a Canvas shell for course development or departmental resources?

If you would like to request a Canvas shell for course development, departmental resources, etc. please submit a Canvas Sandbox request:

I don't see the courses that I am teaching in Canvas.

If this is a past course, or you believe you should already have access, you may want to check your ”All Courses” page by clicking the courses button in the red global navigation menu, then clicking All Courses at the bottom of the list. If your course is listed on this page but not on your Dashboard, you can add it to your Dashboard by clicking the star to the left of the course title and turning it orange.

If it is more than a month before a term begins, Canvas course shells may not yet be available. Course shells are typically created the same day the schedule of classes is published for each term.

If this is a current course, please confirm that you see the course listed in your Lancerpoint account. If so, please note that it can take a few hours for courses to become available in Canvas. If it has been active in Lancerpoint for more than 2 hours, contact PCC Online.

For further assistance, please contact PCC Online - pcconline@pasadena.edu - with your Full Name, PCC email address, and the Term and CRN of the course that is missing.

Can I merge multiple course sections in Canvas?

With permission from your Dean, you may request to have multiple course sections merged in Canvas.

However, only courses meeting the following criteria are eligible for merging in Canvas:

- Course sections must be cross-listed in the official PCC Schedule of Classes
- Courses that are not cross-listed but have unique circumstances which make a merged course shell absolutely necessary for the course to function, may be merged with special permission from the Dean.

Note: Course sections must be merged prior to the course start date.

How to Request a Merged Canvas Course:

Email Canvas course merge requests to pcconline@pasadena.edu. Please CC your dean on the email to expedite the approval process.

For more info please see: Merged Canvas Courses

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Managing Content

How do I export a course?

Canvas course shells can be exported to a Canvas course export package.

See the Canvas community article: How to export a Canvas course

How do I import a course export package?

You may import your course (or only selected items, if you prefer) into another course shell, using the Course Import tool in Canvas.

Please see the Canvas Community article: How do I import a Canvas course export package?

How can I import content from a previous term?

You can easily import content from your previous CANVAS courses into your new shells. To import content, open the course shell you want to place the content in. Follow the steps outlined on the CANVAS How do I import content from another CANVAS course? page.

Remember to double-check the dates in your course calendar/assignments to make certain that they reflect the accurate due dates for your course sections.

If you are using an e-Pack (Publisher Pack) you'll need to contact pcconline@pasadena.edu immediately, since this usually takes more time for us to load into your course.

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External Tools / LTI / Zoom

Can I Add/Integrate external tools / outside products in my Canvas course?

Before we can integrate an LTI, it must be reviewed for accessibility, FERPA compliance, and to ensure it has gone through the proper procurement processes for PCC (if applicable).

Please see the Canvas Integration Requests page for more information.

Where can I get support for external tools like Turnitin, VoiceThread, Pronto, etc?

For support with non-Canvas tools or LTI’s, see the PCC DE Learning Center or contact the vendor directly for support:

How do I use Zoom in my courses?

For Zoom to work in Canvas, Instructors will need:

1. A PCC-licensed Zoom account associated with your Pasadena.edu email address. If you do not have one, you can open a new PCC Zoom account simply by signing in at https://pasadena-edu.zoom.us/. A new account will be created for you upon first sign-in.
2. Your Pasadena.edu email must be the default email in their Canvas account

For more help getting started with Zoom in Canvas, please see our PCC Zoom resource.

Zoom in Canvas - 'User does not exist" error

When you click on Zoom in your Canvas course, if you see a "user does not exist" error, it means that you need to go and open a PCC-licensed Zoom account using your PCC email address. You will need a PCC-licensed Zoom account associated with your PCC email address to use Zoom in Canvas.

For more help, see PCC Guide: How to Get a PCC Zoom account.

Zoom in Canvas - "Invalid Email" error

If you see an "Invalid Email" error when you click on Zoom inside of your Canvas course shell, it's usually because your default email address in Canvas is set to something other than your PCC email address. Your PCC email address must be designated as the default email in Canvas for Zoom to work properly.

For more help, see Canvas Guide: How to change your default email address in Canvas

My students are being prompted for a password on Zoom recordings. Where is the password?

Please see: Zoom Recordings and Passwords

Feel free to share this resource with your students.

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Canvas: Managing Users

How do I add a user to my Canvas course?

Teachers cannot add users to Canvas shells. Email your request to pcconline@pasadena.edu.

Please include the following information in your request:

- Course shell:
- Name of user to be added:
- PCC Email address of new user:
- Requested Role (Observer, TA, etc.):

Note:

- TA / tutors must be officially hired through PCC HR.
- Additional authorization may be necessary for roles with elevated permission levels.

What are course evaluations and how do I grant observer access to the course evaluator?

Course Evaluations are described on p. 56 the Faculty Association Contract, Article 16.7:

To request observer access for a course evaluator, please submit the Course Evaluation: Request to Add Observer form.

I see my students in LancerPoint but not in my Canvas course

Rosters are loaded from LancerPoint 7 days prior to the first day of class. If it is six days or less and you do not see students populated in your Canvas roster contact pcconline@pasadena.edu for further troubleshooting.

I am a teacher and dropped students are still showing up as enrolled in my Canvas course

It can take up to 48 hours for drops to be processed.

The first step is to confirm that the student is shown as dropped in Lancerpoint.

If so, and it has been more than 48 hours, please contact PCC Online at pcconline@pasadena.edu.

When contacting PCC Online, please provide the student’s full name, Lancer ID and/or user name, and the CRN of the course they were dropped from.

Incompletes in Canvas

When a student has an official incomplete in LancerPoint they will continue to have access to the incompleted course for 1 year. Instructors will need to change the available and due dates on any course assignments or quizzes that the student will be submitting through Canvas.

How do I change the due date for individual students?

If the student has an incomplete in Lancerpoint and but still can not access their course, please email pcconline@pasadena.edu with the following information:

- Student information (Name, IIN, and email)
- The term and CRN of the course they need access to

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Course Accessibility

How can I make sure that my course materials are accessible to all?

Ally is an accessibility tool integrated into your Canvas course. Ally will guide you through the process of improving the accessibility of your course content. It also provides students with downloadable alternative formats of the course content so they can engage with their classes in the ways they learn best.

See our Ally Resources for step-by-step tutorials and additional support.

How do I caption my videos?

Please see Captioning Resources.

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Teaching Online At PCC

I am interested in teaching online at PCC

Please review the Training and Experience Requirements page.

If after reviewing the above information, you have any additional questions please contact pcconline@pasadena.edu.

I need training in Canvas for Online Teaching

If you are looking for information on how to become certified to teach online or hybrid courses at PCC, please see PCC Online's Training and Experience Requirements page.

You may also check the calendar of upcoming training and workshops.

If you have further questions about training opportunities, please email pcconline@pasadena.edu.

You can find the answers to many "How to" questions in Canvas in the Canvas Guides online.

I need some instructional design assistance in my course.

Please contact PCC Online: pcconline@pasadena.edu for a consultation.

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Technical Support: Canvas-Related Issues

Help! I can't log in to Canvas.

- Please make sure you are accessing the correct Canvas system: https://canvas.pasadena.edu
- If your browser automatically fills in your Canvas credentials, try deleting what is filled in and re-typing manually.
- Please confirm that you are using your Lancer username (not your ID # or full email address) and your Lancer password.

If you have tried the suggestions above and are still unable to log on, please do the following steps, in order:

1. 1. Try resetting your LancerPoint password here: https://reset.pasadena.edu/
  2. After resetting your LancerPoint password, try to log on to LancerPoint: https://lancerpoint.pasadena.edu/
  3. If you ARE able to log on to LancerPoint (step 2), go ahead and try logging on to Canvas with the same username and password: https://canvas.pasadena.edu/
  4. If you ARE NOT able to reset (step 1) or log on to LancerPoint (step 2), please contact ITS Help Desk for assistance with your LancerPoint account.

What username and password do I use to log on to Canvas?

- Your Canvas login credentials are the same credentials you use for LancerPoint and your PCC email.
- Your username is everything in your PCC email address before the ‘@’ symbol. This is typically a combination of: first initial + last name + (usually) a number. For example, John Smith's user name might be: jsmith12
- Your password is self-created - you would have set it up during your Lancer activation process.
- If you need to activate your Lancer account, look up your user name, or reset your password, please visit the Lancerpoint Account Manager.

For more information, please visit the LancerPoint FAQ.

How can I reset my Canvas or LancerPoint password?

Your LancerPoint and Canvas username and password are the same. Please use the 24/7 LancerPoint Account Manager password reset link to reset your password or look up your username. Follow the on-screen instructions at https://reset.pasadena.edu/.

24/7 Canvas support is available (by phone, chat, or email).

Need help with Canvas? You can contact Instructure's Canvas Support team.

Contact Canvas Support any day, anytime for help with Canvas-related issues or questions.

Log on to Canvas
Click the "Help" icon on the left-side menu
Click "Contact Canvas Support"

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Technical Support: Non-Canvas-Related Issues

I have a technical problem with my computer. Who can help me?

If you are having technical issues with your work computer, or need to install software, etc, please contact the ITS Helpdesk.

Visit the ITS web page for department hours and contact information, and to submit a support ticket:: https://pasadena.edu/business-administrative-services/its/help-desk.php

Other ways to contact ITS:

Email: helpdesk@pasadena.edu

Phone: Call (626) 585-7523 or 4357 (HELP) from a campus phone.

How do I use my faculty PCC email?

You can access PCC Web mail here: https://outlook.office365.com/

For more information about setting up your PCC email account on your mobile device, or with Outlook on your personal computer, please see ITS HelpDesk's Employee Email Guide:

I can't access my campus email account.

The same login credentials are used for campus email, Lancerpoint and Canvas.

First, please test and confirm that you can log in to Lancerpoint and Canvas using these credentials.

If you can log in to these systems, but you still can’t access your PCC email, please contact the ITS Helpdesk who can assist you with email-related issues.

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