(HELP PLS by Rain Rabbit CC BY-NC 2.0)

Canvas Help:

To try to find an immediate resolution to a Canvas problem, call 877-930-1129 or visit Canvas Guides. Keep in mind that sometimes MyCOD may be down, which is the portal for you to get to Web Advisor, Canvas, email, etc. More often than not, when MyCOD is down, you can still access Canvas directly by going to: https://collegeofthedesert.instructure.com/. I recommend bookmarking the direct link to Canvas so you can access it if necessary. Barring a campus-wide Canvas problem, you are expected to work out any individual Canvas/Internet issues before a deadline (so start your work early in the week to prevent such problems).

Modules in Canvas:

When you first starting the week's work, you should be going through and reading all the material in the weekly Module. The weekly overview pages are particularly helpful, as they clearly lay out what you need to do. I also provide supplemental resources for every lesson for those of you who may have had trouble with the reading or just want to learn more detail about a particular topic. If you just click on the Discussions link, you will miss other assignments and information that is only found in the Module. You should thus start every week by going to the week's overview page and clicking "Next" until you hit the week's wrap-up page. That way, you know you did not miss anything.

(Group Framing by vejhok brr… CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Groups in Canvas:

In this course, you are put into groups so that your weekly discussions are more meaningful and so you, hopefully, establish a rapport with the students in your group. Rather than have your posts get lost among 40 students' posts, I put you in more manageable groups of 10 students or less.

You only have access to your groups responses in discussions. By accessing the weekly discussion(s) in the Module, you will be taken directly to your group's discussion board(s). The trick is that, once you are on your group's discussion board, you will need to know how to get out of "Group" mode and back to the main course page, where you can access course Announcements, Modules, etc.

How to Find Rubrics in Canvas:

I created rubrics for you to view ahead of an assignment's due date so you know how you will be graded. To find the rubric for discussions, you need to click on the gear icon/settings option at the top of an individual discussion's page.

How to Find the Q&A Board:

To access the Q&A Board, which is an important part of this course, simply go to the Discussions link on the navigation menu. Along with the Cyber Cafe, the Q&A Board should always appear at the top of the Discussions list for easy access.