How do I access my learning material?
What do you need to access all your learning materials?
Once you log into Canvas you will see the dashboard with the 'course' (aka unit) cards and the blue global navigation menu with the following main items:
- Account: where you can update your profile or update your notification preferences
- Dashboard (home page)
- Courses (list of your units)
- Calendar: where you can keep track of important events and assignment due dates
- Inbox: where you can communicate within a course, a group, or with an individual student
- Help (links to Canvas support)
- Library (link to the Library homepage)
- Student Support (links to learning and other support)
Canvas Courses (aka Units)
Click on a 'course' card and you will leave the homepage and enter the site for that particular unit. Your units may look different to the example in the video, there will be some common areas and tools you’ll need to explore:
- For instructions on how to use Canvas.
- For instructions on how to submit an assignment in Canvas.
- For instructions on how to check your Grades in Canvas.
- For information on discussion boards in Canvas.
- For information on quizzes in Canvas.
Reading List
Sign into Canvas and select a course (unit). In your course (unit) on the menu is Reading Lists, click on this to view the reading materials for the unit. You may also find a list of readings in the unit outline or within your learning content in Canvas.
| ECU eBook Collection | Content details | Access/Format | Printing/ Downloading |
|---|---|---|---|
|
EBSCOhost eBook Collection |
All subjects |
|
Limited concurrent user access. To download EBSCOhost eBooks to your device you must create a personal My EBSCOhost account. For more information please see the eBook Library Guide. EBSCOhost eBooks can be downloaded to your mobile device and read with the Bluefire Reader app. You need an Adobe ID to use the app. |
| ProQuest Ebook Central | All subjects |
|
Printing is restricted to 40% of each eBook, and copying is 20%. Chapters can be downloaded in PDF format. Downloading the whole book requires Adobe Digital Editions – this is available on ECU computers. For off campus you need to download the free Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) software. The download period varies, from 1 day to 21 days. Students using iPads, iPhones or Android devices can download and read ProQuest Ebook Central content via the free Bluefire Reader app. You need an Adobe ID to use Bluefire Reader. |
| ScienceDirect ebooks | Various subjects |
|
Available content (green full-text icon) is accessible via ‘PDF’ links to print or download. Use ScienceDirect Document Download Manager to download up to 20 PDFs. See their Help link for further details. |
What is Turnitin?
Turnitin is the most common assessment submission and feedback tool that we use at ECU. Turnitin is a text-matching tool that checks the work you submit and compares this against a large selection of journals, websites and other students’ submissions. Turnitin creates an Originality Report that shows you and your instructors any parts of your assessment that match other existing texts out there. Just because parts of your assessment have been matched does not mean that this is plagiarism - you might have quoted a journal or simply used a commonly used phrase. When checking your own Originality Report do not get worried on the overall percentage - rather, use your judgment as you read each highlighted text match and ask yourself "would I or my lecturer consider this to be plagiarism?"
Why do we use Turnitin?
Turnitin’s Originality Reports reduces unoriginal content and encourages scholarship by helping you to find places where you have not referenced or paraphrased correctly and allowing you to refine your writing skills and style.
Not only does Turnitin create Originality Reports, it also allows your instructors to give you personalised and timely feedback while helping identify areas for your own growth and improvement.
- For instructions on how to access and interpret the similarity report in Canvas.
Feedback from Turnitin
If your instructor has used Turnitin for your assessment, you can view your grade in your Unit's Grades tab in Canvas. However, to view your feedback you must click on the same link that you used to submit your Turnitin Assessment.
- For instructions on viewing your grades and feedback in Turnitin.
- For instructions on accessing assignment feedback and grades in Turnitin in Canvas.
What is Panopto?
Panopto is a video capture service supported by ECU. With Panopto you can create, edit and submit video assessments using a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. If you want to view Panopto recordings in Canvas you do not need to install the software.
- For information about using Panopto for video assessments in Canvas.
- For a workshop recording on how to use Panopto for video editing.
Recording with Panopto
Recording with Panopto is only available for video assessments. You will find a link to the PC or Mac recording application within the video assignment instructions on Canvas. Recordings can also be made from the Panopto mobile application for a video assignment.
What is PebblePad?
PebblePad is the learning ePortfolio used by ECU. You can use it across all of your units and allows you to control which parts of your account your fellow students or lecturer can see. You can also take it with you after you graduate.
- For information on PebblePad in Canvas.
- For a workshop recording on how to use PebblePad.
Pebble+:
-
Provide you with a space to record a number of experiences;
-
Allows you to make sense of your learning and collect your skills into powerful presentations that reflect your growth, knowledge and capability.
Log into Pebble+ through the Student Portal, select Learning Portfolio under the Useful Links section.
You can use Microsoft OneDrive to work collaboratively on a specific document provided by your lecturer as part of an activity in Canvas.
Microsoft Teams is a video conferencing tool that lets you chat instantly and share files.
Your lecturers may run tutorials and workshops using Microsoft Teams. Teams is also an excellent tool to use for group assignments and online communication with your peers.
- For instructions on how to use MS Teams in Canvas.
- Microsoft Teams for Students [LinkedIn Learning Course]If you're new to Microsoft Teams, this learning course introduces you the essential features to help you learn and collaborate online.
Learning Environment Accessibility
Learning Environment Accessibility refers to making the internet and resources available online clear and easy to use for any user, regardless of any physical, mental or any other difficulty. Learning Environment Accessibility for a university refers to the public website, the student and staff intranets and the units available online.
Lecture Capture Panopto Recording Accessibility and Captioning
The following strategies can be applied to improve the accessibility of your videos:
- Manual Captioning in Panopto
- Automated Captioning in Panopto
To view a captioned enabled video, you need to access the video in full screen Panopto view.
Microsoft PowerPoint Captioning and Subtitles
Make your presentations more inclusive with live captions and subtitles in PowerPoint. View the following instructions on how to add captions and subtitles in real time to a PowerPoint slideshow.
Website accessibility
ECU is committed to making our webpages meet accepted web accessibility standards.
We have a commitment to providing accessible web content on the main ECU website that complies with the W3C Web Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 AA (Priority 2). Our webpages have been constructed in accordance with these guidelines, making them accessible to a variety of people, including those using assisted technology.
If you experience any difficulty accessing information, resources or services on any ECU webpage, please contact us via the Site feedback, or the Report errors links present on each webpage.
Reading support
ECU has a licence for BrowseAloud software. BrowseAloud adds speech and reading support tools to online content on our public website and intranet. It extends the reach of our websites for people who require reading support, including those with dyslexia, learning difficulties, mild visual impairments or where English is their second language. For further information regarding BrowseAloud, or to download the required software for your computer, please visit the BrowseAloud website.