Published on GEOG 430: Human Use of Environment (https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog430)

Home > ORIENTATION

Orientation

Before we begin our semester of study together, it is important that you review all of the material on the course orientation pages (there are several) and on our course syllabus. These resources will not only prepare you to be successful in this course, but they will also help you prepare for the "Course Information" quiz at the end of the orientation.

Have you looked at the syllabus?

This course orientation will complement and expand on the information provided on our syllabus. Be sure to review that document, carefully! A link to the syllabus is located in the menu.

What will we learn about in the Course Orientation?

  • An overview of Canvas, Penn State's course management system
  • Setting up communication preferences
  • Access the PSU Library System
  • Technical requirements

The Learning Environment

This course will be conducted entirely online. There are no set class meeting times, but you will be required to complete weekly assignments. Registered students in this course will need to navigate between several environments. These include:

This site

The instructional materials in this site include lessons, plus the Orientation. Each lesson contains an introduction, reading assignments, links, assessments, etc.

Canvas [1]

Canvas is the learning management system currently being used by Penn State University. In Canvas, registered students may consult course calendars; communicate with instructors, teaching assistants, and fellow students; submit assignments; receive feedback from the instructor and teaching assistant; take online quizzes and surveys; and check assignment scores and course grades. A link to Canvas appears on every page.

About the Course Website

This site includes the majority of the instructional materials for this class. There are a few things you should know about this website.

How the Website is Organized

This site uses a "tab" interface to organize content. The tabs are used as follows:

  • Syllabus - The Syllabus is a complete outline of the course. Read it carefully, as it will serve as our course "contract."
  • Orientation - You are currently in the Orientation. It provides an introduction to the instructor, the learning environments, the technical requirements, and information on how to succeed in an online class.
  • Lessons - The Lessons tab is where the bulk of the course learning material can be found. Each lesson contains an introduction, reading assignments, links, assessments, etc.
  • Canvas - The Canvas tab takes you directly to your Canvas home page.
  • Resources - The Resources tab includes a list of a variety of resources which may be of use to you while taking this course, including whom to contact for assistance.

How to Print a Lesson or Page

  • To print an entire lesson, you must be on the top level page for that lesson and then select the "Print" link.
  • To print a single page, go to the page you want to print and select the printer-friendly version link.
  • WARNING: many pages contain required videos, animations, and links that will not work in print mode, so please do not rely on the printed lessons for all of your learning.

About Canvas

This page provides information about Canvas, Penn State's new online learning management system.

Quick Guide for Students

If you are new to Canvas, it is strongly recommended that you complete the PSU: Canvas Student Orientation [2]. 

You may also want to review the Canvas Student Getting Started Guide [3] to acclimate yourself further, and watch the following (6:47) video:

200 - Canvas Overview for Students [4] from Canvas LMS [5] on Vimeo [6].

Click for Transcript of Canvas Overview

In this video, you will get a brief overview of the Canvas user interface. The Canvas user interface has three main components: the Dashboard, Global Navigation, and Sidebar. The Dashboard is the first thing you see when you log into Canvas. It provides a high-­level overview across all your courses. The Dashboard has two different viewing options, ­ the course view or the recent activity stream. The Dashboard course view includes a course card for each of your favorite courses. Each card can include up to four tabs, which represent the four main Canvas features for student course activity: Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, and Files. These tabs mimic visibility and order in Course Navigation, so, for instance, if an instructor hides the Announcements link, the Announcements tab will not be displayed. The total number of activities are indicated on the appropriate tab with a number icon. You can directly access these recent activities by clicking the tab.

You can change a couple settings for your course cards by clicking the card Settings icon. First, you can create nicknames for your courses to help you organize your dashboard. In the Nickname text field, enter the nickname for your course. Click the Apply button. The new nickname will appear. Course nicknames appear in the Dashboard, Course Navigation Menu, course breadcrumbs, and notification e-mails and only changes the name of the course for the individual user who created the nickname. If users need to know the original name of the course, they can hover over the nickname and the original name will appear. To remove a nickname, open the card settings and remove the nickname. The Nickname field will display the original name of the course. Click the Apply button to save changes. You can also change the color for your course cards. In the card settings, select the color you would like to assign to the card. You can also enter a HEX code for any color. Then click Apply.

To view the recent activity stream, click the toggle to the right. The recent activity stream view contains a stream of recent notifications from all your courses, including announcements, discussions, assignments, and conversations. New or unread activities are shown by the blue indicator dot. You can view the details of each activity by hovering in the notification area and clicking the Show More link. To collapse recent activity, click the Show Less link. You can directly access your recent activities by clicking the link. To remove a notification, click the remove icon.

Another interface component is the Global Navigation, which is a static menu on the left side of the page that gives you direct access to your courses and other information in Canvas. This menu is accessible from any page within Canvas. To modify your user settings or profile, click the Account link. You can also specify your notification preferences, upload personal files, or manage ePortfolios here. Click the Logout link to Logout of Canvas. To hide the slide­out menu, just click the menu link again or click the close icon. Click the Dashboard link to return to the Canvas Dashboard at anytime.

By clicking Courses, you can access your individual courses or view a list of all courses in which you are enrolled. Here, you can customize the courses that display on your Dashboard and in your Courses list by clicking the stars next to the course names. Click Groups to access any groups in which you are enrolled or to view a list of all your groups. Click the Calendar link to view the global calendar, which shows an aggregated view of all assignments and events from each of your courses. The Inbox link will take you to your Conversations. You can compose and send new messages to other students and teachers here, or view any existing conversations. And click the Help link to access help resources, including the Canvas Guides, the Canvas Community, or Canvas Support. If you ever have a problem with Canvas, be sure to click the “Report a Problem” link to get help from a support agent. This link may not be available to all Canvas users.

The last interface component is the Sidebar. On your dashboard, the sidebar includes a To Do list, Coming Up feed, Recent Feedback, and a View Grades button. The To Do list helps you keep track of assignments that you need to complete. Click any assignment link and Canvas will direct you to the appropriate page. You can also click the close icon next to any item to ignore the assignment. The Coming Up feed lists upcoming assignments and events within your courses. Under Recent Feedback, you will see the latest comments from instructors or peers on previously submitted assignments. Click the View Grades button to quickly access the grades for any of your courses. Note that when viewing Canvas with a small screen resolution, any sidebar content aligns with the bottom of the page.

Now, let’s visit a course and take a look at the course interface. The course interface consists of 4 main components: the Course Navigation, the Content Area, the Breadcrumb Navigation, and the Sidebar. The course navigation menu provides links to the different areas of your course. Your instructors have the ability to customize this menu, so it may vary slightly from course to course. This menu can be collapsed by clicking the menu icon. The content of the course will be displayed in this Content Area. The Breadcrumb Navigation shows your current location within a course and allows you to easily move to a previous screen. The Course Sidebar is similar to the Canvas Sidebar. It includes a View Course Stream link to see recent course activity, as well as your To Do list, Coming Up feed, and Recent Feedback comments.

You've now completed this Canvas Overview for Students. For additional information on this or any other topic about Canvas, just visit guides.canvaslms.com. You can also ask questions and engage with other Canvas users by visiting community.canvaslms.com.

 

Supported Browsers and Computer Configuration

The Canvas Help Center provides extensive, up-to-date documentation [7] on making sure your computer is configured properly for Canvas. Failure to follow these recommendations may result in significant issues while viewing materials, taking assessments, and using dropboxes. Use of unsupported browsers is at your own risk.

Sometimes questions arise as to whom to contact about a certain issue. Generally, the following are the best options.

Discussion Forums (in Canvas)

  • For discussing, collaborating, and asking questions about lessons and general course issues.
  • You may find teaching assistants popping into discussion forums from time to time, but you should expect first and foremost your fellow students, and also the instructor, to respond there.

Conversations (in Canvas)

  • First, please make sure you use Canvas to e-mail your instructor (go to the Inbox in Canvas).
  • Check the relevant discussion forum first to see if your question might have already been asked and answered!
  • E-mail instructor with questions regarding a graded quiz, course content questions, or a specific issue unique to a student's situation.

Reporting Technical Problems

If you experience technology problems in Drupal (course content) please contact your Instructor.  If you are a World Campus student and experience technology problems in Canvas please contact the World Campus Help Desk [8]. If you are a University Park or Commonwealth Campus student, please contact the IT Service Desk [9].

It is in your own best interest to be as specific as you possibly can. Vague descriptions of a problem only delay assistance, try to include information such as:

  • The specific course page, quiz question, etc. you were on, what you attempted to do when that failed, and the exact language of any error message displayed on your screen.
  • The date and time when your problem occurred.
  • Any other pertinent information (does the problem happen consistently and always in the same way, etc.).

A member of the Help Desk will be in contact with you to offer assistance.

Note:

All official administrative communications from the Penn State World Campus are sent to students' Penn State e-mail accounts. Be sure to check your Penn State account regularly or forward your Penn State e-mail [10] to your preferred e-mail account, so you don't miss any important information.

How Canvas Organizes Content

How Canvas Organizes Content

Penn State uses an online course management system called Canvas to deliver most of its online courses to registered students. (For more information about Canvas, visit the Getting Started with Canvas [11] page). Canvas organizes content using different sections in its site. Here is how we use it for the Penn State courses that use this course text. (Registered students might want to open Canvas in a second tab or browser window while studying this page.)

Main Menu in the left pane:

  • Courses - This section provides links to all courses you are enrolled in.
  • Calendar - This is the official record of assignment due dates. Refer to this page to see when you are instructed to begin working on readings or assignments and when you are instructed to complete quizzes and projects.
  • Inbox - Here is where you can send messages to your instructor, grading assistant and other students in class. Please try to utilize this section for most course communications.
  • Account - This is where you can customize your personal profile, Canvas settings, and how you want to be notified about activity in the course (e.g., e-mail forwarding).

Menu of links once inside a course:

  • Modules - This section contains the bulk of the course materials. Here you'll find separate modules corresponding to each chapter of the course text, for each project assignment, the final exam and other activities. Contents of these folders include:
    • Chapter modules: Practice quizzes, graded quiz (not chapter 1), and a discussion forum.
    • Project modules: Assignment instructions, drop boxes to submit project reports, and a discussion forum.
  • Syllabus - This section contains a link to the complete syllabus document in our course text website, which details all of the expectations, deliverables, and policies of the course. Also provided is a summary of the course schedule where you can track your progress.
  • Grades - This page allows you to view your assignment grades.
  • People - This section lists all of the members of the course and provides a link to each individual's profile page so you can learn more about them.
For a more complete introduction to Canvas please see the Getting Started with Canvas [11] page.

Configure Your Canvas Account

To get the most out of Canvas, registered students should configure their Canvas profiles as follows:

  1. Update your "Profile" for Canvas to make sure that the rest of us have current information about you.
    • Click "Account" in the main menu and follow the "Profile" link. Click the "Edit Profile" button to enter biographical information about yourself, your interests, etc., that you want to share with others in the class. Provide links to other sites that are relevant to you and share any social media outlets you'd like people to know about.

NOTE:

Registered students: All official communications from the Penn State World Campus are sent to students' Penn State email accounts (your @psu.edu e-mail account), not the Canvas Inbox. Be sure to check your Penn State account regularly, or forward your Penn State e-mail to your preferred e-mail account, so you do not miss any important information. You can control the forwarding (recommended, easy) of your @psu.edu email account by going to www.work.psu.edu [12].

There is more information concerning this in the "Communication" section of the Orientation.

Course Communications

Meaningful interactions among students and instructors are the hallmark of a successful online class. Canvas supports several types of communication, as described below.

In addition, registered students have Penn State e-mail accounts (<Access Account ID>@psu.edu) that they need to monitor for any official communications that come from the University or from the Penn State World Campus.

Please note that this is a comprehensive list of communication tools available in Canvas. This course may or may not utilize all of the options below.

Announcements [13]

These are messages from your instructor that contain important information. Current announcements can be accessed through the Announcements link in Canvas. Announcements may highlight assignment due dates (also published in the course Calendar), lesson recaps, a preview of an upcoming lesson and other essential course information.

Conversations [14]

Conversations are the equivalent of e-mail in Canvas. It's great to use for a quick e-mail to another student, instructor, or a whole team. Keep in mind that the text editor is very minimal, and does not have much formatting capability. Please use course conversations only for private messages to instructors or fellow students.

Discussions  [15]

Discussions allow students to interact with the instructor and other classmates. Threaded discussions allow multiple posts and replies. New posts appear in the Course Activity Stream page, so you will know when something has been posted.

  • In general, questions and comments about project assignments, and course content should be shared with the entire class via the discussion forums. That way, everyone can benefit from the discussion.

Conferences [16]

Conferences allow instructors or student Groups to host synchronous meetings online. Canvas integrates with BigBlueButton, a conferencing tool similar to Adobe Connect. Recordings made in BigBlueButton are available for a period of only two weeks after creation.

Note:

Whenever you post a message in a forum or send course mail, please title every message with a descriptive subject line. Subject lines that include the gist of a question or comment increase the chances that students and instructors can retrieve the messages we're looking for. Poor subject lines, such as "Question" or "Lesson 1," are not very useful as search keywords. When replying to a prior message, consider whether or not the subject line should be altered to indicate the content of your reply!

 

Setting Communication Preferences

Profile and User Settings let you control your personal information in Canvas. Take a few minutes to personalize your Canvas profile by following the instructions below.

Setting Up Communications
Task Instructions
Personalize your Canvas Profile
  • Go to Canvas.
  • Click on the 'Account' link.
  • Click on the 'Profile' link.
  • Follow the instructions on the Canvas Profile and User Settings page [17] to customize important aspects of your profile including, but not limited to your preferred e-mail address(es) and text (SMS) contact method for course notifications, your time zone, and your profile picture.
Set your notification preferences

You have the option to select how, when, and for what information you would like to receive notifications. This can be very helpful when keeping track of items such as discussion posts, assignment due dates, and exams. Visit the Canvas Notification Preference Support page (link is external) [18] and follow the instructions for setting up your notification preferences. The video below this table provides additional information.

To ensure that your Canvas e-mail messages forward to your regular e-mail account immediately, check the "Notify me right away" option (the checkmark) for each item under "Conversations" in Notification Preferences.

Set your timezone
  • Go to Canvas.
  • Click on Settings in the Course navigation menu.
  • The Course Details page will open.
  • In the Time Zone drop-down menu, select a time zone for your course.
  • Scroll down and click Update Course Details.

Download the Canvas App For information on using the app by device, please see the following:
  • Android Device [19]
  • iOs Device [20]

The following video (4:28) provides information about Canvas Notification Preferences.

112 - Notification Preferences [21] from Canvas LMS [5] on Vimeo [6].

Click for Transcript of Notification Preferences in Canvas

In this video, you will learn about Notification Preferences, which help you manage the frequency and mode in which you receive notifications from Canvas. Canvas supports notification through e-mail, SMS text message, and other external services. Canvas users can choose to receive notifications immediately, daily, weekly, or never.

To get started, click the Account link in Global Navigation. Then click Settings. In the User Settings and Profile Picture video, we discussed Ways to Contact in the right sidebar. To see how to add e-mail addresses and phone numbers to your settings, please refer to that video. Ways to Contact will play a role in where Notification Preferences are sent.

Web Services will also play a role in Notification Preferences. If you scroll down to the Other Services section, you will see a list of services that you can link to your Canvas account. When you register with other web services, you allow other users to connect with you via web services. You should already have accounts with any of the web services you wish to use before registering them in Canvas. By default, Canvas does not disclose your information to other users within the system unless you give consent. One of the services you can connect to is Twitter. By connecting to Twitter, you will receive notifications via Tweets according to your notification preferences. To connect to Twitter, click the Twitter button. A window will pop ­up asking for permission to connect your Twitter and Canvas accounts. To allow this, click the Authorize Twitter Access button. If you are not already logged in to your Twitter account, you will need to enter your login information. You will then be redirected back to Canvas. This process will be similar for each web service provided. You will see your Twitter information in Ways to Contact under the Other Contacts heading in the sidebar. You will also notice that the Twitter button appears in the Registered Services column. Remove a Registered Service by clicking the remove icon next to the service. A pop­up will appear to confirm that you want to unregister the service. Click OK to unregister. The web service will then appear in the Other Services column. After unregistering an external service, you can re­register it at any time. You can follow these steps to connect to or disconnect from any of the external services. Or, for detailed instructions on how to connect to specific external services, please refer to the Canvas Guides.

After you have added Web Services, you will want to set your Notification Preferences, which you can do by clicking the Notifications link in the user navigation on the left side. On this page, you can select how and when you want to be notified when various events occur within your course. Notification preferences are divided into activity categories: Course Activities, Discussions, Conversations, Scheduling, Groups, Alerts, and Conferences. Along the top of the page, you will see your different contact methods; your e-mail addresses, phone number, and other registered services, like Twitter, in this case. You will need to go through each category and set how and where you want to be notified. When you hover over a cell to change your preference, four icons will appear.

1.       By selecting the Checkmark icon, you will be immediately notified of any change for the activity.

2.       By selecting the Clock icon, you will be notified daily of any change for the activity.

3.       By selecting the Calendar icon, you will be notified weekly of any change for the activity

4.       By selecting the X icon, you will not be sent notifications for the activity.

The notification preferences you set here will apply to all of your courses. You should also notice, on the bottom of the page, a note indicating the day and time when your weekly notifications will be sent. This time varies between users.

You've now completed this video tutorial on Notification Preferences. For additional information on this or any other topic about Canvas, just visit guides.canvaslms.com. You can also ask questions and engage with other Canvas users by visiting community.canvaslms.com.

Using the Penn State Library

To be sure you are able to access reserve readings and other library resources in this course, visit the library’s Online Students Use of the Library [22] site. This guide outlines all that Penn State libraries offer you as an online student. It is strongly recommended that you watch the Library Orientation Videos [23] and visit the Services for Students [24] page.

If you have questions, just ASK! [25] a librarian! The ASK! page will connect you to librarians in a manner that meets your needs; e-mail, phone, or chat for a quick response.

Technical Requirements


Source URL: https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog430/orientation

Links
[1] https://psu.instructure.com
[2] https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1780857
[3] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-4121
[4] https://vimeo.com/74677642
[5] https://vimeo.com/canvaslms
[6] https://vimeo.com
[7] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1284
[8] http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/technical-support
[9] http://www.sas.psu.edu/training-and-support/help-desk-and-technology-support-services/its-service-desk/
[10] http://kb.its.psu.edu/node/2303
[11] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-2036
[12] https://www.work.psu.edu/
[13] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-4121#jive_content_id_Announcements
[14] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1293
[15] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-4121#jive_content_id_Discussions
[16] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-4121#jive_content_id_Conferences
[17] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1285
[18] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1286
[19] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1559
[20] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1666
[21] https://vimeo.com/75514816
[22] http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/onlinestudentlibraryguide
[23] http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/c.php?g=516093&amp;p=3540088
[24] http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/c.php?g=516093&amp;p=3540332
[25] http://ask.libraries.psu.edu/?stream=8