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  • Using Canvas
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   Using Canvas

  • Help with your gradebook
  • Add a teaching assistant
  • Plagiarism checking on assignments

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  Using Media

  • Install Kaltura Capture
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more Media resources ...

  Using Student Response

  • Poll Everywhere Overview
  • Poll Everywhere FAQ

more Student Response resources...

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Other Tools in Canvas

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other tool resources ...

News + Updates

  Summer 2025 Updates - see what's new in Canvas, Perusall, Poll Everywhere, and more

 

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Issues, Outages and Updates

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Frequently Asked Questions

Top Hat: What is the best way for students to create their account?

Creating an account through the Top Hat course menu item in Canvas is the preferred method for students to create and access their Top Hat account. If your instructor is using Top Hat and does not have a Top Hat menu item in their Canvas course, let us know at classroom.response@oregonstate.edu and we can reach out to the faculty member.

  1. Navigate to the OSU Beaver Store to purchase your Top Hat subscription code and choose a 1-term or 1-year subscription. 
  2. Go to one of your Canvas courses that is using Top Hat, click on Top Hat in the course menu on the left.
  3. Click on Sign up to create a Top Hat account. Make sure to use your OSU ONID email when creating your Top Hat account. 
  4. Agree with the Terms and Conditions and click Next to proceed.
  5. Click Continue to and enter the subscription code you purchased previously at the OSU Beaver Store (see step #1 above).
  6. Complete the purchase and click on Go to my Lobby to see any Top Hat course(s) in which you are a student.

NOTE:  It is very important that students register their Top Hat account using their OSU ONID email address. Creating a Top Hat account using a non-ONID email will prevent student Top Hat scores from synchronizing with their grades in Canvas. Using the steps above will automatically link your Top Hat account to your ONID email address, as long as you have not changed your default email in Canvas. If you used a non-ONID email address for your Top Hat account, use these instructions to change your Top Hat account setting.

Top Hat: What is the best way for students to create their account?
Can I request a new feature or tool in Canvas?

Yes, you can submit a feature request in the Canvas Community. It’s a good idea to check the Canvas Community to see if any other users have requested the same or similar feature. You may also contact the Learn@OregonState team if you have questions about the process or would like to submit a request for a third-party integration or would like to know more about our evaluation process for integration requests.

Can I request a new feature or tool in Canvas?
What is the difference between playlists, channels and categories?

Playlists allow a content owner to group content together for embedding on an external web page. Every time you add a new or remove an item to a Playlist, your embedded player automatically updates to reflect this change.

Channels allow a content owner to group media together in MediaSpace. Additionally, the content owner can restrict access to that channel to a defined list of users (based on ONID usernames).

What is the difference between playlists, channels and categories?
Is Turnitin compliant with FERPA?

Yes. Data is kept secure at all times and is only used for purposes of assisting the instructor in assessing the assignment. Students always maintain ownership of any work submitted to Turnitin.

Is Turnitin compliant with FERPA?
Top Hat: How do I give different versions of a formula question to each student?

For courses that require students to calculate numerical responses using formulas, Top Hat's Formula Question, exclusive to Pages and Test, allows instructors to offer a different number for students to use for calculating the formula so that no one gets the same question! Check out this Top Hat support article for instructions on setting up a Formula Question.

Top Hat: How do I give different versions of a formula question to each student?
Can I request my own Canvas studio site?

Yes, any person with ONID credentials can request a studio site.

Read the article Request a Canvas studio site on oregonstate.teamdynamix.com

Can I request my own Canvas studio site?
Can I create a column in the Canvas gradebook for an in-class assignment?

Columns in the Canvas gradebook are directly linked to graded activities in the course. Creation of a graded assignment, graded discussion, graded quiz or a graded survey will result in the creation of an associated gradebook column in the course.

Read more about creating an assignment column for an in-class assignment.

Can I create a column in the Canvas gradebook for an in-class assignment?
Top Hat: If students experience connectivity issues, is there something I can do to help?

Here are some tips that may help students with connection issues: 

  • Advice students to connect to OSU Secure WIFI before answering Top Hat questions. 
  • Advice students to keep their browsers up-to-date and check to make sure their systems meet the Top Hat system requirements
  • Encourage students to report connection issues to Top Hat 
Top Hat: If students experience connectivity issues, is there something I can do to help?
Can a Canvas visitor be added to an OSU Canvas Studio site?

Yes, a Canvas visitor (non-OSU individual) can be added to OSU Canvas Studio sites. They cannot be added to Canvas courses managed by the Registrar's Office.

Read the article Add a non-OSU individual to a Canvas Studio site on oregonstate.teamdynamix.com

Can a Canvas visitor be added to an OSU Canvas Studio site?
What is the best way to use Turnitin?
Turnitin originality reports are especially effective in helping students diagnose problematic passages in their own papers and in helping guide revision of early drafts. By providing clearly marked reports that identify passages that match other sources, originality reports guide students through a careful step by step analysis of their own work.
What is the best way to use Turnitin?
Top Hat: Is it possible to prevent students from responding to questions outside of class?

It is possible to determine if a student is physically located within the classroom for attendance purposes with Top Hat, but it is not possible to completely prevent students from responding to questions asked in class with Top Hat.  However, Top Hat does have two features that will help to minimize students' ability to respond remotely.

Method 1: Secure Attendance

Top Hat offers a feature called Secure Attendance which enables a faculty member to determine who is physically located in the classroom when using the Attendance feature of Top Hat. Faculty have the option of using geolocation only or geolocation and proximity to determine student attendance. Secure Attendance does NOT prevent students from responding remotely to questions asked in class.

Method 2: Minimize Remote Responses to Questions

To minimize the ability of students to respond remotely to questions asked in the classroom, faculty can enable the option to prevent students from seeing question details on their mobile devices. To enable this feature:

  • From within Top Hat, click your name in the top right corner.
  • Select Course Settings 
  • Select Advanced Options
  • Check the box next to the option "Students cannot view the details of a presented question, they can only see the response options (students will need to see the question projected on a screen)"
  • Click Save Changes
Top Hat: Is it possible to prevent students from responding to questions outside of class?
Can I view grade information and Last Date of Activity (LDA) for students who have withdrawn from my course?

Yes, students who have withdrawn from your course will appear as 'inactive' students in your Canvas course. Faculty can toggle the view of grades for inactive or concluded students in Canvas Grades.

Can I view grade information and Last Date of Activity (LDA) for students who have withdrawn from my course?
Top Hat: How can an instructor add a student as a TA in their Top Hat course?

OSU students can be added as TAs to a course using the same email (ONID) address. Please read Top Hat's support article here for more details.

Top Hat: How can an instructor add a student as a TA in their Top Hat course?
Can I enter assignment grades in Turnitin, and if so, do they appear in the Canvas gradebook?

A. Yes, although not with a mobile device at this time. 

Can I enter assignment grades in Turnitin, and if so, do they appear in the Canvas gradebook?
What do sections in my merged or crosslisted Canvas courses allow me to do?

Instructors with merged or crosslisted courses in Canvas have new features in Canvas. A few of the features allow the instructor to view which section of the course a student is enrolled in and assign differential due dates to individual sections.

Read the article Section functionality in combined and crosslisted Canvas courses on oregonstate.teamdynamix.com

What do sections in my merged or crosslisted Canvas courses allow me to do?

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