Files Is a Way to Upload and Organize Your Own Files for Use Throughout Your Canvas Account

By Bill Egan

One of the challenges in transitioning to Canvas from Affections is trying to find 1-to-1 equivalents between the 2 systems. Sadly, those equivalents practice not e'er exist, forcing the states to exist creative in the way we design or build courses in Sail.

A fellow Canvass user sent his own potential roadblock when working to build a course in Canvas. He wanted to run across if it were possible to add submodules or folders inside an existing module in order to organize or provide files for students to access. One of the common uses of Affections was to use the folder construction to organize and provide a repository of files for students to access.

Unfortunately, Canvas does not have this aforementioned functionality, only workarounds and alternative strategies do be. Workarounds exists both within Canvas as well as outside of Canvas which involves, leveraging additional Penn State provided tools to reach your course pattern goals.

1. Linking files within Canvas Pages
   1 style to provide files for students is by creating a page within Canvass and linking directly to the necessary files that yous upload.
   
   Ane of the advantages to this method is that you can take reward of the built-in preview feature that allows students to view the file straight within the Canvas page without downloading it.A disadvantage to this method would be scalability. Depending on the number of files being linked, I accept seen the preview option become tedious when loading. Also, this may be difficult to manage when changes to the files occur. Users would accept to upload a new file and update the direct link inside a page if the new proper noun of the file is not an exact match.
2. Linking files inside Sail Modules
   Another method is to provide a direct link to files from within the Modules.
   An reward of this method is that files are piece of cake for students to find and access, since they are prominently visible within the module. I would recommend this method if linking a limited or small number of important files that students may have to refer to ofttimes throughout the lesson or form.A potential disadvantage to this method is over again, scalability. Adding many private files to the modules can potentially lead to very long modules that can be difficult for students to navigate. You may also risk burying other important items that students will need within long modules, such equally lesson content and assignments, if a large number of files are individually linked.
3. Using Box at Penn State
   Penn Land has many tools and resource available that can hands be leveraged to enhance your teaching with Canvas. Penn State provides all users with a free and secure cloud based storage business relationship through Box at Penn Country. Past creating a shared folder within Box, y'all can create a centralized file repository that tin best duplicate the folder structure of ANGEL.
   The reward of this method is scalability and management. Y'all are able to provide and organize a large number of files within Box folders if necessary, which may have otherwise been a challenge within Sail. There is also an advantage when it comes to managing your form files. With Box, y'all end up creating a centralized location for your form files that can simply exist externally linked from your module or anywhere else within Canvas.This allows you to take a single identify to manage and update your course files that you desire to provide to students. A unmarried link can exist used across multiple sections of a grade as well as from semester to semester, which can drastically cut down on the time taken to set up and update your courses. Whatsoever updates to your files would just need to be made one fourth dimension, in a single location. Be sure to check the settings for sharing within your Box folder to ensure information technology will be accessible by students.

These are but a few notable workarounds for delivering files to students in Canvas. Equally I mentioned, it may not be a perfect one-to 1 equivalent to the Affections folder structure, only with a little problem solving, feasible options exercise be. What other strategies accept you lot used for providing files to students in your ain course design?

I would encourage you to be creative when transitioning your courses from Angel to Canvas. Don't be afraid to call back outside of Canvass and take reward of the many tools and resources, such as Box, that are available!

dangarcompearid.blogspot.com

Source: https://canvas.psu.edu/2016/05/13/strategies-for-delivering-files-in-canvas/

Share this post