The core tools in Nuku
The digital environment and technology including a glossary of tools for staff.
Digital environment
Digital technology is an important part of the learning, teaching and overall student experience at Victoria University of Wellington.
We are continually improving our digital environment—inside and outside the classroom—to ensure our students and teachers have the right tools and skills for the modern world. We want students to experience an efficient, seamless, and professional service that helps them engage with their studies and the university community.
We aim to design programmes of study that make effective use of technology to engage, motivate and inspire students. Developing the confidence and capability of staff using technology is key to achieving this goal.
The Centre for Academic Development provides support and resources for academic and teaching support staff interested in developing their use of teaching technologies.
Teachers can access guides to the different teaching technologies in Nuku, the University’s online learning environment, on the University’s online learning environment.
Technology on campus
Each of the University’s lecture theatres and teaching rooms is equipped with audiovisual equipment as well as tools for digital communication and collaboration. This gives academic staff the flexibility to create interactive, engaging presentations that meet students’ learning needs. It also helps students understand the relationship between our physical and virtual learning environments.
Study areas are also designed with technology in mind, from free secure wifi on campus to laptop-friendly individual and collaborative study spaces.
We have a continual programme for reviewing and upgrading these rooms, managed by the Teaching Technology team in Digital Solutions.
Glossary of terminology
This glossary is intended to be used by staff.
The terms in this glossary reflect the tools as they are labelled in Nuku. Where a description refers to another item listed in the glossary, it is indicated in bold text. The glossary is not exhaustive, and is intended to highlight important terminology, rather than explain every feature and tool in Nuku. If you see something missing or think you can help us improve this glossary, please email nuku@vuw.ac.nz.
Some information linked in the list found is be found in our self-help courses: Tools for L&T in Nuku, Teach in Nuku and Toiere. You will need to be enrolled in these courses to view the information.
| Canvas terminology | Definition |
|---|---|
| Account | This has two meanings in Canvas:
Individual courses always reside within a particular level of the account structure, typically within a faculty or school. Canvas users with a type of Admin role can have direct access to particular sub-accounts. As part of the roll-out of Canvas, most staff members and all incoming students will have a user account in Canvas. Sign-in will require an individual’s single sign on (SSO) details. |
| Admin | An additional global navigation link for people with administrative roles, who might be supporting other users in a school, department or faculty. It gives access to defined areas of the account structure in Canvas and enables users to access courses without needing to be enrolled. Usually Admin relates to members of CAD, Digital Solutions, School or Faculty Administration, Titoko Student Success, and Student Learning who will have their specific administrative roles at the account level of Canvas Learning Management System (LMS). |
| Ally Course Accessibility | Ally is a tool that integrates seamlessly with Canvas to automatically check the accessibility of course content, including files uploaded by instructors. It performs two primary functions to improve the accessibility of course content: For instructors: Ally provides feedback to instructors by assigning an accessibility score for each file. Instructors can click any score icon to launch a wizard that helps guide them through accessibility problems found with that file, and tips on how to fix them. For students: Ally automatically generates alternative formats, such as tagged PDF, HTML, electronic braille, or audio, that students can download and use to support their learning. For additional information about Ally, see the following page: Ally Accessibility Checker |
| Alt text (alternative text) | Textual alternative to an image. Read more: WebAIM: Alternative Text |
| Analytics | Analytics is a tool that can be used to evaluate individual components of a course as well as student performance. There are broadly two types of analytics in Canvas:
|
| Announcements | This is a course tool for communicating with students or sub-sets of students if sections have been defined in a course. Announcements are useful for providing updates, reminders, and feedback. Refer to the Announcements to help with understanding how this communication tool can enhance your course. |
| Assignments | An assignment is any activity assessment that is created by the instructor. Assignments include Quizzes, graded Discussions, online submissions (i.e. files, images, text, URLs, etc.) and also incorporate Turnitin, which removes the need for a separate Turnitin Assignment. Some assignments can be submitted for no grade. The Assignments page shows students all of the Assignments that will be expected of them and how many points each is worth. Assignments can be assigned to everyone in the course or differentiated by section or user. |
| Attendance tool | The Attendance (Roll Call) tool is an external app used for taking attendance electronically in Canvas courses; it can be used for online or face-to-face courses. The tool always appears as a visible Course Navigation link but it cannot be viewed by students, so hiding the link in Course Settings is not necessary. |
| Blackboard | Blackboard was our first learning management system, before Canvas and Nuku. |
| CAD | Centre for Academic Development supports the Victoria University of Wellington community in its pursuit of learning and teaching excellence and provides practical services that enhance learning and teaching. |
| Calendar | The Calendar is a communication tool that shows users all the events happening in their courses and groups. If you are a teacher or teaching assistant and create assignments, these will automatically appear in the Calendar once you add due dates. You can export a calendar feed for use in other calendar applications. |
| Canvas | Canvas is VUW's learning management system. It is used to provide information, teaching material and grades to students. Core technology supported by Digital Solutions and Centre for Academic Development. |
| Canvas Community | The Canvas Community is an external resource provided by Canvas for all Canvas customers. The Canvas Community includes the Canvas Guides, which provides all Canvas documentation and videos, Canvas Feature Ideas, community groups, and more. |
| Chat | The Chat tool provides synchronous communication between all users in a course. When added to a course, Chat is a link in Course Navigation. |
| Commons | Commons is a learning object repository that enables educators to find, import, and share resources. A digital library full of educational content, Commons allows Canvas users to share learning resources with other users as well as import learning resources into a Canvas course. |
| Course | A 'container' of information which can house programme, paper, or tutorial level teaching resources. Bespoke course templates will be available to help individuals get started with creating their courses. Students and teachers must be enrolled onto courses in order to see them from the Dashboard. |
| Course Import/Export Tool | The Course Import/Export Tool makes it easy to pull in content from existing Canvas courses and content packages from other Learning Management Systems and textbook publishers. |
| Course Navigation | A menu on the left side of any individual course in Canvas. Course navigation consists of links to all main tools and features available within a course. Instructors can customise this for each course. |
| CSV File | A comma separated value (CSV) file is a file type designed for importing and exporting content. Instructors can create a CSV file from Excel or Google Docs. |
| Dashboard | The Dashboard is a panel of content that users see when they first log in to Canvas. The Dashboard shows all courses a user is enrolled on, recent activity, and to-do items (such as upcoming assignments for students). The dashboard, and the display of each course tile can be customised. |
| Discussions | Discussions provide forums for online conversation within a course. They can be used for providing instruction, feedback, or given as tasks and activities. Students can also use discussions within groups. |
| ePortfolios | ePortfolios allow students to showcase their best work to colleagues and prospective employers. They also make it possible for students to create light-weight websites or presentations. ePortfolios is a link under 'Account' in the Global Navigation menu. |
| ePub (electronic Publication) | A popular file format for storing eBooks and other types of content. Read more: Ally - Accessible content is better content (Links to an external site.) |
| eTV | eTV distributes programmes recorded off-air from domestic and international television channels and Internet channels. eTV content can be viewed and downloaded under the terms and conditions of the Screenrights Licensing Scheme for education. Core technology supported by the Library. |
| Files | The name for the course storage area, typically for documents such as course materials and lecture notes. Documents placed in Files can be linked in modules, assignments, or pages. |
| Global Navigation | The green menu bar that appears on the far-left side of every Canvas page. The Global Navigation menu consists of navigation links that enable users to move directly to the Dashboard, Courses, Calendar, or Help. |
| Grades and Gradebook | For teachers, the 'Grades' course menu link displays the Gradebook which stores assignment and quiz results; these can be exported in CSV format. For students, Grades displays only their own assignment or test results. |
| Groups | Groups are like a smaller version of a course and are used as a collaborative tool where students can work together on group projects and assignments. Students can sign up for groups or be automatically assigned by the teacher; students can also initiate their own groups. See also sections. |
| H5P | H5P is a web-based authoring tool that allows you to create interactive learning objects and design rich and engaging online learning activities that include text, images, videos, links, quizzes, adaptive pathways, and more. H5P objects can easily be shared, reused, copied, and adapted. They can also be embedded into Canvas. Core technology supported by Centre for Academic Development. |
| Home Page | The Home Page is the first page that students see in a course. The basic templates for Canvas courses provided for users at Te Herenga Waka default to a pre-set Home Page. However, it is also possible to customise this. |
| HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) | The code that is used to structure content on the web. It can include formatting, links to other web pages and embedded images and other media. |
| Inbox | The Inbox is a messaging tool used in Canvas to communicate with a course, a group, an individual student, or a group of students. Messages created in the Inbox can be sent to one user or multiple users. When a message is sent, a copy of it is sent to the recipient’s university email, depending on how the user has set their notification preferences setting in Canvas. Users can reply directly to this notification message via their university email. |
| Instructure | The US software company which develops and supplies the virtual learning environment Canvas. |
| Kanopy | Kanopy is a multidisciplinary streaming video collection of both documentary and feature film. Core technology supported by the Library. |
| LD | Learning Designer - CAD staff who support academic and non-academic staff across the university with learning and teaching technology and instructional design. |
| Matlab | Matlab is used for machine learning, signal processing, image processing, computer vision, communications, computational finance, control design, robotics, and much more. The Matlab platform is optimised for solving engineering and scientific problems. Core technology supported by Digital Solutions. |
| Modules | Modules allow you to organise your content to help control the flow of your course. Modules can be used to organise course content by weeks, units, or a different structure that can be adapted to your pedagogy. Modules also contains features for controlling access to content. |
| Mobile Apps | Canvas is usually accessed through a web browser, however there are two free mobile apps: Canvas Student and Canvas Teacher. Both are available for iOS and Android devices. |
| NVivo | NVivo is a qualitative data analysis (QDA) computer software package produced by QSR International. It has been designed for qualitative researchers working with very rich text-based and/or multimedia information, where deep levels of analysis on small or large volumes of data are required. Core technology supported by Digital Solutions. |
| Notifications | Notifications allow users to determine where and when they will be notified about activity in Canvas. Each Canvas user can adjust the Notification Preferences in their profile. Each set notification preference will automatically apply to all of their courses. However, users can also manage notification preferences for a single course. |
| Nuku | Nuku is our online learning platform. Nuku is a collection of integrated physical and digital learning technologies which support and enable the delivery of learning and teaching in all our contexts. Core technology supported by many parts of the University including Digital Solutions, Library and Centre for Academic Development. |
| OCR (Optical Character Recognition) | Process applied to scanned articles to make sure the text can be copied or accessed by assistive technologies. |
| Office 365 | Office 365 is a suite of web based applications which work in combination to provide online access to: cloud storage, social networking, Microsoft Office tools, team productivity capability and more. Core technology supported by Digital Solutions. |
| OneDrive | OneDrive is part of Office 365. It is Microsoft's file hosting solution that allows users to sync files and later access them from a web browser or mobile device. Core technology supported by Digital Solutions. |
| OneNote | OneNote is an online notebook which is part of the Office 365 suite. Core technology supported by Digital Solutions. |
| Pages | These are content spaces in a course (also referred to as a wiki in parts of Canvas), which can include text, video, and links to your files. Content is added through the Rich Content Editor. Links can be made to other course pages or content, including assignments or quizzes. |
| Panopto | A third-party lecture recording tool which is integrated into Canvas. See VStream. |
| People | People displays all users enrolled in a course, along with information about their activities in Canvas. |
| Physical Tools & Spaces | Across the VUW campuses are a range innovative physical tools and spaces to support learning and teaching. Find out more about these tools and spaces, how to use them and who to contact for support. Core technology supported by Digital Solutions. |
| POUR (Perceivable Operable Understandable Robust) | Read more: Accessibility Principles | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C |
| Profile | Details for a user which can be edited and personalised, including the option to upload a photograph. See also account. |
| Publishing | A misleading term; put simply, every course must be ‘published’ before students can see it. The term also applies to individual content items, and is analogous to a visibility toggle. |
| Qualtrics | Qualtrics is the university’s licensed on-line survey creation tool. It is primarily used for research purposes, but it can also be used in teaching scenarios such as class revision or feedback. From basic polls to complex surveys integrating websites and pop-up windows, Qualtrics is a highly flexible tool with a range of uses. Core technology supported by Digital Solutions. |
| Quizzes | Quizzes in Canvas are assignments that can be used to challenge student understanding and assess comprehension of course material. Question types include multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, short answer and matching statements (among others). |
| Rich Content Editor | The Rich Content Editor provides basic formatting options when composing text in Canvas, and appears in many tools including pages, discussions, assignments, and quizzes. |
| Roles | Staff and students at the University can have access to Canvas with a personal account (usually through your SSO); however, if you participate in a course you must have a role such as teacher, student, or teaching assistant. There are also account roles for certain administrative purposes. |
| RSS Feed | Really Simple Syndicate (RSS) is a computer document format that allows electronic content distribution. Audio RSS feeds are also referred to as podcasts. RSS Feeds can be imported into a Canvas course via Announcements. |
| Rubrics | A Rubric is an assessment tool for communicating expectations of quality. Rubrics are typically comprised of rows and columns. Rows are used to define the various criteria being used to assess an assignment. Columns are used to define levels of performance for each criterion. |
| Sandbox | A Canvas 'sandbox' is a course without student enrolments where instructors can create, modify, and preview course content and structure without student interference. They can then share or import sandbox content into live courses. |
| Sections | A mechanism for sub-dividing student enrolments, which can be used to assign different due dates to single assignments. Sections are often and easily confused with Groups. |
| SpeedGrader | A tool which allows tutors to view and give feedback on student work. It facilitates formative grading (if appropriate) and can be configured to use rubrics. Tutors can give typed feedback, add video and audio comments, or make annotations directly on the student's work if using a tablet with the Canvas Teacher mobile app. |
| SPSS | SPSS Statistics is a software package used for statistical analysis. In addition to statistical analysis, data management (case selection, file reshaping, creating derived data) and data documentation are features of the base software. It is commonly used by social scientists but it is also used by market researchers, health researchers, survey companies, government, education researchers, marketing organisations, data miners, and others. Core technology supported by Digital Solutions. |
| Student View | Student View allows a teacher to see the course as a student views it by creating a Test Student. Use this to see how your students view content and ensure that required materials are published as well as in the correct format. |
| Syllabus | The American term is misleading; essentially a syllabus is a customised page in a Canvas course, which presents a dynamic list of upcoming assignments and other events in the calendar. Our templates default this to the course outline on the University website. It can be used as an alternative home page. |
| Talis Aspire | Talis is used by Victoria University of Wellington to create course reading lists and manage copyright compliance. It is recommended course coordinators use Talis for all their course readings. It gives students one consistent place to access their readings. Core technology supported by the Library. |
| Teams | Teams is an Office 365 product that allows you to chat, discuss, share resources and collaborate on content with a group of people. Core technology supported by Digital Solutions. |
| Templates | Canvas does not have inbuilt templates. To support the roll-out of Canvas across Schools and Faculties at the University, a series of faculty, school, and programme templates have been developed. These use the modules structure to assemble content based on common patterns, and can be customised as required. |
| Terms | Courses in Canvas are mostly associated with an academic term, for example “Academic Year 2018-19”. The term date appears in various places within the Canvas interface. |
| Turnitin | Turnitin can be used to check student writing for similarity to other sources, such as web pages, articles and other students' work. Core technology supported by Centre for Academic Development. |
| VStream | VStream also known as Panopto is the video recording and distributing system in courses. It allows recordings to be made in an office, in teaching spaces and on any remote computer. Videos from other sources can also be uploaded. All recordings can be made available through Panopto, shared with other VUW staff or even made publicly available on a website. Live streaming into a course can also be handled through VStream. Read more: Teaching with Video Core technology supported by Digital Solutions and Centre for Academic Development. |
| WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) | Read more: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C |
| Yammer | Yammer is an enterprise based networking and communication tool. Users with approved network credentials can join discussion groups, share documents and links and images. It allows push communication in the form of microblogging. Core technology supported by Digital Solutions. |
| Zoom | Zoom is a video conferencing tool that allows both online meeting functionality, video conferencing and mobile collaboration. Free Zoom accounts can be created by anyone, and VUW staff can be upgraded to Pro accounts with more features. Core technology supported by Centre for Academic Development. |