Canvas Update | Bergen Community College

Canvas Update :

The core functionalities in Canvas are continuously updated throughout the year.

Fall 2025

AI Alt Text Assistant can help with alternative descriptions for images using Ally instructor interface in a Canvas course. For more information on this recently added option, click here.
Users can now enable Dyslexia friendly font from their profile settings. Check out the Canvas community site for more information.
A bulk update feature is available to set up all Discussion Forums as threaded or not threaded from the course navigation Discussion option. For more information on how to view threaded or non threaded discussions, click here.

Spring 2025

An online attendance dashboard is available from the New Analytics option in all Canvas courses. Instructors can view and customize criteria to collect information on the last date of attendance for each student. For more information, please refer to Instructure’s new release announcement, and the FAQs.
Khan Academy’s AI-powered teaching assistant can now be accessed from within a Canvas course to create course activities and resources. To get started watch video overview or read one page overview.
Lucid tools are now available in Canvas to support Visual learning. Lucidchart is a diagramming tool for detailed, structured diagrams such as flowcharts and org charts. Lucidspark is a whiteboarding tool for freeform brainstorming, ideation, and collaboration. To find examples on how these tools are used, click here. To get started, attend an introductory workshop.

Summer 2024

Discussion and announcement threads display a label for users with TA roles and Teacher (Instructor) roles. This feature helps students quickly identify users with instructor-based roles in the course.
When a reply includes additional replies, the number of replies is displayed, as well as the number of unread replies (specific to the user viewing the reply). Users can choose to view these replies inline or in a split view.
Users can mention other users in discussion replies by using the “@” symbol.
Users can quote other replies as part of their discussion reply.
Within individual discussions, replies can be reported by students to teachers. Teachers can choose to enable reporting in the Discussions Settings menu.
Discussions allow teachers to create anonymous discussions. This option displays when creating a new discussion for a course. By default, this option is set to off.

Canvas Migration Project 2022-2023

The College recognized the need to provide a robust learning environment for all our students. In Spring 2022, faculty and students reviewed Blackboard Ultra, OpenLMS and Canvas learning management systems (LMS). Canvas was selected as the next LMS for Bergen. The work to transition from Moodle to Canvas started in Spring 2022 and was successfully completed with end of life for Moodle in June 2023. Training and support was available to faculty for teaching their course on Canvas starting Summer I 2023 semester. To access the presentation “Transitioning to Canvas” from the Faculty Day of Development FA2022, click here.