Canvas Release Notes (2021-07-17)
In this Canvas release (July 17), the Classic Rich Content Editor is no longer available for use in Canvas, and signed launch links will be integrated into SCORM content. Additionally, TLS Protocols 1.0 and 1.1 Legacy Endpoints are no longer supported.
On July 15, regular maintenance windows will be implemented for each Canvas region.
On July 31, SMS Notifications for Announcements and Grading will be removed from Canvas, and the SMS column will not display in the Notifications page.
External Tools (LTI)
- For institutions using New Quizzes, New Quizzes display within the module for students.
- For institutions using Microsoft Teams, course rosters can be synced from Canvas. This feature is part of a phased rollout being managed by Microsoft.
For all resources and feedback information related to this release, see the Release Resources section at the end of this document. Related Links
|
- Updated Features
- New Quizzes
- Modules Workflow Improvement
- Other Updates
- Notifications
- SMS Notifications End of Life
- Rich Content Editor
- Classic Rich Content Editor End of Life
- Users
- Maintenance Windows Enforcement
- Platform/Integration
- Browsers
- TLS Protocols 1.0 and 1.1 Legacy Endpoints End of Life
- External Tools (LTI)
- Microsoft Teams Sync
- SCORM Launch Links Enforcement
- Change Log
- Release Resources
Updated Features |
New Quizzes
Modules Workflow Improvement
This feature is used in conjunction with an external tool (LTI) in Canvas. Please view the content below for additional details. For more information about LTI tools, please see the Canvas Release Notes FAQ.
Feature Functionality Details |
|
Affected Canvas Areas |
Modules |
Beta/Test Environment Support |
Yes |
Affects User Interface |
Yes |
Affected User Roles |
Students |
Related Idea Conversations |
|
Feature Video |
|
Feature Q&A |
Releases Q&A: 2021-07-17 Modules New Quizzes Student Workflow |
Summary
New Quizzes display within the module for students.
Change Benefit
This change provides a better experience for using New Quizzes embedded in a module.
Affected User Roles
Students
When a student navigates to a new quiz or resumes a new quiz from Modules, the quiz details page is displayed in the module. When the quiz is started or resumed, the quiz opens to the full screen interface. When the quiz is submitted, the student is returned back to the quiz details page in the module.
Other Updates |
Notifications
SMS Notifications End of Life
This change will be effective two weeks after this release on July 31.
SMS Notifications for Announcements and Grading have been removed from Canvas. Additionally, the SMS column has been removed from the Notifications page.
Rich Content Editor
Classic Rich Content Editor End of Life
The Classic Rich Content Editor is no longer supported in Canvas. Any institution that had turned off the New RCE feature option must use the New Rich Content Editor, which was originally turned on for all institutions in the 2021-01-16 Canvas release.
Users
Maintenance Windows Enforcement
This change will be effective two days before the release on July 15.
To better manage required maintenance across all customer instances, regular maintenance windows will be implemented for each region, beginning in July 15. Most maintenance windows will take place sometime between the hours of 12:05 am and 4:05 am local time on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Planned maintenance windows help to lessen the need for emergency maintenance.
The maintenance window for each institution will be displayed below the Time Zone field in Account Settings, and below the Time Zone field in User Settings.
Note: The date displayed for the maintenance window for each account may be adjusted before July 2021, which is when maintenance windows will officially begin.
Although windows are always scheduled for two hours, most likely maintenance will only last a few minutes. Additionally, maintenance may not always be required. Admins at each institution will always be alerted to planned maintenance before it takes place, but no alerts will be sent if no maintenance is expected.
Users can subscribe to status updates for their Canvas accounts via the Canvas Status History Page.
The latest updates about this change can be found in July 2021: Regular Canvas Maintenance Windows.
Platform/Integration |
Browsers
TLS Protocols 1.0 and 1.1 Legacy Endpoints End of Life
TLS Protocols 1.0 and 1.1 Legacy Endpoints are no longer supported in Canvas. Institutions must update to TLS 1.2.
This change ensures all customers are using the highest encryption protocols to protect user interactions with Canvas. TLS 1.0 and 1.1 protocols support usage of ciphers that do not meet modern security standards.
Users who rely on browsers to interact with Canvas and have updated their TLS protocols to direct to legacy endpoints must update their TLS protocol to 1.2. Background regarding these changes can be found in Deprecating TLS 1.0 & 1.1.
For additional questions about this change, please see Customer TLS Protocols FAQ.
External Tools (LTI)
Microsoft Teams Sync
Used in conjunction with a feature option in Canvas, this feature is managed by a third party. Please view the content below for additional details. For more information about feature options, please see the Canvas Release Notes FAQ.
Feature Functionality Details |
|
Affected Canvas Areas |
Microsoft Teams LTI |
Beta/Test Environment Support |
No |
Affects User Interface |
Yes |
Affected User Roles |
Admins, Instructors |
Feature Resources |
|
Related Idea Conversations |
Integrate Teams-- Allow ever-changing Canvas rosters to populate a Team |
Summary
In collaboration with Microsoft’s release of multiple new apps for Canvas, course rosters can be synced with Microsoft Teams as of July 15.
Change Benefit
This change allows data from the Canvas course People page to be synced to Microsoft Teams.
Affected User Roles
Admins
When an admin turns on the feature option, the Integrations tab displays in Account Settings. This tab is used to configure the Microsoft Teams sync information.
Instructors
Once configured for the institution, instructors can enable Microsoft Sync via the Integrations tab in Course Settings. After the initial sync, enrollment changes will be synced with Microsoft Teams.
Note: By default, the Microsoft Group Enrollment Syncing feature option is turned on, which displays the Integrations tab. However, institutions can turn off the feature option until April 1, 2022, when the Integrations tab will be enforced for all institutions. This tab creates a foundation for other integrations to be added in future releases.
Microsoft Teams availability is part of a phased rollout being managed by Microsoft. Microsoft Teams will only display in the Integrations tab when available as determined by Microsoft, and it must be configured to be enabled. For more information about the Microsoft rollout, please see updates in Partner Listing: Microsoft Education.
SCORM Launch Links Enforcement
Affected Canvas Areas |
Assignments |
Beta/Test Environment Support |
No |
Affects User Interface |
No |
Affected User Roles |
All Users |
Feature Resources |
Summary
Signed launch links will be integrated into SCORM content.
Change Benefit
This change ensures that all SCORM content will be encrypted, meaning that only users enrolled in the course where the SCORM content was uploaded will be given access.
Affected User Roles
All Users
When a user accesses a link to SCORM content in a course, the content is encrypted. Canvas users with course materials containing direct links to SCORM content will need to reupload the SCORM package through the SCORM option in their Course Navigation Menu.
SCORM content facilitators should make changes necessary to ensure SCORM content is provided in a supported method. Customer Success Managers will work with affected institutions prior to the upgrade.
Change Log |
Date | |
---|---|
2021-07-07 |
Added—Platform/Integration
|
2021-06-28 |
Added—Updated Features
|
2021-06-21 | Published Release Notes |
Release Resources |
Release Q&A
To discuss a feature in this release, visit the Feature Q&A link listed in the table for the relevant feature in this document, if available. Not all features will include a discussion link.
User Summaries
Release features are summarized for individual roles in the User Summaries page.
New Feature Screencast
View a screencast of all the updates included in this release in the New Feature Screencast page.
Product Blogs & Related Links
Features in this release may be included in product blogs and/or other content areas. For all related links, view the 2021-07-17 Community tag.
Feature Enhancements
The release notes indicate available functionality for a feature. If you want to see any future development planned for any features included in these notes, please visit the Roadmap. Have an idea you don't see prioritized in the next three months? Visit the Idea Conversations page.
Feature Support
All items listed in the release notes are immediately available for testing in the Canvas beta environment, unless otherwise indicated.
- If functionality in the beta environment does not match the functionality shown in the release notes, please submit a support case through your institution's preferred method as shown in your Global Navigation Help Menu.
- The Canvas Support Team can help escalate behaviors that may need to be resolved before they are deployed to the production environment, which takes place on the date of these release notes. When submitting a case, please indicate that the behavior is occurring in the beta environment.
Change Log
2021-06-21