canvas-non-instructional
Non-Instructional Canvas Sites
How to Request a Site for Spring 2025
- Read Requesting a Non-Instructional Canvas Site (NIS).
- Submit the current request form.
- Complete the asynchronous training course to earn a "Chabot NIS Canvas Design" badge. (Instructors of Record are automatically enrolled; check your Chabot email for an invitation to join.)
Important Dates
September 30: Application opens
October 18: Application closes - last day to engage in the process (request a Spring 2025 Non-Instructional Canvas Site and begin training)
November 15: Cohort closes - last day to complete revisions in your NIS sandbox
Optional Fall 2024 Workshops
Instructional Technology is here during the summer to help you complete training and prepare your Non-Instructional Sites (NIS). All workshops occur in Zoom unless otherwise noted. Click on a workshop date to register for one (or more) optional workshop.
Drop-In Office Hours
- Mondays (ongoing) from 12-1 PM in 453T or Zoom
- Thursdays (ongoing) from 10-11 AM in Zoom
- Drop by to ask questions, and get feedback and support
NIS Orientation
In this orientation, we will: 1) review the function and purpose of Non-Instructional Sites, 2) explore the Training Course and requirements, and 3) answer questions about the process.
- Wednesday, October 9, 12-12:30 PM, in Zoom
Canvas Design and Organization
Explore the building blocks of course design, personalize your site's course navigation menu, and start building an accessible and welcoming page that students see right when they click into your course. You do not need to attend Canvas Accessibility Basics prior to attending this workshop; we will briefly review the accessibility features built into Canvas.
- Wednesday, October 16, 12-1 PM, in 453M or Zoom
Canvas Accessibility Basics
Develop accessible sites by identifying accessibility must-haves, creating an accessible Canvas page template, and using the built-in accessibility checkers.
- Monday, October 21, 12-1 PM, in 453M or Zoom
Canvas Accessibility: Intermediate
Continue building your skills by creating accessible images and tables, format images without using tables, and incorporate accessible colors and color contrast in your design.
- Wednesday, October 30, 12-1 PM, in 453M or Zoom
Drop-In Course Revision Support
Bring your questions and work in progress.
Requesting a Non-Instructional Canvas Site
Canvas is a Learning Management System (LMS) with the primary purpose to facilitate instruction. Chabot has a small number of Non-Instructional Canvas Sites available for Student Services groups on campus geared towards supporting students academically.
Alternate Communication Platforms
Before requesting a Canvas Site, please familiarize yourself with other communication platforms at Chabot to ensure that Canvas, as a Learning Management System, best meets your needs.
My Portal (most inclusive option)
- Audience: Internal; targeting current students
- Purpose: Sharing resources and events with students to encourage retention and engagement, making pathways to completing certificates and degrees transparent to currently enrolled students (there is already an Academic & Career Pathways tile that sends users to the Chabot Website)
Chabot Website (most accessible option)
- Audience: Public facing; targeting prospective and currently enrolled students and accreditors
- Purpose: Encouraging enrollment, making pathways to completing certificates and degrees transparent to currently enrolled students, sharing events with the campus community and public, documenting college programs and processes for accreditation, etc.
CRM Advise (most targeted option)
- Audience: Internal (although CRM Recruit can be external); targeting current and prospective students
- Purpose: System allows Counseling, Faculty and Student Success teams to document, message, and support students using a central repository of communication as the student moves through their program of study
Chabot Student Support Hub
- Audience: Internal; targeting current students (it is a current Canvas repository already familiar to students)
- Purpose: Sharing resources and events with students to encourage retention and engagement, making pathways to completing certificates and degrees transparent to currently enrolled students
Chabot Social Media
- Audience: Public facing; targeting prospective and currently enrolled students
- Purpose: Encouraging enrollment, sharing resources and events with students and community, etc.
Responsibilities of the Instructor of Record
If you or your manager decide to request a Canvas Non-Instructional Site, you acknowledge that Non-Instructional Canvas Sites are typically created for a one-semester term to be managed by one official “Instructor of Record.” This person is responsible for the following.
Course Design and Maintenance
Canvas Sites take a significant amount of time to build and there should be dedicated time in this person’s schedule for completing appropriate training, designing the course, maintaining the accuracy of information in the course, and moderating any interactions.
Accessibility Training
All content must be fully accessible. Non-faculty “instructors of record” must complete the COOL-approved Non-Instructional Canvas Site training.
Both Ally and PopeTech are available in all Chabot Canvas Sites (instructional and non-instructional) to facilitate and track accessible design. We recommend using both accessibility checkers on every page before publishing and remediating as needed.
FERPA Compliance
Self-enrollment is not allowed. To maintain FERPA compliance, students must be individually enrolled each semester, and the People tab in the global navigation menu must be disabled (or invisible to students).
Please note if students withdraw from the Sponsoring Organization during the semester, they will still need to be removed from the Non-Instructional Site.
Additional Access and Site Administration
All users with administrative and/or editing capabilities must complete accessibility and design training, with Instructors of Record responsible for verifying training and compliance.
Instructional and Non-Instructional Canvas Sites expire at the end of each semester. Instructors of Record must request a New, Non-Instructional Canvas Site for each new semester of proposed use. Instructors of Record will be able to copy content and add new student users. Additional Teacher Roles can be added by Instructional Technology.
Please note
- Submit your request for a Non-Instructional Canvas Site by using form for each new semester .
- Submitting the request does not guarantee approval.
- Monitor your Chabot email for follow-up.
- The last day to begin engaging in this process is October 18 for sites open during the spring semester.