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Mastering online class participation

Maximise your university experience by learning how to put your best foot forward online and get the most out of your online classes.

Staying focused and motivated while participating in online learning is a lifelong skill that will help you beyond university and in the workplace. These tutorials will help you prepare for your online classes as well as empower you to contribute in a respectful and meaningful way.

Preparing for online learning

Before you attend your first online lecture or class, give yourself time to get familiar with Canvas and Collaborate Ultra. Learn about your technical settings, including your audio and your video.

Canvas is RMIT's online Learning Management System. On Canvas, you will find all of your course content, including assessment tasks, and past lecture recordings.
On Collaborate Ultra, you can connect to your live online lectures and classes via the Collaborate Ultra link in Canvas.
Familiarise yourself with Canvas and Collaborate Ultra.

Navigating Canvas

Learn more about Canvas, like how to set up your notifications and announcements, find your assessment tasks, grades, feedback, and more in this video.

[Start transcript]
[Music]
[Nhuan Pham]
Hi, my name is Nhuan and I’m a student here at RMIT studying a Bachelor of Art.

Today, I’m here to walk you through how to log in and navigate Canvas, RMIT’s Learning Management System.

The first thing you will need to do is open up your preferred web browser. Visit RMIT’s website, which is www.rmit.edu.au. Select the student link at the top of your screen in the navigation bar.

[Music continues]

Once you click on the Canvas link, you will be redirected to a login portal to access your personal RMIT section of the website. Login using your student number and password. When you are ready, click login.

The dashboard is the first think you will see when you log in to Canvas. The dashboard helps you see what is happening in all of your current courses. On the right side, you will see any work you need to complete, feedback, grades you have received and any upcoming events.

The global navigation menu is located on the left side of every page in Canvas. The global navigation links provide quick access to frequently used Canvas features. You can return to your dashboard at any time by clicking the dashboard link in the global navigation.

The first link in the global navigation is where you will find your Canvas account settings. In here, you can upload your profile picture and adjust your notification preferences. Canvas allows you to customise how you receive notifications from all of your courses. You can add different contact methods to receive notifications. So, it’s just announcements and grades to your mobile number, the Canvas app or an alternative email address.

It’s important that you spend time reviewing your notifications. And, in particular, make sure you have announcements turned on. This ensures you receive any information from your teachers straight away. For more information on setting up your notifications, see the links to the guide below the video.

When you are ready, select your dashboard, and then click into the course you want to view. First is your homepage, which will be the first think you seen in your course. Next up, you’ll have announcements which will have any messages from your teachers. After that it’s your course syllabus. This contains the course summary, including topics, readings and assessment dates.

In a course, all your learning materials will be located in modules. Each module can contain files, discussions, assignments and other resources. You can select modules from the course navigation. And once you are there, you will be able to see a welcome module with introduction information and course resources organised according to the course delivery.

In Canvas, all your assessments information can be found in the assignment link. By clicking on the link, you get a list of all your assessment tasks for the course. When you click on the name of an assessment, it will display all information from the teachers about the task, including the due date and the rubric. It will also allow you to submit your assessment when the time comes. And finally, this is where you will be able to see your grades and view your feedback.

If you ever run into any trouble, you can always reach out to Canvas support. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can find all your help options in the help link in the Canvas global navigation. Plus, you can always speak to your teacher.

Canvas also has a student app, which you can download for free from the App Store. Canvas mobile apps for iOS and android gives you access to your course whenever you need it and wherever you are. You’ll see the dashboard where you can access information in each of your courses and information about any groups that you are in.

Using the menu at the bottom of the screen, you can access your dashboard, calendar, task list, notifications and inbox. The app is really easy to use, and it means you can get updates, announcements and notifications instantly. You can participate in discussions when you are out and about. And it’s a great way to get all your reading done on the train. You can also access all of your assignments easily and view the calendar or task list to check what assignments are due soon.

Good luck and welcome to Canvas.

[Music continues]

[End transcript]

Collaborate Ultra functions

Make sure you understand the functions of Collaborate Ultra.
Do you know how to:

  • log on to Collaborate Ultra?
  • turn your audio on and off?
  • turn your video on and off?
  • raise and lower your hand?
  • send a message in the chat?
  • find your audio and video settings?

Remember, before each online lecture or class:

  • log in early to allow time for any technical issues check your battery, power supply, and internet connection
  • check your audio and video settings
  • turn your sound up.

Images on this page by RMIT, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0