This year, UBC is transitioning from Connect to Canvas, our new online course platform. By September 2018, Canvas will have completely replaced Connect. But until then, there’s a good chance you’ll have courses in both systems.
Like many students at UBC, you may find yourself switching between multiple learning platforms—not just Connect or Canvas, but also external sites like UBC Blogs, Piazza, or a professor’s website. It can be enough to make any student’s head spin, so here are a few tips to help keep you organized.
1. Bookmark your sites
It may sound obvious, but if you haven’t done so yet, take a moment to create bookmarks in your browser to the course platforms and websites you’ll be using for each class this semester.
In most browsers, you can create a bookmark in just a few seconds:
- Open your internet browser and go to the webpage you would like to bookmark (e.g., Connect, Canvas, UBC Blogs).
- Press Ctrl + D (Windows) or Command + D (Mac) to create a bookmark.
- Give the bookmark a relevant name.
This shortcut should work in most browsers. If you have any questions about how to edit or organize your bookmarks, search the help section in your browser of choice.
2. Use a Calendar or Day Planner
Using multiple learning platforms means that you’ll be accessing course materials and uploading assignments on multiple platforms—which makes it all the more important to keep all your deadlines together in one place. That place might be the calendar app on your phone, a Google calendar, or a physical day planner that you carry around with you.
If you have courses in Canvas this semester, you can also use the Canvas Calendar function—that way, if instructors add events or change deadlines, these changes will be automatically applied to your calendar. You can also export your Canvas Calendar to Google Calendar. Learn more about how to do this over at the Canvas Guides.
3. Set Reminders
No matter how organized you are, there’s always that one assignment that slips your mind. Setting reminders on your phone can give you a little nudge when things get busy.
Get ready to un-bookmark Connect
We hope these tips help you stay on top of all the learning platforms you’ll encounter while at UBC. By September 2018, UBC will have completed the move to Canvas and will no longer be offering courses in Connect. So that will be one less website to visit!
If you want to learn more about using Canvas, check out our articles on the Top Three Canvas Features You Need to Know About and on Personalizing your Notification Settings.
– Caitlin Young, UBC Creative Writing student