Ulwazi Update

Ulwazi Update

WITS

WEEKLY WITS ONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING NEWS BITES

29 JANUARY 2021

Our new LMS will be known as ‘Ulwazi’ which means ‘knowledge’ in isiZulu.

Our Journey from Sakai to Canvas

Canvas, known as Ulwazi at Wits, is the University’s Learning Management System (LMS) to support online teaching and learning. It is a powerful cloudbased platform that is easy to use.

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WITS

Road to Ulwazi Stage 1: Setting up Ulwazi At the end of 2020, the University purchased a new LMS. In January, ICT set up the Wits instance of Canvas, known as Ulwazi.

You can now log in via https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/ using your staff number and normal Wits password.

On 27 January 2021 Ulwazi went live.

Having problems with logging in to Ulwazi? Email ulwazihelp@wits.ac.za

Stage 2: Migrating from

Sakai to Ulwazi Active Sakai course sites from 2020 are currently being migrated from Sakai to Ulwazi (Canvas).

Active Sakai course sites from 2020 are currently being migrated from Sakai to Ulwazi (Canvas).

All Sakai sites will still be accessible to staff for reference purposes throughout 2021. No new Sakai sites will be created in 2021.

All your course content (including resources, videos, documents, quizzes and assignment questions) will be migrated. Student interactions (such as forum posts and assignments) will not be migrated.

Sakai will remain active for the first teaching block only for courses that begin before 15 February 2021.

You will have access to your course sites in Ulwazi during the week starting 1 February 2021.

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Stage 3: Learning Canvas When you log into Ulwazi, you will see: • A personal “Sandbox”, where you can experiment and play with the LMS tools • A self-directed course titled “Discovering Canvas”.

We highly recommend that you work through the course to become familiar with Canvas features.

A range of online support and training is available from CLTD. See training schedule.

Explore for yourself: https://www.wits.ac.za/teaching-and-learning/discovering-canvas/

Stage 4: Preparing your course An extensive support system is being put in place. CLTD are rolling out online webinars to help you design, build and publish your courses. Faculty Online Learning Designers are hosting faculty-specific training and road shows.

Support Click on icon for more details

For individual assistance with designing course sites in Ulwazi (Canvas), contact the Faculty Online Learning Designers.

Frequently Asked Questions Click on icon for more details

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Moving from Sakai to Canvas [WATCH] Prof. Diane Grayson, Senior Director: Academic Affairs talk about why Wits has adopted Canvas as our LMS and where to get support.

Link to video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKFtzVYt5Rw&feature=emb_logo

Welcome to Ulwazi Canvas, known as ULWAZI at Wits, is the University’s Learning Management System (LMS) to support online teaching and learning. It is a powerful cloud-based platform that is easy to use.

“Ulwazi” means “knowledge” in IsiZulu. Naming our LMS with a word that is meaningful in two of South Africa’s African languages is in line with the Wits' Language Policy in which we recognise the importance of: •

unlocking cultural understanding,

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enhancing access to knowledge,

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producing multilingual graduates and professionals,

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improving teaching and learning, communication, research and administration, and

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demonstrating respect for language and cultural diversity.

Canvas (Ulwazi) is a powerful, modern, easy to use learning management system hosted in the Cloud. It can be accessed via the web and a mobile app that can be downloaded from the respective app store.

“Canvas LMS is an open and reliable web-based software that allows institutions to manage digital learning, educators to create and present online learning materials and assess student learning, and students to engage in courses and receive feedback about skill development and learning achievement.”

(Canvas Community)

ULWAZI

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Frequently Asked Questions

Access

Migration

Integration and Data Click on icon for quick link

Sakai-Related Click on icon for quick link

Mobile App Click on icon for quick link

Access Do I (as a lecturer) have access to Canvas yet?

Yes, Ulwazi went live on 27 January 2021! You can log on at https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/. Your user-name is [your staff number]@wits.ac.za, and your password is the same password you use for your Wits email.

Migration from Sakai to Canvas My course has already started in January so I will remain on Sakai for Block 1. Do I need to alert anyone?

Yes, you need to let ICT know so that they can make sure that your course (and student access) remains active in Sakai for Block 1. Please email ulwazihelp@wits.ac.za.

What will be transferred in the migration from Sakai to Canvas?

All the course content is transferred, e.g. files, media, readings, lessons, announcements, quiz questions, assignment instructions, and discussion topics (only the topics - no discussion posts). Student interactions (such as chats, forum posts, assignment uploads, and grades) will not be migrated.

What about all the time and effort we put in last year, and in the preceding years in creating good course sites?

Your course content from Sakai will be transferred "as-is" to Canvas so all your hard work will be copied across.

You will need to do some formatting and updating because Sakai “Lessons” do not work exactly the same as Canvas “Pages”.

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Will we be using Canvas in block 1 or only from block 2?

With the exception of courses that started in January 2021 or before 15 February 2021, all courses need to be on Canvas for Block 1.

Most Faculty of Health Sciences Undergraduate courses and CLM Postgraduate School courses have already started. Does this mean that we will only migrate those courses to Canvas, when the second teaching block starts?

Yes, those courses will be migrated separately and the process for that migration will be communicated.

Can you opt to not migrate the old Sakai course and develop a new course in Canvas?

Yes, lecturers have the choice. You can choose to develop your course from scratch in Canvas.

Does Canvas have Gradebook, even if the existing content will not be migrated?

Yes, the Gradebook in Canvas is very similar to Sakai (it is actually a little better).

What if my Sakai site is not automatically migrated?

Sakai sites can be manually migrated. To request this: Log a ticket via https://witshelp-ism.saasiteu.com/ or Contact your faculty online learning designer.

I have a course that was run as one course in 2020, but in 2021, it is now split into two courses. Is there a way to request a new course site, in addition to the one that is being migrated?

Contact your faculty online learning designer who will assist you.

I will be teaching a course in 2021 that a different lecturer taught in 2020. How do I ensure that I have access to the course site?

ICT will do their best to link the courses to the lecturers. If a lecturer is not able to view their course, a form will be provided for a lecturer to be linked to a course.

Will all lecturers in the course have access to the Canvas course site?

Yes. The automatic migration will include all lecturers for a course from Sakai to Canvas. On Canvas, a lecturer can grant access to other lecturers

Integration and Data Will Gradescope, Turnitin and BigBlueButton be integrated into Canvas?

Yes, ICT is currently working on integrating these tools into Canvas.

If students use Teams or BigBlueButton within Canvas, will this be zero-rated?

We still need confirmation about which programmes will be zero-rated.

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Sakai-Related Will students still have access to Sakai sites?

Students will still have access to Sakai if your course starts before 15 February 2021. But it is vitally important that you let ICT know that this course is still on Sakai so that they don't remove access in Block 1.

Will we continue to have access to Sakai for the purpose of referencing our old courses if required?

Lecturers will still have access to everything in Sakai for 2021. Thereafter the courses will be archived and Sakai will be "switched off".

In Sakai lessons, there is an option to export content via the IMS Common Cartridge (CC) format.

If I export content from a lesson in Sakai using this CC format, can I then import that content into my course in Canvas?

Yes.

Mobile App How do I download the mobile app?

Canvas has a mobile app for android and apple devices. You can download them from the respective app stores.

Once installed, use https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/ when you are asked “What is your school’s name?” Use the same login details as on the site by using [staffNo]@wits.ac.za and normal Wits password

Which mobile app should I download?

Canvas has three mobile apps. There is one for the teacher, one for a student and one for a parent. Please download the teacher app as the lecturer. (There are different features in each app with the appropriate focus.)

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Support

Centre for Learning, Teaching and Development (CLTD) Instructional Designers ID support: IDSupport.cltd@wits.ac.za

Faculty Online Learning Designers Humanities Renee Koch: renee.koch@wits.ac.za

CLM Greig Krull: greig.krull@wits.ac.za Fiona Macalister: fiona.macalister@wits.ac.za Myrtle Adams-Gardner: myrtle.adams-gardner@wits.ac.za

Health Sciences Paula Barnard-Ashton: paula.barnard-ashton@wits.ac.za Mark Allen: mark.allen@wits.ac.za

Science Phiwe Dlamini: phiwokuhle.dlamini@wits.ac.za

Engineering Nozuko Makhuvha: nozuko.makhuvha@wits.ac.za

Ulwazi Help Desk ulwazihelp@wits.ac.za