6. Key Technologies for the HPE Program
Julie Maier
Overview
As a fully-online program, it is important that students enrolled in the HPE certificate and graduate programs can get quickly acquainted with and comfortable using the key technologies used to access your courses, communicate with classmates, submit assignments, and access university services. By providing walkthrough videos and important links to available avenues for help, this module will orient you to several of those technologies.
Learning Objectives
When you have finished this module, you should be able to:
- Access USask web services via your PAWS account.
- Access your online courses via Canvas.
- Start your own ePortfolio via Portfolium.
- Identify where you can get help with technological issues during your time as a learner in the HPE program.
PAWS (Personal Access to Web Services)
PAWS is the web portal that provides students with access to a range of personalized content in support of their learning needs. Log in to PAWS using your NSID and password to access personalized and role-based services.
From the menu, PAWS will allow you to access:
- Email and Calendar (access to Outlook)
- Web Conferencing (access to Zoom)
- Canvas (access to your online courses)
- OneDrive (launches into Office 365 and your personal storage)
- …and much more!
Make sure you can log into PAWS and spend some time get oriented to find where you can access tools these various tools.
You received your NSID via email or letter when you were admitted to USask. If you are unable to locate your NSID, contact Student Central for help.
For general USask IT help, see IT Support.
Access Online Courses via Canvas (the LMS)
Canvas is the name of the LMS (Learning Management System) that will serve as the portal to all of your online courses, grades, and communication channels with instructors and classmates.
Access your courses in Canvas in one of these ways:
- Once logged into PAWS at paws.usask.ca, see the “Canvas” channel.
- Log into to Canvas directly at canvas.usask.ca.
- On a mobile device, download the Canvas Student app (Android, iOS).
See the following short video for a general walkthrough of Canvas.
See the following short video for a an overview of what you will find within a specific Canvas course.
As a student new to Canvas, it’s good to spend some time exploring the Canvas platform, as well as the specific courses you have access to, to start to get a sense of where you can find everything you will need for your learning. (If none of your courses are published yet, you can explore a Canvas course template with limited functionalities).
For more help materials to help you get acquainted, see the Student support Canvas page.
For issues relating specifically to your course, contact your instructor first!
For issues related to Canvas:
- See the “Help” tab in the Canvas Global Navigation bar for a collection of useful resources.
- Check the Canvas Student Guide, or try to Google your issue (e.g., “how do I see my grades in Canvas?”).
- Under “Modules” in each of your Canvas courses, see the videos and links in the “Canvas: Getting Started and Student Support” module.
- Explore the USask-specific Student support Canvas page, or get direct support by emailing itsupport@usask.ca or by calling (306) 966-2222.
Making an ePortfolio with Portfolium
A modest portion of the grading scheme for each course is dedicated to additions students will make to a program-level (i.e., longitudinal) online / electronic portfolio (or “ePortfolio”). The ePortfolios allow students to collect evidence of their learning, do reflective writing exercises, and demonstrate their achievement of competencies related to the program.
The platform used to develop these ePortfolios is called Portfolium (also sometimes called Canvas Folio). Each student will have one ePortfolio, created on the Portfolium network that will collect the major projects they complete across the various courses of their program, along with structured Learner Reflections on their individual learning processes and demonstrated competencies. With these ePortfolios, graduates of the HPE programs will leave with a solid online showcase and a living document of their skills and growth as a HPE professional and scholar.
More details on the ePortfolios are presented within each online course within Canvas (look under “Modules” in each of your HPE Canvas courses, and find the “ePortfolio Information” page). it is very important that you familiarize yourself with the content on that page, particularly during the first course of your program.
See the following short video for an overview of Portfolium.
To see a mockup of a student’s profile, visit: portfolium.com/hpestudent.
For issues related to Portfolium:
- Under “Modules” in each of your HPE Canvas courses, see the “ePortfolio Information” page for key information about program requirements.
- Check the Portfolium Network (how-to guide), or try to Google your issue (e.g., “how do I add a project to Portfolium?”).
Other EdTech Tools You Will Use
Zoom
USask has a campus-wide license for Zoom which is an easy to use web conferencing platform that offers a wide range of features. Learn about Zoom where you can virtually meet with others for classes, webinars and meetings.
Learn more about using Zoom at USask at the following link: Zoom (Web Conferencing)
Access your Zoom account at https://usask-ca.zoom.us/signin. From here, you can configure your account, join meetings you have been invited to, or host meetings for others to join.
You can also access Zoom meetings scheduled for specific courses from the “Zoom Meetings” link provided in each Canvas course.
Panopto
Panopto Video is the USask-supported video hosting and streaming service. It will allow you to create and share videos that you have created with your instructor and your classmates.
For help and information on using Panopto, see the following links:
- Academic Video Service (Panopto) (at this link, see “Getting Started for Students”).
- Access your complete Panopto library of videos at https://usask.cloud.panopto.eu
- Upload/Record videos in your “My Folder” in Panopto, and make sure the sharing permissions are correct for your intended audience. See Panopto: How to Share a Video for information about changing the privacy/sharing settings.
- For videos that you want your instructors and peers to be able to view, ensure that you use the Share setting “Anyone at your Organization with the link – Unlisted, anyone at your organization who has the link can view“.
- You may at some point want to set videos to be viewable to a wider audience. For example, when you are building your ePortfolio and adding videos to it, you may want it to be visible to anybody who has the link (including people outside of USask) (at the previous link, see “2. Share with a Wider Audience“).
- Once your video is uploaded to Panopto, you may wish to share the video (as an embed) to a Canvas Discussion forum. If so, see the video: How do I post a Panopto video to the discussions forum?
Office 365
All USask students have access to Office 365. This includes the range of Office 365 web-based products (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.) as well as 1 TB of personal cloud storage through OneDrive.
Access your USask Office 365 account via PAWS by clicking on the “OneDrive” channel, or go to office.com and login with NSID@usask.ca (not NSID@mail.usask.ca) and your usual password.
Additionally, the Microsoft Advantage program allows eligible USask students to install and use the latest desktop versions of Microsoft Office for Windows and Mac on up to five devices (including work and personal). In addition, Microsoft Advantage also allows access to the mobile version of Office on up to 5 tablets and up to 5 phones per user. For more information, see How do I install Microsoft Office 365 on a personal device?
EADM 990 Required Tasks
The following task must be completed to obtain your EADM 990 credit. Submit your work within Canvas by the date indicated in the Syllabus.
Log into your Portfolium account and do some basic customizations to start making it your own (i.e., customize your display name, profile picture, cover photo, etc.).
Note that you do not need to add any projects for this requirement. You will begin adding projects to your ePortfolio as part of your first for-credit HPE course. Under “Modules” in each course of your program, you should be able to locate an “ePortfolio Information” page; review this page for key information about program requirements and for additional help with creating your Portfolium account.
Post the link to your ePortfolio to the appropriate Canvas Discussion board.
By default, the link to your ePortfolio will read something like: www.portfolium.com/NSID. If you prefer that your ePortfolio is only set to be viewable to select people, follow the information in the above video (4:13 mark) to share a “secret URL” instead.
Optional Activities
Discussion questions:
- What previous experiences do you have with LMSs (like Canvas)? In your past experience, what was most helpful in getting oriented to a new LMS?
- What previous experiences (as a teacher, learner, or professional) do you have with ePortfolios?
- What might be some of the professional benefits of ePortfolio development in the HPE program?
- What might be some of the learning / pedagogical benefits of ePortfolio development in the HPE program?
Extension activities:
- Make sure you can log into PAWS and spend some time get oriented to find where you can access tools like your campus email, web conferencing, and Office 365 storage.
- Log into Canvas. If possible, spend some time exploring your first HPE course. (If none of your courses are open yet, you can explore a Canvas course template with limited functionalities).
Additional Resources & Links
For an overview of available technologies that USask students can access, and related help information, see the following page from USask Student Support: Technology Tips.
A wealth of information about choosing the right technological tools and digital literacy is available in the Learning with Technology Toolkit from the USask Library.
