Course Syllabus

Canvas Student Guide.

Here are some quick links to get you started:

• Canvas Student for Android
• Canvas Student for iOS
• Canvas Help Resources (All Users)
• Conversations Overview (All Users)
• Notification Preferences (All Users)
• User Settings & Profile Picture (All Users)
• Assignments Overview
• How do I view Modules as a student?
• Where Are My Personal Files?

The Canvas Student app gives you the ability to access your courses on a mobile device. There are limitations and not all Canvas features will be available on the app at this time.

• Mobile features by device - How can I use Canvas on my mobile device as a student?
• iOS | Canvas Student app - How do I download the Canvas Student app on my iOS device?
• Android | Canvas Student app - How do I download the Canvas Student app on my Android device?

For optimal performance, Instructure products should be accessed using the current or previous major versions of Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. Because these products adhere to web standards, they are compatible with a range of operating systems such as Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and any device supporting modern web browsers.

Navigate to What are the browser and computer requirements for Instructure products? for additional guidelines.

Library Resources

Below are several useful library links. Select the options below to go directly to the websites.

Citing Sources Interactive Module

The Citing Sources Interactive Tutorial to help you with learning how to cite your sources as well as inform you about what plagiarism is, what it isn't, and how to avoid it. 

Citing Sources tutorial

Navigate to Purdue OWL for additional guidelines on citing sources and avoiding plagiarism.

Netiquette—short for "network etiquette" or "Internet etiquette"—is a set of guidelines for how to communicate appropriately on the web. As a Mizzou Academy student, you will be expected to follow these guidelines in your interactions with your instructor and fellow students.

• Be respectful. Online, as in life, the Golden Rule applies: Treat others as you would like to be treated. There are effective ways to disagree with someone without being insulting. Keep in mind that sarcasm can sometimes be misinterpreted.
• Use appropriate language. Avoid foul language and rude or vulgar comments.
• Use proper grammar and spelling. Typos and spelling mistakes are bound to happen, but excessive errors are distracting. Use a browser with a built-in spell checker if you need help!
• Respect others' privacy. Do not quote or forward personal messages or information without the original author's permission.
• Avoid plagiarism. It is never acceptable to copy and paste the work of others and call it your own. Be sure to cite your sources correctly.

Select Show Me Respect: Tips for Thwarting Cyberbullying, Cyber-Harassment, and Cyberstalking from the University of Missouri's Equity Office to review additional information regarding appropriate online behavior.

Canvas Overview Videos

• Assignments Overview (Students)
• Assignment Submissions (Students)

In this video, you will learn more about assignments: what they are and how to submit them through Canvas.

To learn more about uploading and viewing assignments, navigate to the Assignments section in the Canvas Student Guide.

Navigate to How do I upload a file as an assignment submission in Canvas? for additional submission guidelines.

Some assignments will provide templates for you to complete, and the templates may be available as a Word file (.docx, .doc). Even though these .docx or .doc files are native to Word, it is possible to open them without owning the program. You can still work with Microsoft Office files even if you don't have Office installed by using Google Docs.

Open with Google Docs

1. Navigate to docs.google.com in your Web browser. Log in with your Google account. If you do not have a Gmail address or some other type of Google account, select the Create account link. Once you create your account, log in.
2. Select +New >  File Upload 
   
   
3. Navigate to the location of the Word document on your computer and select the file. Alternatively, you can drag and drop a file from your computer directly into the web browser for an easy upload.
4. Once the file uploads, you will be able to access it in Google docs.
5. Select File > Save As Google Docs
   
   

6. Google then converts the Word file into a Google doc and you can begin editing.

How to convert MS Word files to Google docs | VIDEO

After you've finished editing your file, download and export your document back into a Microsoft Word or PDF Document format by selecting File > Download > select the Microsoft Word I.docx) or PDF Document (.pdf) option. 

How to convert Google docs to Word/PDF | VIDEO

Select Print to PDF  to review guidelines for printing a document to PDF using Adobe Acrobat

Turnitin is a plagiarism detection service that is integrated with Canvas. It allows instructors and students to view an Originality Report of written work or other homework assignments. The system is designed to facilitate feedback between instructors and students on written work.

The University of Missouri has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps detect plagiarism by comparing student papers with Turnitin's database and Internet sources. Students who take this course agree that all required papers may be submitted to Turnitin.com.

Students who submit papers to Turnitin retain the copyright to the work they created. A copy of submitted papers is retained in a Turnitin database archive to be compared with future submissions—a practice that helps protect and strengthen copyright ownership. Use of the Turnitin service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on Turnitin's website at Turnitin Services Privacy Policy.

Mizzou Academy uses Turnitin, which provides tools for assignments. One of these tools is the "originality check." Note that it is not called a "plagiarism detector." That is because ONLY an instructor can determine plagiarism. 

For example, it could be that you get a 100% match (in red) on your submission. However, perhaps you are working in a group or your instructor had you submit something multiple times to different assignments within the same course. Or perhaps your class is filling out a worksheet, so all of the worksheet components would be "not original" but your content would be. 

If you are concerned about any results that you are confused about, feel free to discuss this with your teacher. 

Turnitin Guide - Accepted File Types and Size

Select allowed file types and size to review Turnitin's restrictions, which will outline considerations before submitting a file, including its size, word count, and format

How to Submit a Turnitin Assignment in Canvas 

Submitting an assignment with or without Turnitin enabled follows the same process and does not differ.

Select How do I upload a file as an assignment submission in Canvas  to review assignment submission guidelines.

Recording and Submitting

There are many ways you can submit audio and video recordings for a Mizzou Academy course in Canvas. Your course content may refer to Audacity.  (Links to an external site.)However, you don't need to use Audacity to make an mp3 recording for your course. After all, there are many programs and apps on computers and mobile devices that will do just that! 

Navigate to How do I submit a media file as an assignment submission for additional guidelines on how to submit media files.

The Canvas Guides listed below offer further details on how to capture and submit audio and video files.

• Android - record and submit audio, video or other attachments
• iOS: record and submit audio, video, or other attachments
• Desktop: record and submit audio or video file (Advanced editing can be done with Audacity.)
• Submit a file upload
• Submit via Website URL with YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, or other available Link

We do NOT allow you to submit .wav files. 

The only way for you to present quality speeches (and other multimedia) to your Mizzou teacher is by uploading a video of yourself. Therefore, it's incredibly important that the audio and video quality is good enough that your instructor can see and hear everything clearly.  You might all be in different environments using various types of cameras, so rather than attempting to teach you about specific cameras, we're going to concentrate on things like lighting, background, setup and stabilization, and audio. 

Setting Up Your YouTube (Or Other Video) Account

Creator Studio

Video Manager

Channel

Create

Some assignments may require you to scan your work and upload it to Canvas. Select How to Scan and Upload Your Work to download a PDF file of this tutorial.

Images may not appear if you open an .RTF file on a Mac using Pages or other text-editing software. Select macOS User Guide to review configuration guidelines.

 In this video, we'll show you how to take a quiz/exam in Canvas.

To learn more about how to take quizzes and exams, navigate to the Quizzes section within the Canvas Student Guide.

NOTE:  Read your Syllabus and the Quiz and Exam instructions for your course so that you are aware of the policies and how a quiz and exam is setup.  The Quizzes link may not be in the course navigation menu in your course and only accessible by accessing Modules and selecting the pertinent lesson. 

What is an "objective examination?" Objective means that there IS a right answer (or answers), and you either get things right or wrong. An example is a multiple-choice quiz or exam. This section is here to provide you with tips on how to take objective examinations, or "exams."

Many people worry about how to do well when taking objective examinations.  What does What follows are some simple suggestions that should help you to do your best.

What do you do when you know the answer?  Silly question, right?  You mark it!

What do you do when you don’t know the answer?  This is what you want to hear!

1. First, you need to remember that our quizzes and exams are based on the number of right answers out of the total possible.  So you should answer every question, even if it’s a guess.  There are four answer choices, so your odds when you guess are 1 in 4.  That is, on average, you should get 1 out of every 4 guesses correct.
2. How do you narrow the odds, to make them more in your favor? If you are able to eliminate one or more of the answers as definitely wrong, you have done just that.  When you are guessing which answer is correct out of 3, then you could get one-third of your guesses correct.  When you are guessing between two, you could get half of them right.
3. What if you see an answer choice that you absolutely have never seen before? There is a very good chance it is a wrong answer, and you can eliminate it.  Remember, you’ve read over and studied the material.  Most of the time you will know if something doesn’t belong.
4. Does the answer make sense? A correct answer always makes sense.  Incorrect choices may, or may not.  So if a choice does not make sense in relation to the question, it is probably a wrong answer.
5. Do not spend a lot of time on a question that is giving you trouble. Move on, and come back to it later.  Many times, you will find something in a later question or answer choice that helps you to select the answer to a question you skipped over.  This is known as making the test work FOR YOU.
6. Above all, relax! You have been over the material.  It is all in your head.  Just take a deep breath and go at it.  YOU CAN DO IT!

Many students develop their own tricks to help themselves on objective tests.  What you see above can assist you.  But you may also rely on whatever works for you.

What!? I’m going to have to write!?

It is not unusual for people to be nervous about taking an essay exam.  You will have to decide what the question means, search through the memory banks of your brain, recall information that relates to the question, and then write something that is well organized and clear.  What follows are some tips that just might make this process a little less scary.

Let’s start with an essay question.

An essay question may be fairly short, perhaps only one paragraph.  They may also be longer, requiring several paragraphs to answer.  No matter how short, or long, the essay needs to be, the process is the same.  As an example, we’ll use a topic that is “medium.”

The framers of the Constitution of the United States established the Electoral College system, which provides an indirect method of electing the President.  This system should be changed to permit the direct election of the President, so the candidate who receives the greatest number of the popular vote to win election.  Agree or disagree.

Great!  Now what?

This may seem pretty long.  But you need to remember that you do not have to deal with everything in the statement.  The first thing you need to do is identify what you have to answer, and what you can ignore.  The question statement is reproduced below, with the parts you have to consider highlighted.

The framers of the Constitution of the United States established the Electoral College system, which provides an indirect method of electing the President.  This system should be changed to permit the direct election of the President, so the candidate who receives the greatest number of the popular vote to win the election.  Agree or disagree.

While everything else in the question is relevant to the topic, you are being asked to support the Electoral College system (indirect election) or the popular vote (direct election).

Next?

Write down a brief outline of what you need to do.  It would be best if you did this in order.

• Introduction: State your position.  Do you agree or disagree. Give an explanation of why you have chosen your position.
• Body Paragraph: Explain your first reason for your position.  You might also want to state why the method you did NOT choose falls short.
• Body Paragraph: Explain your second reason for your position.  Again, you could state why the method you did NOT choose falls short.
• Body Paragraph: Explain your third reason, if you have one, along with why the method you did NOT choose falls short.
• Conclusion: Restate your reasons for your position.  This is when you drive your arguments home.

What are we saying here?

There is a very simple way to look at essay writing.  No matter if the essay is one paragraph, or five, or ten.  You do the same three things. 

1. Tell the readers what you are going to tell them (introduction).
2. Tell them (body).
3. Tell the readers what you told them (conclusion).

And in conclusion….

This process can be very helpful.  You need to remember:  you are probably not going to be expected to respond to every word in the essay topic.  That’s why it’s important to identify what you need to consider.  While essays from different classes will look different, the approach to them is pretty much the same.  You can even practice this skill on your own, creating topics on things with which you are familiar.  The more you practice, the easier it becomes.

Good luck!

Mizzou Academy offers the convenience of 100% online proctoring through the Examity platform. This innovative virtual proctoring solution allows you to easily schedule proctoring appointments instead of searching for an in-person proctor for your exam.

Please note that Examity requires a fee for its services. Explore the Online Proctoring with Examity module in the course for additional information. 

Navigate to Calendar Overview (Students) for an introduction to the Canvas Calendar and to learn how you can organize your schedule by scheduling your own events.