If you are teaching two sections with identical content, you can have these sections merged within Desire2Learn (D2L) for easier management. See our resource for merging your courses in D2L.
We recommend you install your course syllabus into a module with the content area of your course.
You can also install it into the “Overview” area within content, but be aware that this will not appear if students choose the Table of Contents view.
In D2L, your course has start and end dates, between which your students can enter the course and access content within. At least a week before a course begins, you should check these dates, and change them as you see fit. This tutorial video shows you how.
By default, your course in D2L “starts” or opens the Friday before the course begins.
For summer sections and J-Term, course dates occasionally change as these courses are organized the semester prior. Be sure the section start and end dates within D2L correspond with the class meeting time.
Check all links to files, outside websites, and other resources within your course content, to make certain they still work or need to be replaced.
If you want to start using Start and End dates on your course Activities, this video shows you how.
If you have start dates, due dates, or end dates attached to course content, be sure that they are updated to reflect the current semester’s calendar, so that content is visible to students when you want it to be, and due dates are properly reported.
(Optional) Email your students a quick welcoming message with a brief outline of the course (due dates for important activities, projects, and quizzes) and expectations (both what you expect from your students and what students can expect from you) one week before courses begin.
In addition, faculty can also record a 10-minute course introduction video. This can be used to go over the D2L Course layout/structure, the syllabus, etc.
Your students are responsible for learning to use D2L, their Canisius email, and Google Workspace. Put this quick link to the ITS Guide for Students into your syllabus, so they know where to go for technical assistance.
Quick Message (feel free to insert into your syllabus or as a link in your syllabus module): You are responsible for knowing how to use D2L, your Canisius Email, and Google WorkSpace. If you need technical assistance, please either go to the ITS Guide for Students or contact the ITS helpdesk by emailing them at helpdesk@canisius.edu.
These positions offer an incredible opportunity for student leaders to develop essential skills, enhance their resumes, and have a positive impact on their peers and the campus community. We encourage faculty and staff to encourage students to apply and support students who exhibit strong leadership qualities, effective communication skills, and a genuine passion for helping others.
If you know any students who would thrive in these leadership roles, please share the link and encourage them to apply! Your support can make a significant difference in their decision to apply to these important positions.
Applications are currently open until Jan. 17! Please support our recruitment efforts for future leaders and assist them in taking the first steps toward a rewarding experience.
If you have any questions regarding the Resident Assistant or Orientation Leader Positions, please reach out to me directly at 716-888-8300 or piatkowm@canisius.edu.
Submitted by: Mark Piatkowski, Associate Director of Student Life
The Counseling Center is offering training in the QPR suicide-prevention technique on Wednesday, Jan. 22, between 3-4:30 p.m. in Old Main 301.
QPR, the “CPR for suicide prevention,” stands for:
Question the person about suicide.
Persuade the person at risk to get help.
Refer the person to resources.
QPR is designed to increase your ability to recognize suicidal thoughts and behaviors and refer a person at risk to helpful resources.
All members of the Canisius community are encouraged to take this training. The more people we have trained in suicide prevention, the wider our safety net to keep people safe. Anyone who has participated in this training in the past is encouraged to take it again to refresh you skills.
Submitted by: Eileen Niland, Director, Counseling Center
Panopto will be conducting some maintenance on their Canadian Servers on Saturday, Jan 25, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Keep in mind that you and your students may not be able to access Panopto during this time. See the full message from Panopto below:
On Saturday, January 25th, 2025, Panopto will take the CA cloud offline at 07:00 PST (15:00 UTC), to perform updates to the Panopto Database. During this time the site will be inaccessible. Maintenance is scheduled to take 3 hours. This action will help improve the overall stability and capacity of Panopto CA cloud infrastructure. Please see the cloud upgrade FAQ article for more information.
For any questions, please contact Panopto Support online at support.panopto.com, or via email at support@panopto.com.
Spencer Liechty has been promoted to assistant vice president for mission integration. In this capacity, Spencer will serve as senior mission officer, charged with developing and implementing an Ignatian vision for the university and carrying out its mission as a Catholic, Jesuit, urban university. The assistant vice president will report to the vice president for student affairs and will serve on the university’s senior leadership team.
Liechty will begin these new duties on Jan. 13.
Submitted by: Harold Fields, Vice President for Student Affairs
Associate Professor Richard Reitsma recently published an article examining queer narratives and national identity in the peer-reviewed Polish Journal for American Studies. His work, titled “A Queer Romance, Queering the National Romance: LatinX Narratives of Belonging from ‘The Squatter and the Don’ to ‘Red, White, and Royal Blue” marks another significant contribution by Reitsma to the field.
His publication also comes at the end of an exceptionally busy fall semester for Reitsma, who maintained a hectic schedule of international speaking engagements and campus leadership responsibilities.
During Thanksgiving break, Reitsma traveled to Alcalá de Henares, Spain, to present his research on “Ghosts, Magic Realism, and Superheroes: Love & Hope in the Graphic Novels of Julio Anta” at an international conference exploring American identity. He followed this with a virtual presentation for the WNY Refugee Film Festival, discussing the films “Nos Vemos Pronto” and “I Come from Away” in an event sponsored by Journey’s End. On Dec. 18, Reitsma delivered a lecture on “Teaching, Service, and Activism: Borders and Migrations” to an international audience at the University Marie Curie Skłodowska in Lublin, Poland, as part of the Erasmus-sponsored MigraMedia Project.
Here on campus, the director of the international relations program organized the 46th Model UN, which brought more than 400 high school students to Canisius in early November. As founding director of the Borders and Migrations Initiative (BMI), Reitsma hosted a screening of “Green Border” with award-winning director Agnieszka Holland, a presentation of “My Partner” with scriptwriter Lance D. Collins, and a discussion on migration’s root causes featuring Agros International President Alberto Solano and President Emeritus John J. Hurley.
Reitsma is taking a well-earned sabbatical in the coming year.
