Canvas Integration
Overview
If your school uses both Compass and Canvas, this integration will allow you to:
- Use Compass to import SIS data into Canvas
- Import Canvas assignments and their grades into learning tasks (including Rubrics)
- Use Compass calculated grading components on Canvas grades
- Utilise class code integration
- Schedule a daily integration
- Turn on/off different parts of the integration
Integration Workflow
Integration Set-up
- Request Canvas integration to be enabled at your Compass portal(s) by emailing Compass support
- Next, you will need an API key for Canvas and Compass. Navigate to your Canvas instance and click on the Admin menu, if you cannot see the admin menu, please pass on this information to your Canvas administrator.
- In the Admin menu, click on the Developer Keys submenu
- Click add Developer Key and add an API key
- Set the key with the following attributes:
| Name | Compass |
| Owner Email | Your email |
| Redirect URL | https://{YourCompassURL}/Communicate/LearningTasksAdministration.aspx eg https://compass-vic.compass.education/Communicate/LearningTasksAdministration.aspx |
| Legacy URI | Leave blank |
| Vendor Code | Leave blank |
| Icon URL | https://assets.compass.education/Assets/Pix/branding/frontpagecompasslogo_v11855.svg |
| Notes | Add any content you find applicable |
| Test Cluster | False |
| Client Credentials Audience | Canvas |
| Enforce Scopes (right-hand side) | False |
- Navigate to your Compass portal, and go to the Learning Tasks Administration page (cog icon, 'Administration Tools'). If you are unable to access this page, please see your Compass Sponsor/Administrator
- Navigate to the Canvas Settings tab and fill in Canvas account credentials.
- Configure setting as required, it's recommended you choose settings that match your existing Canvas environment.
| Canvas Client ID | Developer Key - This is the number in the developer key menu of Canvas |
| Canvas Client Secret | Click “Show Key†under the Canvas key in the developer key menu of Canvas |
| Canvas Install Url | URL of you Canvas instance, Eg: https://compasseducation.instructure.com/ |
| Canvas Sub Account Id (optional) | School name for multiple Compass instances into one Canvas instance |
| Canvas Course Prefix | AGEID of the Compass portal to be prefixed in front of the course code |
| Canvas Course Suffix | Recommended to use 'Academic Year' to appended to the end of the course code |
| Canvas Course Identifier Format | Value for the course code in Canvas |
| Canvas User Identifier Format | Value for the User ID in Canvas |
| Canvas User Integration Identifier Format | Integration ID value in the Canvas user for advanced integration setups |
| Canvas User Login Format | Value for the canvas username |
Click 'Save Credentials'. Then click 'Authenticate Credentials with Canvas'. A new window will open (ensure pop-ups is enabled) login with your Canvas admin login used to set up the developer key.
Please Note: At this point, do not send School data to Canvas without checking your Compass SIS data. We recommend you to click Download CSV files and inspect the CSV's first to validate the data going into Canvas to minimise the risk of sending incorrect data to Canvas.Syncing Data to your Canvas portal from Compass
The SIS import from Compass to Canvas is created from the data encapsulated in the currently relevant Academic Year in Compass.
This means that it is very important to ensure the correct academic year is relevant and during the rollover period you have made the outgoing year irrelevant.
We have ensured that CSV's are manually downloadable and uploadable if you are not sure, this enables you to open and inspect the data before you commit it into your Canvas instance.
Students and Staff are gathered by their Active status and enrolled in Courses via sections. Subjects and classes are driven by your timetable data in Compass via the relevant academic year. All timetabled teachers will be given access to courses unless teachers have been assigned via Daily Org.
Canvas Course = Compass Subject
Canvas Section = Compass Class
If you use Terms in Canvas, we recommend that you upload the data via CSV into Canvas so you can correctly target your Terms.
Syncing Assignments and Grades with Learning Tasks
Once you have synchronised your SIS data from Compass to Canvas, the link between the systems will allow you to sync assignment data from Canvas to Compass. This sync uses Canvas as the source of truth, in that when you pull data from Canvas into your subject this will create, assign students, create the grading component and bring their marks over from Canvas into Compass so these tasks can then be used for Semester reporting or Markbook style calculations.
To sync assignment data into Compass:
- Navigate to the desired subject in Compass
- Click the learning tasks tab
- On the Dashboard tab, click Pull From Canvas
- This sync will create new/update existing tasks
- It's recommended to update your subject in Compass once you have completed marking the assignment, or in preparation for reports.
When syncing tasks into Compass, the created Learning Tasks will be configured as follows:
| Name | As per Canvas |
| Category | General (editable in Compass after import) |
| Description | Imported from Canvas |
| Security | All set to false |
Rubrics
If the learning task includes a rubric in Canvas, it will also be synced into Compass. The student's highlighted result in the rubric will be reflected in Compass. Any results adjusted against the rubric in Compass will be overwritten by the data synced from Canvas.
Please Note: The results reflected in Compass are from the highlighted result selected in the Canvas rubric for the student, if only points are allocated in the Canvas rubric for a student, the data will not sync.Canvas Settings
The general Canvas settings require the Canvas developer ID, developer secret key and URL to be entered. Multi-campus schools or enterprise bodies can use the Account ID to separate schools within their CANVAS instance.
CANVAS CSVs provide the ability to select which CSVs the school would like integrated.
For example, a school might import courses as a once-off exercise and only want enrolments to be automatically synced each day.
Daily Sync to Canvas – this allows schools to turn on a daily push to Canvas based on the ‘Canvas CSVs’ checked
Turn on Diffing mode - Diffing mode allows the school to decide how to handle enrolments or users who are no longer in the exports.
Overrides UI in Canvas – Allows the school to decide how changes made in the Canvas UI that are different to Compass should be handled. Changed can be overridden by selecting the Override UI option, which allows Compass to overwrite any "sticky" data updated in thenCanvas UI. Otherwise, changes from an import with conflicting data would be disregarded and the existing user data would not be changed.
Canvas to Compass Import Settings
Schools have two options for importing Assessments back to Compass:
- Based on Canvas Import Settings – this will use the configuration setup for pushing data into Canvas to pull back the assessments
- External LMS Code – schools using Canvas with different Subject IDs / Class IDs can specify the CANVAS ID against the Compass subject ID
Below is a sample of where the school can enter the Canvas external course code against the Compass subject. These can be entered against the Compass Classes and also imported in by CSV.
Subject / Class Assessment sync
Compass allows schools to sync Canvas assessments/results into learning tasks.
Schools need to click ‘Pull from Canvas’ on the subject page which will create the Learning Tasks.
Compass to Canvas Import Settings
The Canvas integration for pushing data to Canvas is broken down into three key sections:
- Courses
- Enrolments
- Users
-Student
-Staff
-Parents
Courses
The most important setting for Courses is selecting the integration to be at a Subject or Class level. Compass supports both using the ‘Canvas Course / Class mode’
Enrolments
Users
Settings for students, staff, and parents can all be individually configured, and schools can also select which user groups are included in the integration.
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