Ways to Get Help

Basic Troubleshooting

Often, simple problems like display issues or buttons that don’t work can be addressed with the following steps:

Refresh the page to make sure the it loaded completely and correctly
Close and restart your browser
Try using a different web browser: if you were using Safari, try Chrome or Firefox

Trying these quick steps first can save you time before sending in a help request.

Report a Problem From Within Canvas

A picture of the help button in Canvas

At the bottom of the left sidebar, click Help, and choose an option. From here you can quickly contact your instructor, search the Canvas online documentation (guides) for step-by-step instructions, or report a problem.

If you have a technical problem:

Select Report a problem, and complete the form.
In the subject line, enter a short phrase to help identify your request.
In the description field, describe the problem you encountered.
Tip: Include useful details such as the page you were on, the link you clicked, and the expected and actual results of your actions. Your description could also be a series of steps someone else could follow to replicate the problem.
Select an option under “How is this affecting you?”
Click Submit ticket. Your report will be forwarded to a specialist in Learning Technologies.

Contact Technical Support

For technical issues with Canvas, Panopto, Poll Everywhere, or Zoom, send an email to help@uw.edu or call 206-221-5000 and select option 3 to leave a voicemail. Learning Technologies hours are currently Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Closed University Holidays.

Technologies Used in This Course

[Use this space to provide information about other tools or technologies you use in your course. Let students know how to access them and where to go for help. We've provided two example below, delete or edit them as needed.]

Example:

Piazza

We will be using Piazza, an enhanced online discussion board accessed in Canvas. This is a useful place to start discussions with other students online, organize study groups, and ask questions of the instructor and teaching staff. The discussion forum is intended for professional and academic correspondence, and appropriate behavior is expected. If students need technical assistance, they should contact Piazza Support.

Please Note: If/When students create accounts in Piazza, they will be prompted to opt-in to the Piazza Network and asked to share some confidential information, such as name, email address, course, and role in course. Students may also be asked to join Piazza Careers, a separate service offered by the vendor. Both are entirely optional, and not required as part of the course and entirely the student’s individual choice. If any student wishes to in future, they can opt-out of the Piazza Network or Piazza Careers at any time.

Example:

MATLAB

In this course, we will be using MATLAB as the primary environment for numerical computation. UW provides MATLAB licenses for all students at no charge. No previous coding experience is required. An overview of MATLAB's syntax, code structure and algorithms will be provided. If technical assistance for MATLAB is needed , please visit MathWorks Support for help.

UW Supported Teaching Technologies

Canvas

View browser requirements for Canvas

Canvas has guides to help students with all aspects of Canvas. If you're new to Canvas or just need a refresher on some topics, review the guides below:

How do I set my Canvas notification preferences?
How do I view instructor feedback on my assignment?
How do I reply to a discussion?
How do I embed an image in a discussion reply?
How do I record a video using the Rich Content Editor?
How do I record audio using the Rich Content Editor?

Ally Tool for Accessibility (included in Canvas)

If you are in need of an accessible version of any document in a Canvas course, or are interested in alternative formats for any documents in the course, please make use of the Ally tool available in Canvas. Look for this icon next to any linked files:

When you click the icon, a popup menu will appear, where you can Preview the document, Download it, or choose Alternative formats:

File options menu, with Alternative formats selected

Clicking Alternative formats brings up the Ally popup menu, which provides you with options to download a tagged PDF, HTML, ePub, Electronic braille, or Audio version of the original file:

Ally alternative formats menu

Panopto

Some course video content may be delivered via the video platform Panopto. Check out Panopto’s viewing requirements to make sure you are able to watch any recordings in your course.

Zoom

To attend Zoom meetings you may need to sign in with your UW account.

Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere, a classroom response system (aka “clickers”), may be used in your course. Read more about setting up your account and logging in. To respond to Poll Everywhere activities you will need to ensure that your default email address in Canvas is set to your UW email address.

Google Suite

Google's G Suite is available to all current students, staff, and faculty. In order to use it in Canvas make sure that you have activated your UW G Suite and are signed in with your UW account.

UW Technology Resources for Students

STLP (Student Technology Loan Program): borrow laptops, tablets, and audio/video equipment