5. Course Delivery systems

Learning Management System

The LMS used by ISU is Canvas. All course materials are hosted in Canvas, organized by Modules.

To become familiar with Canvas, please use the tutorials in CELT Canvas@ISU. These tutorials were developed by the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.

System Demonstration

Linked below is a recording of a live-streamed introduction to Canvas hosted by Dawn Miller, formerly with the MS Agronomy Program.  This demonstration is focused on course functionality and navigation, i.e., module organization, how to submit assignments, participate in discussions, check your grades, set up notifications, etc.  Although the appearance of the Canvas interface has changed a bit since 2019, the content here is very helpful.

Canvas Demo

Course Q & A

Do I have to log into my course at a certain time?

There is no required class time at which you need to be online, as there are no live lectures.  Instructors do hold “office hours” each week, with times posted on the course calendar or in the course syllabus.  This is an opportunity for personal interaction between instructors and students; however, due to wide variance in student schedules, attendance is not required.

Are there lecture videos for me to watch?

There are a few lecture videos in this Program, including short introductory videos or podcast-type audio recordings to introduce or summarize a lesson.  Course materials are all online, with a variety of comprehension activities built into the lessons.  

Can I finish the course whenever I feel like it?

Courses are not self-paced - you need to keep up with the material.  Courses follow the ISU semester system, and each course has a calendar with weekly due dates for submitting course work, such as assignments, discussion participation, exams, etc.

How are exams given?

Exams are different for each course, examples include:

  • An application-type exam question at the end of each lesson.
  • Take-home exams that can be downloaded, completed and submitted.
  • Midterm/Final exams that are online. 
    • An example is the statistics course with an A and B sections.  Section A is multiple choice/short answer.  Section B is working with a data set much like homework.
  • Some courses have no exams due to the writing-intensive nature of the course.
  • Please see the Course Workload Summary for exam information on each class.

Please continue to the next section: ISU Offices & Help Info