Authors: Matthew Robinson and DeAnna Soth

Troubleshooting skills are critical for online instructors. Although ASU has 24/7 Help Desk support, being able to troubleshoot common LMS issues will save you and your students time and frustration. When asking for technical support, it’s helpful to be prepared to answer, “what have you tried so far?”

Student Impact

Is the issue impacting one student or many students? If the issue is impacting only one student, it could mean that the issue is specific to the student’s computer, and is not an LMS issue. In these cases, direct students to the Help Desk. In the Canvas LMS, students may click on  Help on the Universal Navigation Bar to access Live Chat and other resources.

Replication

Always have at least 2 browsers open and available (Chrome and Firefox are preferred for Canvas). When experiencing an issue, see if you can replicate the issue on a second browser (and ask your students to do the same). Whether you can replicate the same error will determine if it’s an LMS issue or a browser issue.

Google

Try searching for information on Google or a site specific to your LMS like the Canvas Guides. Try to find out if others have had the same problem, and what they did to solve it. If using Canvas, a simple keyword search in Google such as “Canvas LMS + your specific issue” will quickly return results in the Canvas Guides.

Screenshot

When experiencing an issue, take a screenshot or video to document what you are experiencing. (Ask students to take screenshots as well.) This will keep a record of the issue even after it gets resolved and can help if you need to escalate your issue to the Help Desk. To take a screenshot on a Mac, Press ⌘ + Shift + 4 or Windows key + PrtScn for Windows computers.

Cookies and Cache

If you escalate your issue to the Help Desk, they may ask you to clear your browser cache and cookies. It may save some time if this is tried before you call. Each time you access a file through your web browser, the browser caches (stores) it so it doesn’t have to keep retrieving the same files or images from the website each time you click Back or Forward. Clearing out the cache periodically will allow your browser to function more efficiently. See How to Clear Temporary Internet Files, Browser History, and Cache

Reboot!

Of course, restarting or rebooting your computer can often clear out any issues you might be experiencing.

Process of Elimination

Use your critical thinking skills and the process of elimination to figure out what the problem might be. Describe your expected outcome, and test different scenarios in your course to match that outcome. Be curious about how your LMS works and spend time exploring the possible outcomes.  

Conclusion

Trying each of these tips before escalating your issue to the Help Desk will help the representative isolate and resolve your issue more efficiently, helping you help yourself!

Troubleshooting Checklist (Download the checklist here)

Before reaching out for help

1. Is this issue impacting more than one student?
2. Were you able to replicate the issue on more than one browser?
3. Were you unable to find an answer after searching for information about the issue?
4. Do you have a screenshot of the issue?
5. Have you cleared your cookies and cache?
6. Have you restarted your computer?

If you answered yes to the above questions and your issue is still not resolved, reach out for help. ASU UTO 24/7 Canvas & Tech Support is available at (1-855-278-5080). Be prepared to answer the following before contacting the Help Desk:

• What is your course Section Line Number (5-digit SLN)?
• Are you on a Mac or PC?
• Which browsers have you tried? (Chrome, Firefox, etc)

Special thanks to Geoffrey Gunter and Rachel Lee, Learning Technologists at EdPlus for contributing their excellent ideas

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Subject librarians are connected to each academic program at ASU with the purpose of providing research and instructional support for faculty and students.

There are a variety of ways that Subject Librarians can support faculty who teach online as well as students participating in online courses:

Ways Subject Librarians Assist Faculty:

• Offer guidance on copyright and fair use

• Identify relevant library material supporting course assignments including research databases, e-books, open education resources, primary sources, or unique resources from ASU libraries’ special collections

• Provide assistance in developing permanent links to articles and e-books in Blackboard

• Connect you with services for making ASU Libraries video content available in Blackboard

• Recommend options for building and/or reinforcing research skills in assignments

Ways Subject Librarians Assist Students:

• Recommend strategies and resources for promoting academic integrity and effective citation practices

• Provide in-depth research assistance to students

• Create and customize Library Guides to help students find relevant information on their topic

• Provide guidance in use of citation management tools [e.g. RefWorks, Mendeley etc.]

• Develop online tutorials and other learning materials to boost research skills and knowledge

Find your subject librarian at http://lib.asu.edu/librarians

Click here for a printable infographic of this article

Co-developed in partnership with ASU Libraries, Lisa Kammerlocher, and ASU Online