Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Select each tab in the table below to learn more about iLearnNH.

expand all

iLearnNH is an independent team that is separate from the NH Department of Education, Canvas, and Zoom. iLearnNH is a part of the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) and combines the tools and resources of the Teaching and Learning Technologies team at USNH with a commitment to and expertise in K-12 education.

The mission of iLearnNH is to connect and support teachers and students in New Hampshire—that’s it. We believe in education, educators, and the power of students to learn from and with one another. We recognize the strengths and the limitations of ed tech tools, and we seek to provide the training and resources to help teachers harness the good and troubleshoot the difficult.

We're a new team, and we're just getting started. But we've got energy and ambition and are here as your resource. Let us know how we can help.

iLearnNH currently provides two tools to New Hampshire schools:

The Kaltura video management tool is still available to schools that joined iLearnNH between 2020 and 2023.

While Canvas establishes a consistent digital learning environment for teachers and students, Zoom provides other opportunities for a learning community to create, connect, and communicate with each other.

In addition, iLearnNH has a strong partnership with Discovery Education. In Summer 2021, Discovery Education teamed up with the New Hampshire Department of Education to provide students and teachers with a robust range of free educational resources to support learning in the in-person, online, or hybrid learning environments. While Canvas, Zoom, and Kaltura work together to provide a single platform that extends the in-person classroom, Discovery Education provides a rich repository of content that teachers can pull directly into Canvas.

Learn more about Discovery Education in New Hampshire

Absolutely not. Adopting new technology is a process, and the best guarantee of success is to take it slow.

There are three overarching steps to integrating iLearnNH tools, and your school or SAU can work with the iLearnNH Team and a Canvas Adoption Specialist to develop your own unique timeline and plan.

The steps for integrating iLearnNH tools include:

1. Canvas Implementation Action

  • Action: SAU or school administrators and technical administrators complete a six-week, self-guided implementation training provided by Canvas
  • Timeline: 6 weeks

2. Adoption of iLearnNH Tools

  • Action: SAU administrators, school administrators, technical administrators, and teacher leaders plan the adoption and integration of Canvas and Zoom, including templates, training, and settings
  • Timeline: 1-3 months

3. Rollout of iLearnNH Tools

  • Action: With the support of the iLearnNH team, a school or SAU helps guide teachers as they set-up their online classes and transfer materials, as well as supports the student and parent transition
  • Timeline: 3-24 months

SAU or school administrators, technical administrators, and teachers will receive different kinds of training and support at each step of the process. Eventually, the goal is to help schools develop in-house expertise through a train-the-trainer model in which a small team of teachers, administrators, and education technologists will work with the iLearnNH team to learn and share their expertise with the school community.

Training and support include:

1. Canvas Implementation

  • Six-week, Canvas-provided self-guided Essential Implementation Training for SAU, school, or technical administrators
  • Guidance from Canvas Project Consultant and the iLearnNH support team
  • Technical support from Priority Canvas Customer Management Online Resources from the Canvas Community, Zoom Help Center, and Kaltura Knowledge Center
  • NH-specific resources in the iLearnNH Training Center 

2. Adoption of iLearnNH Tools

3. Rollout of iLearnNH Tools

Even before COVID-19, teachers were using learning management systems to support teaching and learning. Technology will never replace good teaching, but technology can enhance the student experience, reduce the burden on teachers, and help account for normal disruptions in the school environment, such as absences, snow days, and vacations.

The vision of iLearnNH is to expand what is possible in the classroom and help teachers meet the needs of all students by combining the strengths of digital ed tech with the power of an in-person learning community. We want to connect New Hampshire teachers as they continue to re-imagine the classroom and approaches to learning. While COVID-19 has increased the rate at which schools have had to adopt tools like Canvas, Kaltura, and Zoom, the potential of education technology to help prepare students for the 21st century reaches far beyond the pandemic.

iLearnNH services and training, including direct Canvas support, are provided at no cost to NH schools and alternative education programs for three years. The NH Department of Education (DOE) pays all upfront costs for platform licensing and implementation.

The iLearnNH grant was originally for three years: June 2020 to June 2023. Due to its success, it has been extended many more times and is currently scheduled to end in summer 2027. iLearnNH's goal is to provide enough training and support for your school to fully adopt and adapt to Canvas. During that time, your school can release additional subscriptions to programs that serve similar functions—like other LMSs, screen shares, and design tools—to save money and re-allocate budget needs. The goal is to be able to reduce costs and support re-allocation so that if your school or SAU needs to purchase the tools after June 2024, it won't be as significant of a burden.

Excellent! We would love to talk to you. If your school is interested in joining, take a look at the instructions for joining iLearnNH. If you just want to learn more, we're happy to chat. Reach out to the team and someone will be in touch with you shortly.

Canvas FAQs

Select each tab in the table below to learn more about the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).

expand all

Tier 1 - Faculty Canvas Support means that faculty and staff at iLearnNH schools have access to a 24/7 Canvas Help Desk to troubleshoot issues and answer how-to questions. Teachers and administrators can contact the Help Desk using the information on their Canvas instance to submit help desk tickets online, or speak with a Canvas representative by chat, e-mail, or phone. LMS administrators have access to all user-submitted cases and monthly usage reports.

The first step to beginning Canvas implementation is to complete the six-week course for SAU or school administrators and IT staff. During the first three weeks of implementation you'll cover topics such as account settings, permissions, SIS integration, and data provisioning. The second half of implementation addresses support options, blueprints and templates, and next steps. Following the implementation course, a member of the iLearnNH team will help you think through and execute a realistic plan for Canvas adoption and rollout.

REVIEW THE CANVAS SELF-GUIDED TRAINING CURRICULUM

Canvas can leverage data in a school's SIS to create user accounts, courses, and enrollments. Some SIS integrations include the ability to move grade data from Canvas to your gradebook. 

This guide provides more information about which student information systems integrate with Canvas. You will learn more about SIS integration during the first three weeks of the Canvas self-guided Implementation training, including one-on-one support for your unique SIS integration. You can also reach out to your SIS for more information about their compatibility with Canvas.

Clever

Clever - SSO
The most flexible solution for using Clever as an SSO dashboard is to set up the same authentication method for Clever and Canvas. However, if your school wants to use Clever Authentication you would need to provision your users through Clever, which prevents districts from utilizing the grade pass back functionality in Canvas.

Clever - Data Provisioning
Canvas supports data provisioning from Clever to Canvas. However, this prevents grade data from being passed from Canvas to the SIS. For most flexibility, it is best to use a direct integration with your SIS if your SIS includes an API-based integration.

Classlink

ClassLink - SSO
Yes, Canvas integrates with any Identity Provider (including ClassLink) that supports SSO via SAML.

ClassLink - Data Provisioning
Canvas supports data provisioning from ClassLink to Canvas. However, this prevents grade data from being passed from Canvas to the SIS. It is best to use a direct integration with your SIS if your SIS includes an API-based integration.

Canvas is the first LMS officially supported by Google. Google has built an LTI that allows teachers with Google for Education accounts to post assignments from their Google Drive, make a copy for every student, run originality reports, and grade assignments similar to how they would in Google Classroom. While both Google Cloud Assignments and Google Assignments LTI 1.3 are currently available in Canvas, Google Assignments LTI 1.3 includes more of the features that teachers are accustomed to in Google Classroom. Google Cloud Assignments will be depreciated in September 2021. You can view more information about Canvas’ integration with Google’s Assignments Help page and on this Canvas blog post. You can also review this webinar on Canvas and Google.

We know that integrating Google Classroom assignments and features is important to teachers and will continue to provide training and guidance. Stay tuned for additional support.

Canvas supports an LTI integration for those with Office 365 education or business accounts that share the same Microsoft domain. The integration allows students and instructors to use, create, share, and collaborate on Office 365 files within Canvas. Users can also view their OneDrive files directly in Canvas. Instructors can use the Office 365 external tool.

When students open the assignment, Office 365 will create a copy of the file in the student’s OneDrive folder for the course for each student’s submission. Students can open the document and make changes per the assignment instructions. When they are ready to submit the assignment, they can return to the Canvas assignment page and submit the assignment. Instructors view each student’s document copy in SpeedGrader for grading.

New Hampshire schools and districts can take advantage of Canvas' integrations with external identity providers (IdPs) for centralized identity management and delegated authentication, including:

  • LDAP
  • SAML
  • Google (SAML)
  • Azure (SAML)
  • CAS
  • Canvas Local Authentication
  • Clever
  • OpenID

Privacy and monitoring are essential when using or implementing new online tools. We will continue to provide best practices and guidance to help support and protect teachers, students, and parents.

SAUs or schools can create Custom Grading Schemes to reflect their current grading practices.  Additionally, teachers can leverage some of Canvas’s more advanced features, such as Outcomes and the Canvas Learning Mastery Gradebook for collecting data and monitoring student progress to support standards-based grading.

Canvas provides parents and guardians the ability to connect with their students and monitor student progress and performance. As an Observer, parents and guardians  can log into Canvas through a web browser or take advantage of the Canvas Parent App for quick updates on student progress.