Atomic Search is a comprehensive search tool that allows instructors and teaching assistants to search Canvas courses.
How to Use Atomic Search
To use the search, simply click on the Search button in the left-side global navigation menu [A] or click on the Search button located in your Canvas course site's course navigation menu [B]*. On the subsequent page, type your search terms in the provided text box and click the search button (or hit Enter on your keyboard).
Choosing a search method
When deciding which Search button to use, keep in mind that:
- Using the Search button from the left side Global Navigation menu [A] will provide search results from all courses where you have a Teacher/TA/Designer role.
- Using the Search button from the Course Navigation menu [B] will by default provide search results from only the current course - but you can use the filtering tools to expand your results to include content from all courses where you have a Teacher/TA/Designer role by selecting "My Courses"
The course navigation Search button is only visible to users with the role of Teacher, TA, Undergraduate TA or Designer in the course. If have one of these roles and do not see the search button in the course navigation menu it may be because:
- You or another instructor in the course has hidden the Search button from the navigation menu (see our Canvas Course Navigation help guide to see how to add/remove items to the course navigation menu).
- You may not have a Teacher/TA/Designer level role in a different course but not the current course.
How to Filter Search Results
Once you have entered your search, the page will refresh to display the results of your search. At the top of the list are some filtering tools [1] you can use to limit your search by:
- Content Type (e.g. Announcements only, Assignments only, Files only, Syllabi only)
- Relevance (better match) / Recency (most recently create/added/edited)
- Current Course (if applicable) / My courses (all courses in which you have a Teacher/TA/Designer role).
With the search results, you will be able to see the title of the content [2] (which is also a clickable link that will take you directly to the content), followed by the type of the content indicator [3].
If the content is not published, you will see an unpublished indicator.
In some cases, users of Atomic Search in Canvas have reported that after a period of time, they see the following error message: "Invalid launch. Please launch the application again." To resolve the issue, you will need to either clear your cookies and cache, use an incognito or private browsing window, or open Canvas in an alternate browser when using Atomic Search if you want to avoid clearing cookies and cache.
How to use the Find and Replace Feature
The Find and Replace feature is available to assist instructors and Canvas admins quickly update content within a selected Canvas course. To access the Find and Replace feature, select Search [1] from within a course's navigation menu, which will then open the Atomic Search landing page. From there, you will see the words Find and Replace [2] in the upper right-hand corner and can click on those words to open the feature. If the Search menu is not enabled in your navigation settings, follow the instructions in the Brown help article, " How Do I Use Canvas Course Navigation?".
Canvas authorization is required the first time you launch the Find and Replace tool within Canvas. Follow the prompts; a new tab will open. Authorize the tool, close the tab, and return to the previous tab with your course open. For a demonstration of the authorization process, watch this video.
Once you have opened the Find and Replace menu, you can perform the following actions:
- Initiate a search: Use Atomic Search to locate the specific text you want to change across your selected documents or data sets. Atomic Search can also be used to search and replace html.
- Preview changes: Review the proposed changes in real-time to ensure they accurately meet your requirements before finalizing them.
- Apply replacements: Confirm and apply your changes with a single click, updating all instances across your course simultaneously.
To see these steps in action, see the demo of search below.
Caution: Only instructors or admins have access to this tool. If you discover that something was replaced by accident, you can run a history report and perform an undo action to restore your content.
Resources
Need Additional Help?
- The Digital Learning and Design (DLD) team is piloting this tool and welcomes any feedback. Please write to [email protected] with your comments or questions.
- For help with Canvas, please contact [email protected]
- To discuss strategies for implementing Canvas and DLD approved integrated learning tools into your course, please contact [email protected]