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The University of Winnipeg

Using Nexus as a Virtual Teaching Tool

Nexus First Steps for Instructors

Before You Begin

To use Nexus, you must:

  1. Have a University of Winnipeg network account (ie. a faculty WebAdvisor username and password)
  2. Be enrolled into a Nexus course site (see course site creation instructions below)
  3. Access Nexus using a compatible internet browser and device;  Firefox or Chrome browser and a reliable (ideally high-speed) internet connection are recommended for best results

Nexus Course Site Creation:

To obtain a Nexus course site for your course, this process must be completed by the Course Creator (usually the instructor) for each Nexus course needed, on a course-by-course and term-by-term basis.

  1. Submit a Nexus Course Request form for each Nexus course site you would like created, taking care to provide accurate course and section number information.

    TIPS     - Use the form's comment section to specify: 
    • the course start date and end date (especially if these differ from those in the undergraduate academic calendar), and
    • if the course is cross-listed and/or has multiple sections that must be combined into a single course site

  2. Nexus Support then creates the initial course site (also known as a "course shell") and will enroll you as its Instructor.
    The Instructor is responsible for managing and keeping a backup of any course materials (a.k.a. "course content") that are uploaded to Nexus.

    Course site creations requests are usually created within 3-5 business days but may take slightly longer to process during higher volume time periods such as the start of term.
    You will be notified by e-mail once this is done and when to expect that students will be able to start accessing your course.

How Instructors can use Nexus

Instructor Course Delivery Tools

Instructors with Nexus course sites should already have access to the Nexus Tutorials for Instructors course, a complete collection of all video tutorials and downloadable/printable step-by-step written guides on how to use the different teaching tools available to them in Nexus. If you are unable to access this tutorials course site, please contact Nexus Support.

Quick Overview Guides

3 Quick Start Tools for Digital Learning Days 

Shortcuts to a few quick tools from the Nexus Tutorials for Instructors course to help you be ready to temporarily take your class online during sudden and prolonged campus or building closures.

  1. Add Announcements
    Have to post an announcement to students in your course? Follow along with this video, and post your first Announcement in less than 2 minutes.

    A printable, step-by-step written guide is also available for download here.
  2. Add Course Content
    Need to upload a syllabus, Powerpoint or video presentation to the course? Get it done in 55 seconds with this quick tutorial.

    Printable, step-by-step written guides are also available for download here:
    • Nexus Reference: Create a Content Module
    • Nexus Reference: Upload Files
    • Nexus Reference: Create a Link

      UPLOAD TIPS - Compatible File Formats and File Names in Nexus:
      • Maximum file size: 2GB (per file)
      • Video for playback in Nexus: .mp4 format recommended
      • File types that can be previewed from within Content modules: .pdf, .ppt, .pps, .pptx, .ppsx, .doc, .docx, .rtf, .odt, .odp, .xls, .xlsx
      • If your uploaded document contains interactive content or special formatting, it should be downloaded and opened for viewing in an affiliated software application for best results (e.g. features of PDF documents are best accessed by opening them in Adobe PDF Reader, or if your PPT document uses animations, audio or other PowerPoint features, it should first be downloaded by students and opened in Microsoft PowerPoint if you would like them to have full access to the content you have created.) 
        The Nexus document previewer is intended to provide a quick, read-only "image-style" view of a compatible file only.
      • Ensure that the name of the file/document you are trying to upload does not contain any special characters/symbols (e.g. #,-,!,*,&, etc.), especially if uploading the file from a MAC computer

  3. Add Discussion Forums and Topics
    Create a space in your Nexus course for students to dialogue about course topics:

    Printable, step-by-step written guides are also available for download here:


Help Resources

  • Have questions about or experiencing technical issues with Nexus?

    Contact:  The "Support Portal - Live Chat" link from either the:
    - Nexus "Help" navbar menu, or
    - "Find Answers Here" link in the "Nexus End User Support" widget on a course home page
    When: For issues involving the Nexus LMS platform itself, such as Nexus tools and/or functions
    Hours of Operation: 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 365 days/year

    or

    Contact:  Nexus Support
    When: For non-LMS related issues or questions (e.g. accounts, passwords, course site changes/additions, enrollment of users to Nexus)
    Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

  • Students needing help with Nexus may be directed to our Student Learning Technologies Support site for more information.