1. CET&L
  2. Canvas
Canvas LMS Logo

UC's Transition to Canvas

Beginning in Summer 2019 and ending in Summer 2020 UC will be transitioning from Blackboard to Canvas to provide our students, faculty, and staff with a reliable, easy-to-use Learning Management System befitting a modern urban research university.

Like semester conversion, the move to a new LMS provides our community with an opportunity to reexamine teaching practices, recognize and conserve the strength of our successes, and refashion our engagement with the new to the benefit of our learning community.

The transition to Canvas is supported by CET&L, Enterprise Academic Technologies (EAT), UC Online, and Faculty Senate. Transition plans and project timelines are college-specific and varied. For details concerning your college's transition timeline, including college points-of-contact please visit our Canvas Transition Page.

For more information on why our community chose Canvas, please visit Why Canvas?

Teaching & Learning in Canvas

The growing set of resources below are provided for the success of our faculty, students, and staff as we transition to Canvas.

Login to Canvas  

Introduction to Canvas

  • First Look (video)
    • First Look introduces participants to the Canvas environment, login procedure, and global navigation. Attendees will explore account setup, personal preferences, and communication tools, such as the Inbox and Calendar. This session also presents the numerous avenues for support available to each Canvas user.
  • Course Basics (video)
    • Course Basics provides an overview of the layout and features included in a Canvas course. Users will learn about the Course Navigation Menu and individual components that can be used to deliver content and assess student performance. This introductory demonstration provides users with the background knowledge to start using Canvas.

Canvas In-depth

  • UC Canvas 101
    • This is a public, self-paced Canvas Instructor Orientation designed to familiarize instructors with need-to-know tools and the features of Canvas in an effort to prepare them for course design. 
  • Blackboard-to-Canvas: A Content-based View
    • This chart provides information on oft-used Blackboard tools and comparable Canvas features, with links to tool-specific Canvas guides.
  • Canvas Guides
    • This comprehensive resource features Canvas’s own guides and videos designed to provide easy access to information about Canvas's many features and capabilities.
  • Preventing & Fixing Accessibility Issues in Canvas
    • This brief guide covers how to create accessible content using some of the core functions of Canvas.
  • Teacher Mobile app
    • Canvas's IOS- and Android-friendly mobile app.

Creating Canvas Courses

  • UC Course Templates
    • Don't know where to start? You might find a useful way of organizing your course in one of our course templates. Choose the one that fits you best, apply it to your course, and you're off and running. 
  • Preventing & Fixing Accessibility Issues in Canvas
    • This brief guide covers how to create accessible content using some of the core functions of Canvas.

Courses, Workshops & Consultations

While You Wait

As of May 1st 2019, all instructors and academic support staff have a Canvas account and three sandboxes. At this time, course shells will be created at the request and with the permission of the home college only. To see when your college will begin offering courses in Canvas, please visit our Canvas Transition Page.

Request an Account, Sandbox, or an additional Sandbox

If you find you do not yet have an account or sandbox in Canvas, or if you would like to have an additional sandbox added to your current account you can make your request by entering the following information into the form linked above:

  1. Insert the subject: “Canvas Account/Sandbox Request”
  2. In the Description field:
    • Include the desired course name.
    • Include a brief description of what the course will be used for.

Transforming Canvas Courses

The following resources and pages are provided to guide instructors through best practices and strategies to help strengthen new and existing courses.

  • Universal Design for Learning
    Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a research-based framework that promotes equitable opportunities to learn for all people.
  • Teaching for Equity & Inclusion
    These resources provide information devoted to instructional strategies and tools to promote student belonging, encourage openness to new strategies for learning, and methods for creating and sustaining mutual respect and civility.
  • Active Teaching Practices
    Thinking about the role of active learning in your course can help you determine which strategy would be most beneficial. We have categorized active learning strategies into Exercises for Individuals, Questions and Answers, Immediate Feedback, Critical Thinking Motivators, and Cooperative Learning Exercises in this guide.
  • Designing for Student Learning
    Effective course design can not only assist in making your teaching experience easier, but can also facilitate student learning. Good design can maximize learning while reducing student confusion by clarifying expectations.