Update 4/21/20: Since this post was published, summer 1 course shells are also available in Canvas for all non-CPS courses. It is no longer required to contact department or program academic schedulers to request a Canvas shell.
Northeastern is accelerating the move to replace Blackboard with Canvas as the university’s next learning management system. All courses will be in Canvas by fall 2020.
Canvas is now available for all courses and strongly encouraged beginning summer 2020, especially for faculty who are creating new courses or who are adopting new course design and strategy for online teaching. Below is the timeline and information to help prepare for this change, including the dedicated training and resources that are available to support a successful transition to Canvas.
How to Transition to Canvas
Instructors may request to teach summer 1 and full summer class sections in Canvas by contacting their department or program academic scheduler. Beginning in summer 2, Canvas will be the default system of record for all courses. While it is strongly recommended that all summer 2 courses be taught on Canvas, faculty may contact their academic scheduler to request to teach in Blackboard.
All fall 2020 courses will be taught on Canvas. Blackboard will no longer be an option and will retire to read-only mode.
Support for Canvas Transition
As faculty adopt Canvas and design new courses for the summer or fall terms, there are many different dedicated training and support options available, including virtual and on-demand training for getting started with Canvas, more in-depth training from Canvas instructors, and personalized consultations to discuss strategies for using teaching tools. Phone and chat support is also available from Canvas 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Get training and support for using Canvas >>
The full range of training and support sessions for faculty may be found on Northeastern’s Canvas Support and Resources page.
Course Migration to Canvas
The university is offering an automated course migration service, which may be a good fit and save time for some faculty members. This premium service is best suited for content- and assignment-heavy courses in Blackboard that are organized by week or topic. Before requesting a course migration, please read more to determine whether migration is the best choice for your course and what to expect.
Visit the university’s Canvas website, canvas.northeastern.edu, for more information about the Canvas initiative and the available support. For additional questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact Northeastern’s Canvas Transition Team at canvas@northeastern.edu.