Message sent to faculty:
Dear Colleagues:
We are pleased to provide you with this month’s update on the progress of the Canvas implementation.
Canvas Access and Sandbox Courses
The project team anticipates sandbox spaces will be available by late April. These environments allow instructors to experiment with Canvas functionalities, refine their skills, and create engaging materials for future classes. They are separate from course shells that will be created for live courses. Self-paced training opportunities will be available when the sandbox courses are generated. Synchronous training opportunities and support from Canvas Mentor Faculty will be available through the summer and fall.
Course Migrations
In mid-April, faculty will receive an email with a list of pre-selected Blackboard courses that will be migrated to Canvas with the option to choose additional Blackboard courses. These migrated courses will be available in Canvas in early June.
Fall 2024 Courses in Canvas
Faculty may opt-in to Canvas for one or more fall 2024 course(s) later this semester; however, migrated course content will not be available until June. Once available, migrated courses can be copied into your live fall courses.
We encourage the following groups to consider using Canvas this fall:
- Faculty who are new to Mason
- Faculty with previous experience teaching in Canvas
- Faculty developing new courses for fall 2024 and beyond
Blackboard Organizations Retirement
Canvas does not have an equivalent tool to Blackboard Organizations (Bb Orgs). As part of the Canvas implementation, content from Bb Orgs must transition to new locations. The use cases for Bb Orgs are being documented and aligned with other supported technologies; in some cases, Canvas could be the most appropriate solution. The project team will work closely with organization leaders to determine the best tool(s) to transition their activities over the next 12 months.
We encourage you to visit the project website, https://lms.gmu.edu, for project updates, the progress of third-party integrations, timelines, FAQs, and other relevant information. As always, we value your feedback as we refine our Canvas implementation plan. If you have thoughts, please share them at lms@gmu.edu or through your school/college’s Advisory Committee representative (https://lms.gmu.edu/committees/).
Thank you for your continued cooperation and engagement throughout this process.
Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost
Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services
Information Technology Services