Category: faculty

Dear Colleague,

As we enter the final phase of the transition from Blackboard to Canvas, we want to remind you that spring 2025 is the last semester in which courses can be taught in Blackboard. Starting summer 2025, courses that use the LMS must use Canvas (all sessions). Access to save any content from Blackboard will end on July 15, 2025. To prepare for this transition, please review the new Blackboard Retirement Resources site, which provides details on the following:

• Manage Blackboard Content & Final Migration Opportunity: Save any Blackboard materials you need before July 15, as access will end after this date. The content from many courses has already migrated to Canvas, with all spring 2025 course content moving in May.
  • If you need additional courses or organizations migrated, submit a request via the Final Content Migration Form by May 6. All spring 2025 Blackboard courses will migrate automatically. Archived Blackboard content, including student data, will only be available upon request after July 15.
• Plan for Incomplete Grades & Grade Appeals: Spring 2025 Canvas course migrations will not include student work. If you assign an incomplete grade, download all necessary materials before Blackboard access ends on July 15. If a grade appeal arises after this date, you may request archived student records. 

The next Canvas Boot Camp is a six-part series that began March 21 and runs until May 2. Click here to register today.

For additional information about any details above, please visit the Blackboard Retirement Resources site. If you have any questions about the transition, please visit the project website or contact the project team at [email protected].

Thank you for your cooperation as we complete this transition to Canvas.

Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost

Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services
Information Technology Services  

Dear Colleague,   

We are excited to share that when you return from Spring Break, you will have access to Panorama, a robust accessibility tool within Canvas that will replace Ally, the solution previously available in Blackboard.   

Panorama offers similar functionality to Ally, along with enhanced features designed to improve the accessibility of your course materials. One of its key benefits is its ability to automatically fix accessibility issues at the touch of a button, making it even easier to create an inclusive learning environment for all students.

Like Ally, students do not see your course content accessibility scores. Students only have the option to view alternative formats.

While Panorama is user-friendly, we encourage you to review our Panorama web page to access user training materials and help you get started. Additional information about using Panorama can be found by:

• Panorama Overview training recording
• Visiting the Yuja Panorama Help Center

Additionally, we invite you to join our upcoming Panorama Accessibility office hours, where you can connect with a member of the ATI, LMS, or Instructional Design team for any specific questions or additional support regarding Panorama.

• Monday, March 17, 2025 – 1:30 PM – 3 PM ET – Session Link
• Tuesday, March 18, 2025 – 10 AM – 11:30 AM ET – Session Link

We are thrilled to provide this valuable resource as we continue our commitment to ensuring accessible and inclusive teaching and learning environments. Thank you for your dedication to supporting all students.

Best,

Korey Singleton
Deputy ADA Coordinator for Accessibility
Office of Access, Compliance, and Community

Joy Taylor
Executive Director
Learning Support Services, ITS

Dear Colleague,

As we enter the final phase of the transition from Blackboard to Canvas, we want to remind you that spring 2025 is the last semester in which courses can be taught in Blackboard. Starting summer 2025, courses that use the LMS must use Canvas (all sessions). Access to save any content from Blackboard will end on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. To prepare for this transition, please review the new Blackboard Retirement Resources site, which provides details on the following:

• Manage Blackboard Content: Save any Blackboard materials you need before July 15. Many Blackboard courses have already been migrated to Canvas, and all spring 2025 courses will be migrated to Canvas in May, with one final upcoming chance to request content from past courses. Other migration options are on the course migration site. All semester courses currently in Blackboard, including all student data, will be available by request after July 15.
• Anticipate Incomplete Grades & Manage Grade Appeals: While spring 2025 courses will be migrated to Canvas at the end of the semester, they will not include student work, and students will not have access to Blackboard after July 15. If you assign an incomplete grade at the end of the semester, download all necessary course materials and relevant activities to facilitate grading once the student completes the requirements. If a student files a grade challenge after the Blackboard sunset date, you may need to submit a request to retrieve student records from the Blackboard archive.

Those who have not yet participated in or reviewed a previous recording, the next virtual Canvas Boot Camp will be February 18 – 20, 2025. Click here to register today.

For additional information about any details above, please visit the Blackboard Retirement Resources site. If you have any questions about the transition, please visit the project website or contact the project team at [email protected].

Thank you for your cooperation as we complete this transition to Canvas.

Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost

Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services
Information Technology Services  

Dear Colleagues,

The start of the spring semester is right around the corner!

Blackboard will be the default LMS for the spring; however, instructors are encouraged to use Canvas and must opt in by completing this form. So far, more than 3,500 courses plan to use Canvas this semester. The spring 2025 semester will be the final term courses can be taught using Blackboard.

Remember that students and faculty will be engaging in both Blackboard and Canvas, so it will be important to communicate what system you will be using and share student resources. Be sure to email and/or post an announcement to reinforce training and support options and include the Recommended Course Statement in your materials and early communications.

Course Migrations
All summer and fall 2024 Blackboard courses were copied to Canvas. These course names start with Bb Migrated and can be used as a source to copy into your semester courses. Read more about course migrations.

Upcoming Trainings
Learn more about Canvas and integrated tools like Honorlock (test integrity), Turnitin (plagiarism detection), Poll Everywhere (polling), Kaltura (video), and more by attending an upcoming training. Those not yet in Canvas should consider attending an upcoming Canvas Boot Camp: Info and Registration.

Canvas Support
Remember, 24/7 phone and chat support is available within Canvas by clicking “Help” in the left-hand menu.

Best wishes for a successful semester!

Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost

Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services
Information Technology Services 

Dear Colleagues,

As the fall semester comes to a close, we’re providing essential updates on the Canvas implementation to help you prepare for spring and the full transition to Canvas. With end-of-semester activities increasing, this will be our last update until January, so please review this message thoroughly.

Spring 2025 Courses
As a reminder, Blackboard will be the default LMS for the spring; however, instructors are encouraged to use Canvas and must opt in by completing this form. If you used Canvas this fall, you must opt into Canvas again for the spring; it will not be done automatically.

Next Course Migration
All course sections that used Blackboard in summer and fall 2024 will be migrated automatically at the end of the semester. If there are additional courses you would like migrated—such as those updated since the last migration or not previously migrated—please submit them using the December 2024 Content Migration Form by Monday, December 2. You will need the Blackboard course ID for each section you wish to migrate. An email will be sent once the migrated courses are available in Canvas (expected in early January).

Preparing for Summer Canvas Cutover
We want to remind all faculty who have not yet transitioned to Canvas to begin developing a plan for their courses. The spring 2025 semester will be the final term courses can be taught using Blackboard.

We strongly encourage you to take advantage of the resources available to become familiar with Canvas.   For those not as familiar with Canvas or need a refresh, the next synchronous Canvas Bootcamp will be hosted December 3 – 5. Register Today! Additional training on specific topics will also be held on Tuesday, December 10. Links and details for these sessions and a full list of the training resources can be found at https://lms.gmu.edu/training-events/.

Finally, if you have had content migrated to Canvas, please take time to review these materials, which you can find on your Canvas Courses page. The course title will begin with “Bb Migrated.” The Migrated Course Cleanup Guide offers tips and best practices as you review the migrated content.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and commitment to this important effort.

Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost

Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services 
Information Technology Services 

Email sent to faculty on October 10, 2024

Dear Patriots,

As we continue our transition to Canvas as the university’s new Learning Management System (LMS), we want to provide an important update regarding the timeline and expectations for the upcoming spring 2025 semester.

Spring 2025 Courses
For the spring semester, all courses will be created in Blackboard. Instructors are encouraged to use Canvas and should opt in by completing this form. If you taught using Canvas in the fall, you will need to opt into Canvas again for the spring.

During the first semester of Canvas availability, we saw impressive participation, exceeding our goal of 25% of courses, with over 900 unique instructors teaching 1,900+ sections to nearly 29K unique students. In anticipation of the full transition to Canvas at the end of the spring 2025 semester, we strongly encourage all faculty to begin shifting to Canvas. This will ensure you are fully prepared for the final cut-off and have time to explore the platform’s capabilities before Blackboard is fully phased out. All summer 2025 courses and beyond must use Canvas.

Training & Support
To help you with this process, a variety of development opportunities are available to guide you through Canvas setup, course migration, and feature utilization. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of these resources as soon as possible. Training sessions and self-paced workshops are available to meet your individual needs. A complete list of these resources can be found on the project website at http://lms.gmu.edu.

Canvas Day
We also invite you to join us at Canvas Day on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, which will be offered both in person and live-streamed. To register and view the program’s agenda visit http://lms.gmu.edu/canvas-day. 

Your proactive engagement in this transition is vital to ensuring a smooth experience for both you and your students as we move to Canvas after the spring 2025 semester.

Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to this important transition.

Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost

Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services
Information Technology Services 

Email to current faculty

Dear Colleagues,

We hope you had a restful and safe summer, and your fall semester is off to a productive start. Below are a few important items we wanted to bring to your attention about the Canvas implementation. 

Project Updates

Fall 2024 is the first semester Canvas is fully available and more than 900 instructors are using Canvas with over 1,800 course sections. Spring 2025 is the last semester Blackboard will be available for use with courses and access ends in summer 2025. An archiving solution will store Blackboard courses if they are needed. View the timeline. 

Fall 2024 Course Migrations  

In June, nearly 15,000 Blackboard courses were migrated to Canvas, including the most recent version of each instructor’s course and additional chosen courses. Read more about the process. 

We are pleased to offer another opportunity for instructors to request additional migrated courses. These may be courses that have been updated since the first migration or that were not previously migrated. Content from Blackboard Organizations (Bb Orgs) and non-term courses can also be migrated. Additional information to Bb Org owners is being sent today.  

The deadline to request additional content migrations is Thursday, September 26, 2024. Requests must be submitted using the Fall 2024 Content Migration Request Form. To submit this request, you will need the course ID for each section. This information can be found in your Blackboard course list. 

Please note that these migrated courses will not be available in Canvas until mid-November. 

Getting Help with Canvas

• Canvas Day: Grab your device and join us for Canvas Day, Wednesday, October 16, 2024, from 12-4 p.m. in the HUB Ballroom or online. This event is designed to provide attendees with hands-on experience, best practices, and innovative ways to leverage Canvas for an enriched learning experience. Register Today!
• Training: Many Canvas training options are available. View the self-paced and live sessions this semester. 
• Support: 24/7 support is available within the Canvas platform by logging into  Canvas at Mason  and clicking “Help” on the bottom left. You can also review additional  training and support resources. 

As always, we appreciate your continued support and attention as Canvas is implemented. We encourage you to review our  Getting Started  materials and explore resources for instructors. We invite you to contact the project team at [email protected]  with questions or concerns.

Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost 

Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services
Information Technology Services

Email sent to faculty using Canvas in the fall

The fall semester marks an exciting point in our Learning Management System (LMS) migration as we welcome you to Canvas – along with more than 700 hundred George Mason faculty who opted to teach in Canvas, spanning more than 1,600 individual sections across every school and college. If you have changed your mind about using Canvas, or if any of the courses created for you in Canvas are incorrect, please reach out to [email protected]. 
 
By now, you should have access to your live fall course course in Canvas; this is the space you will be teaching in. As a default, other sites – your sandbox and course migration files – are not accessible to students and enrollments cannot be added. Before the term begins, you can export content from one of these other workspaces and import it into your fall course. 
 
Here are some resources to help get started: 

• Communicating with Students in Canvas: Communicate, communicate, and then communicate one more time.  
• How to Import/Copy a Canvas Course: This guide outlines the steps to import content into your course. Be patient! The migration may take several minutes – you will receive an email or notification when the import is complete.  
• How to Publish your Course: Just like Blackboard, when you are ready, you must publish your course to make it available for students.  
• Add integrated tools such as Zoom and Attendance to your course navigation. (The Attendance tool now includes student photos from their Mason ID Card.)
• Learn more about Canvas and integrated tools, like Honorlock, Turnitin, Kaltura, and more by attending an upcoming training.  

As you get ready to welcome your students, please review the details below and consider this information for your messages to students to help them prepare for the semester. Remember that for the upcoming academic year, students and faculty will be engaging in both Blackboard and Canvas, so it will be important to communicate your system and share getting-started resources. Be sure to email and/or post an announcement to reinforce training and support options and include the Recommended Course Statement in your materials and early communications. 
 
Additional Details: 

• Student Communication About Dual LMS Use: This message will be sent to all George Mason students soon. 
• Getting Started with Canvas Student Resources: Be sure to provide this link in your early communications to students. It provides an overview of Canvas, along with links and other helpful getting-started resources.  
• Following up on the recent guidance from the Office of the University Registrar, review this Knowledgebase Article to learn more about combining non-cross-listed sections in the LMS. 

Remember, support is (literally) always available within the Canvas platform by clicking “Help” in the left-hand menu. Especially for Canvas-specific questions, please begin with Canvas native phone and chat support. Be on the lookout for additional information in the coming weeks related to Stearns Center programming and Faculty Mentor consultations. 
 
We will reach out later in the semester to get feedback from you and your students on the overall experience. As always, let us know if you have any questions. 
 
Best wishes for a successful semester! 

Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost 

Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services
Information Technology Services

Email sent to instructors using Canvas – August 14, 2024

Good morning. 

I would like to address some questions raised regarding the ability to combine class sections within the University’s learning management systems (LMS), Blackboard and Canvas. 

Each semester, a small number of faculty combine individual class sections to streamline section management; however, the act of combining non-cross-listed sections poses a risk under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Our students’ schedules are considered non-directory information, and we must work to retain the privacy of students beyond their individual course sections. 

While faculty may continue to combine non-cross-listed sections, we need your assistance to ensure the protection of student rights and privacy. Faculty combining sections are expected to clearly inform students that their course is part of a combined section and ensure that sensitive information such as grades and personal details are not shared across sections.  

When combining sections in the LMS, utilize group settings to maintain section-specific communications. Additional information and resources can be found here: https://its.gmu.edu/knowledge-base/canvas-combining-sections/ 

Please do not hesitate to reach out with questions. 

Thanks. 

Doug 

Doug McKenna 
University Registrar 
http://registrar.gmu.edu/

Dear Colleagues, 

As the summer begins winding down, we are pleased to provide this month’s updates about the Canvas migration. As a reminder, all fall courses will be in Blackboard unless you choose to use Canvas. For those eager to use Canvas in the fall 2024 semester, complete this opt-in form. New course sites could take up to three days to appear in Canvas after you submit your request.


Canvas Course Types

There are several types of courses in Canvas you should be aware of as you begin navigating the new platform. They include:

• Semester: created through Banner/Patriot Web and populated with your enrolled students.
• Sandboxes: instructors can explore the tools and features of Canvas without disturbing a course used for instruction. It can also be used to prepare courses and/or modules before copying them into live courses.
• Migrated: copies of Blackboard courses transferred to Canvas through an automated process. These courses are not accessible to students and contain no student data.
• Development: for the development of a course expected to be used as a source course for most sections of a course – often managed by a department/course coordinator or course designer. The course is jointly accessible and is not tied to one specific user.
• Community: available for activities that support student training, student program or degree resources, student cohort sites, and instructional technology training. Please note for community sites, your intended use must meet the Canvas Use Guidelines.

Requests for these courses can be submitted here.

Course Migration Files

The first wave of course migrations is complete and includes recent courses from summer 2022 through spring 2024 and additional courses identified by individual instructors. The next opportunity to identify courses that have not already been migrated is September. This wave will be an opportunity for Blackboard Organizations activities to be transitioned as an approved use of Canvas. To learn more about the automated migrations, visit the project website.

Fall 2024 Activities

• Training & Support: Sign up for the Canvas Bootcamp on August 13, 14 & 15 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily via Zoom. The recordings of the June bootcamp can be found in the “Growing with Canvas” course in your Canvas course list. Sign up here.
  Also, 24/7 support is available within the Canvas platform by logging into Canvas at Mason and clicking “Help” on the bottom left. You can also review additional training and support resources.
• Student Communications: for the next two semesters students will need to navigate the possibility of using both learning management systems simultaneously. While the project team is preparing a communication plan to help orient students for the fall, we encourage all faculty, regardless of the LMS, to include this information in any communications to students enrolled in your courses.

As always, we appreciate your continued support and attention as Canvas is implemented. We encourage you to visit https://lms.gmu.edu/getting-started-faculty/ where you will find many useful resources for instructors, whether you are transitioning this fall or in the spring. As always, we invite you to contact the project team at [email protected] with questions or concerns.

Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost 

Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services
Information Technology Services