Category: faculty

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 lms@gmu.edu  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 courses@gmu.edu. 
 
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 lms@gmu.edu with questions or concerns.

Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost 

Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services
Information Technology Services

Dear Colleagues, 

We are pleased to share that the first migration of Blackboard courses is complete and your migrated course sites are now available in Canvas. Remember, recent courses taught between summer 2022 and spring 2024 and select courses identified by faculty earlier this spring were migrated from Blackboard.  

For those who have opted-in to use Canvas this fall, live course sites will be created in Canvas in the next few weeks. You will then be able to copy course content from these migrated courses into your live fall courses. We strongly encourage you to visit the project website to learn more about automated migrations including frequently asked questions and the migrated course cleanup guide. 

Please note that courses that are part of Wiley programs were migrated separately. You will hear from Wiley directly as they update the courses for Canvas. 

Canvas  Support and Training 

We have compiled a comprehensive list of training resources designed to facilitate a smooth and efficient adoption of Canvas. These resources are designed to help you navigate the platform and integrate your course materials. We strongly recommend that you take advantage of the following training opportunities to ensure a seamless transition to Canvas. 

• Register for the next Canvas Bootcamp on August 13, 14 & 15. Recordings from previous Boot Camp sessions will be made available in the Growing with Canvas training course next week. 
• 24/7 Canvas 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.  
• The Canvas Training Services Portal is a comprehensive resource to help faculty effectively use Canvas. It offers self-paced courses, live webinars, on-demand videos, and interactive guides for faculty to learn about Canvas at their own pace, stay updated on new features, and implement best practices in their teaching. 
• Getting Started for Faculty lists all training resources, helps you download the Canvas mobile app, and keeps you up to date on the project timeline. 

All fall courses will be created in Blackboard unless you choose to use Canvas. To date, more than 1000 courses across every school, college, and campus will be using Canvas in Fall 2024. For those who are still interested in transitioning to Canvas in the Fall 2024 semester, complete this opt-in form. Fall Canvas courses will be created in the next few weeks. 

Finally, if you do not see a course you thought was going to be migrated, please contact the project team at lms@gmu.edu with the course information. 

Warm Regards, 

Charles Kreitzer 
Executive Director, Mason Online 
Office of the Provost 

Joy Taylor 
Executive Director, Learning Support Services 
Information Technology Services 

Dear Colleagues,

Canvas, George Mason University’s new Learning Management System, has officially launched, and all instructional faculty now have access to Canvas – including a sandbox course site to practice in and the Growing with Canvas course to begin learning how Canvas works. Additional sandboxes can be requested later this summer.

How to Log in to Canvas and Access Your Sandbox Site:

• Go to Canvas at Mason
• Log in with your Mason NetID and Patriot Pass Password (plus Duo Mobile for security) 

Explore Getting Started for Faculty training resources, download the Canvas mobile app, and review the project timeline. We will continue adding training and support opportunities as they are developed.

Canvas Training Services Portal

Get to know the Canvas Training Services Portal, a comprehensive resource to help faculty effectively use Canvas. It offers self-paced courses, live webinars, on-demand videos, and interactive guides for faculty to learn about Canvas at their own pace, stay updated on new features, and implement best practices in their teaching.

Canvas Support and Training

Sign up for a Canvas Bootcamp on June 25, 26 & 27, August 13, 14 & 15, or December 3, 4 & 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each day via Zoom. Sessions will be recorded and made available. 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.

Opting into Canvas for Fall 2024

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. Please note that migrated course sites will not be available until late June 2024.

Course Migration Files

Bb-to-Canvas course migration files will not be available until late June 2024. Once available, migrated courses or selections of content can be copied into your live fall courses. Visit our website to learn more about automated migrations.

Thank you for your participation and support throughout this project.

Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost

Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services
Information Technology Services 

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the official launch of Canvas, George Mason University’s new Learning Management System! The LMS Project Team has been working through early set-up activities and we are excited to invite all instructional faculty members to begin exploring its features.

How to Log in to Canvas:

• Go to Canvas at Mason
• Log in with your Mason NetID and Patriot Pass Password (plus Duo Mobile for security) 

Explore our Getting Started for Faculty training resources, download the mobile app, and review the project timeline. We will continue adding training and support opportunities as they are developed.

Sandbox Environments

Starting today, each instructional faculty member has been provided a personal Canvas sandbox. This space is designed to acquaint you with the new system, develop your courses, collaborate on content, and smooth out any issues in a secure environment. If you need more than one sandbox course, we will begin accepting requests for additional courses starting in July 2024.

You also will see Growing with Canvas in your Canvas dashboard, a self-paced training course designed to orient faculty to Canvas. Recommended training pathways are available for your review to help you get started.

Opting into Canvas for Fall 2024

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. Please note that course sites will not be available until late June 2024. Once available, migrated courses or selections of content can be copied into your live fall courses. Visit our website to learn more about automated migrations.

We encourage academic units to have intentional conversations about their overall transition to Canvas. Sections with multiple labs, cross listing, recitation sections, and other unique scheduling needs should consider transitioning as a department to mitigate the impact on students.

We particularly invite the following faculty groups to consider opting into Canvas this fall:

1. Those who are new to George Mason
2. Those with prior experience using Canvas
3. Those who are developing new courses for Fall 2024 and beyond 

Need Assistance?

24/7 support is available within the Canvas platform by clicking “Help.” You can also review additional training and support resources. We are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible and are excited about the new opportunities Canvas will bring to your courses.

Thank you for your participation and support throughout this project.

Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost

Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services
Information Technology Services

Dear Colleagues: 

As the semester winds down, we would like to provide an update on the Canvas implementation, including information on course migrations and how to opt in to use Canvas for your courses in the fall 2024 semester.

Blackboard Course Migrations

The first wave of Blackboard to Canvas course migrations will begin at the end of this semester and include the most recent section of courses taught by each instructor from the summer 2022 to spring 2024 semesters. Course migrations will copy all instructor-added content in Blackboard courses to a course in Canvas. These courses can be used as a source to copy content into your live course whenever you decide to start teaching with Canvas.

Tomorrow, Thursday, April 25, you will receive a personalized email with a list of your “pre-selected” courses and a list of other course sites tied to you in Blackboard. You can select up to five additional courses from this section to migrate during this first wave. The email will be sent from “LMS Implementation Project <noreply@qemailserver.com>, with the subject “Canvas Course Migration Selection Site.”

To be included in this first wave of migrations, this form must be submitted by Monday, May 6. However, pre-selected courses will migrate to Canvas even if you do not complete the form. You will be notified when the migrations are available in Canvas in June, and you will be provided access to guides for navigating your migrated courses in Canvas. For detailed information, visit the website.

Interest in Canvas for Fall 2024

If you are interested in teaching one or more courses in Canvas in fall 2024, the opt-in form will be available in the coming weeks. Please note that course sites will not be available until June 2024. Once available, migrated courses or selections of content can be copied into your live fall courses. 

While all faculty can opt-in, we encourage the following groups to consider using Canvas this fall: (1) faculty who are new to Mason, (2) faculty with previous experience teaching in Canvas, and/or (3) faculty developing new courses for fall 2024 and beyond.

Canvas Access and Sandboxes

Each faculty member will automatically be provided a Canvas sandbox in the coming weeks. Sandboxes are a safe space to explore Canvas, design courses, collaborate on content, and resolve potential issues before going live. Additional sandbox courses can be requested beginning in July 2024.

As always, we encourage you to visit the project website, https://lms.gmu.edu, for updates and other important information, including links to training, quick-start guides, and FAQs. 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    

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:

1. Faculty who are new to Mason
2. Faculty with previous experience teaching in Canvas
3. 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