Category: student

Email to all Mason student:

Dear Patriot,

As a reminder, the Blackboard learning management system (LMS) will be retired at the end of the spring 2025 semester. Beginning in the summer 2025 term, all courses will use Canvas as the University’s official LMS.

Important Dates:

• Spring 2025: Last semester Blackboard will be used to support instruction
• July 15: All access to Blackboard will end

Before July 15, we strongly encourage you to download and save any materials from Blackboard that you may want or need to keep. This could include:

• Content required to complete an incomplete grade (please work with your instructor on what materials you need)
• Portfolio artifacts for academic or professional use
• Documents that may be useful when requesting letters of recommendation

Once Blackboard access ends, these materials will no longer be available. You will not have access to these courses in Canvas.

If you have any questions or need assistance downloading your materials, please visit the Blackboard Retirement Student Resources website or contact the project team at [email protected].

Thank you for taking the time to prepare for this transition.

Sincerely,
Charles Kreitzer
Executive Director, Mason Online
Office of the Provost

Joy Taylor
Executive Director, Learning Support Services
Information Technology Services 

Dear Patriot, 

We hope you are feeling refreshed and ready for the new academic year! 

This past spring and summer, we have been working tirelessly to prepare for the university’s transition to the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS), and we are pleased to share that more than 700 faculty have opted to use Canvas this fall. During the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters we will transition from Blackboard to Canvas. During this transition period your course(s) may be hosted on either platform.  

We understand this may cause some inconvenience, but we want to assure you that this change aims to provide a more robust and user-friendly platform for your studies. By Summer 2025, all courses will be hosted exclusively on Canvas. For the fall, to determine which system will host content and/or resources for your course(s), we encourage you to review any course materials your instructor(s) may have sent, as they have been advised to include information on which LMS they will use.  

Please note:

• Not all courses use an LMS as part of their course delivery.
• If a course does use an LMS it will only be in one. If it is not in Blackboard, it is in Canvas. It will not be in both. In Canvas, your homepage only shows courses you can access. Click Courses/All Courses to view the full list. 

To help you navigate this transition, here are the options that are available to get acclimated to Canvas: 

1. Canvas Student Guide: Comprehensive documentation and tutorials to help you understand and use Canvas effectively 
2. Online Training Sessions: Interactive sessions where you can learn the ins and outs of Canvas 
3. Canvas Support: Access to 24/7 support is available within the platform clicking the “Help” link in the navigation menu
4. Mobile Mason App: Use the mobile app to view your course list, announcements, and due dates for both Blackboard and Canvas. Visit https://gettheapp.gmu.edu/ to download the app.

Additional training resources and information about Canvas can be accessed at https://lms.gmu.edu/getting-started-students/ and for Blackboard at https://its.gmu.edu/knowledge-base/blackboard-instructional-technology-support-for-students/. If you have specific questions about how your courses are managed, please contact your instructor(s). 

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this transition period. We are committed to making this as smooth as possible and appreciate your patience as we work towards providing a better learning environment for all. 

Best regards, 

Charmaine Madison 
Vice President and Chief Information Officer 
Information Technology Services  

Janette Muir 
Vice Provost, Academic Affairs 
Office of the Provost