Canvas goes live to UBC students

UBC’s first Canvas courses went live to students on September 5, giving students and instructors their first chance to learn and teach using the new user-friendly online course platform. Canvas was selected as the replacement for Blackboard Learn (badged locally as Connect) in June 2017. Nearly 1,000 course sections are being taught in Canvas this fall, with more being added each term throughout the 2017/18 academic year.

September 2018 is UBC’s deadline for moving courses from Connect to Canvas, but each faculty has developed its own timeline for making the transition. If you’re not sure when your courses will be moving to Canvas, please get in touch with your department head or director. Your Instructional Support Unit and the staff at the Learning Technology Hub are happy to answer any technical questions you may have about using or transitioning to Canvas.

If you’ve yet to try Canvas, we think it’s something to look forward to! This platform offers an intuitive, mobile-friendly interface and time-saving features, including SpeedGrader and automatically generated syllabuses. Canvas can also be used with teaching technologies such as iClicker, ComPAIR, and Kaltura. More integrations will be added to Canvas throughout the year, as UBC’s Learning Technology Environment Renewal Team continues the process of implementing the new system. Check out the full list of integrations that we plan to have ready for January 2018.

Visit UBC’s Canvas website for instructors for more information about Canvas. If you’re already teaching in Canvas this semester, you may want to direct your students to UBC’s Canvas guide for students.