UVACanvas Project Communications

Project Communications

In addition to extensive communication efforts within each participating school, the below communications were distributed broadly directly with LMS Project Team support.

Press

3/18/23 - Cavalier Daily Article

Rest in Peace Collab, Long Live Canvas

5/18/22 - UVAToday Announcement

UVA Selects New Software System to Support Classroom Instruction, Collaboration

Emails

Fall Wave - Course Sites Available in UVACanvas (8/8/23)

Email to Fall Wave: Course Sites Available in UVACanvas

From: Brie Gertler, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs; Dana German, Interim Vice President & Chief Information Officer; Judy Giering, Assistant Dean, Instructional Initiatives, Arts & Sciences
Sent: August 8, 2023
Subject: Fall Wave - Your Course Sites are Available in UVACanvas

Dear Colleagues,

Since we last wrote, nearly half of our University successfully completed their first semester using UVACanvas with the conclusion of Spring 2023. We are pleased to share that, as the next step in our University’s transition, our program in SOM will use UVACanvas for the Fall 2023 semester.

In this brief video, faculty members who have recently transitioned to UVACanvas discuss the features and support resources they found most helpful.

Fall Readiness

Your new course sites for the upcoming semester are available in UVACanvas. Course sites are automatically created for each roster assigned to you in the Student Information System (SIS). The sites are available in your list of courses and are visible only to you until you decide to publish them.

Learn More and View Your New Course Sites

In addition to your new official course sites for Fall 2023, sites that contain migrated course content are also available.  

Migrated Course Content Sites  

To assist with this transition, content from course sites in your previous LMS, such as UVACollab, has been migrated to UVACanvas. These migrated course content sites serve as a repository of course materials—they do not include any information about students in the course or student-submitted content. While you may prefer the flexibility of designing your course sites from scratch, you can also choose to pull existing content from your migrated course sites as a starting point to develop a new course site.

(Please note that your original course sites in UVACollab will remain in place and accessible until at least December 2025; any readings, handouts, and other course material such as grades and student information stored on those sites will remain available for viewing or download in accordance with record retention requirements.)

Each migrated course site appears with the title “UVACOLLAB – [name of course].” You may choose to edit and reuse the migrated content by importing it into one of your new course sites for the Fall 2023 semester. There may be some variation between how course content appeared in UVACollab and how it appears in UVACanvas. This checklist will help identify potential differences as you review your materials and will walk you through editing and reusing content should you choose to do so.

Additional Readiness Support

For assistance in preparing your course sites for the upcoming semester, consider visiting open office hours, attending a workshop, or requesting a 1:1 consultation. Guides for using UVACanvas and for communicating with your students are also available.

We are working hard to make this transition as easy as possible and to ensure you have the support you need every step of the way. Your school will be in touch in the coming days with additional information and resources. For questions, please email the Learning Technology Services team at [email protected].

Thank you,

Brie Gertler
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Commonwealth Professor of Philosophy
University of Virginia

Dana German
Interim Vice President and Chief Information Officer
University of Virginia

Judy Giering
Assistant Dean, Instructional Initiatives, College & Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
University of Virginia

Summer/Fall Wave - Migration Plan Announcement (2/15/23)

Email to Summer/Fall Wave Faculty: Migration Plan Announcement

From: Brie Gertler, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs; Dana German, Interim Vice President & Chief Information Officer; Judy Giering, Assistant Dean, Instructional Initiatives, Arts & Sciences
Sent: February 15, 2023
Subject: Action Requested for Migrating Your Course Sites to UVACanvas

Dear Colleagues,

Last September, we wrote to you to share our plans for transitioning to UVACanvas, our new, central learning management system (LMS). We have begun this transition, and UVACanvas is now available to 40% of UVA faculty for their Spring 2023 courses.

We are pleased to share that this transition will be complete at the end of this semester. Beginning with the Summer 2023 term, your department will be using UVACanvas.

To help you prepare for this transition, the LMS Project team is offering multiple options for migrating your existing course site content from UVACollab to UVACanvas. While many instructors prefer the flexibility of designing their course sites from scratch, others may find that migration of previous site content provides a helpful starting point to develop a new course site.

Automatic Migration Plan
Content from course sites created for courses on the Student Information System (SIS) roster for the Spring 2022, Summer 2022, and Fall 2022 terms will soon be automatically migrated from UVACollab to UVACanvas. Content from course sites created for the Spring 2023 semester will be automatically migrated after the semester has ended.

Optional: Select Up to 5 Additional Courses (by March 13)
In addition to the course site content that will be automatically migrated, you may also select up to five additional sites from previous semesters to be migrated. This step is optional and is not required for retaining access to the original versions of these sites in your current system. All sites, including those that are not migrated, will remain accessible until at least December 2025; any readings, handouts, and other course material stored on those sites will remain available for viewing or download.

Follow this link to select your additional course sites for migration to UVACanvas (Survey closed)

Requests for additional course site migrations are due Monday, March 13. We cannot guarantee that any course migration requests made after March 13 will be completed in time for the Summer or Fall terms.

Next Steps
In April, migrated course site content will become available in UVACanvas for your review. In addition, your new official course sites associated with the Summer and Fall 23 academic catalog will also become available as instructor assignments and courses are added in the Student Information System (SIS).

In the meantime, we invite you log in to UVACanvas and try out your new workspace – a personal space where you can experiment with course development, and tools and features.

Although UVACanvas will be home to all SIS-rostered course sites beginning this summer, UVACollab will remain available until at least December 2025 to support the numerous other sites dedicated to programs, development, and collaborative work. Long term solutions are being assessed for these and similar sites in UVACollab. More information will be shared as this effort progresses.

We will be in touch again in the coming weeks to share opportunities to learn about using UVACanvas and to let you know when course sites are arriving. Additional information about key dates and what to expect can be found on our Transition Plan. For questions, please email the project team at [email protected].  

Thank you,

Brie Gertler
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Commonwealth Professor of Philosophy
University of Virginia

Dana German
Interim Vice President and Chief Information Officer
University of Virginia

Judy Giering
Assistant Dean, Instructional Initiatives, College & Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
University of Virginia

Spring Wave Only – Course Sites Arriving in UVACanvas (November 7, 2022)

Email to Spring Wave Faculty

From: School Leadership, Technology Leads
Subject: You Have New Course Sites in UVACanvas

Dear Instructors,

Your course sites are arriving in UVACanvas!

In September, you received an update message sharing plans for migrating your existing course content from UVACollab to UVACanvas. Your migrated course content sites are now available for your review.

In addition, many of your new official course sites associated with the Spring ’23 academic catalog are also now available. As your instructor assignments and Spring ‘23 courses are added in the Student Information System (SIS), new associated course sites will appear.

Learn More and View Your New Course Sites

Additional information about migrated course content sites and official course sites is provided below.

Migrated Course Content Sites
Spring ’22, Summer ’22, and any additional course sites you selected for automatic migration are now available in UVACanvas. Fall ’22 course sites will be automatically migrated after the semester has ended. These migrated course sites do not include any of the original students or student-submitted content, but instead serve as a repository of course materials.

Each migrated course site appears with the title “UVACOLLAB – name of course” You may choose to edit and reuse the migrated content by importing it into your official Spring ’23 UVACanvas course site. There may be some variation between how course content appeared in UVACollab and how it appears in UVACanvas. This check list will help identify potential differences as you review your materials and walk you through editing and reusing content.

Official Course Sites

Official course sites are created in UVACanvas as courses and instructors are added in the SIS. These course sites are connected to the student roster and will be the sites you use for your Spring ’23 courses. While you may prefer the flexibility of designing your course sites from scratch, you can also choose to pull in existing content from either your migrated course sites or UVACanvas Workspace.

All course sites appear on your UVACanvas Dashboard under Unpublished Courses.

Looking Ahead

We will be in touch again in the coming weeks as new training and resources become available. Additional information about key dates can be found under “Spring 2023 Wave” on our School-Based Transition page. 

We are working hard to make this transition as easy as possible and to ensure you have the support you need every step of the way. For questions, please email the Learning Technology Services team at [email protected].

All Participating Schools - Additional Course Migration Request Survey Reminder (Spring Wave Only); Workspace and UVACanvas Website Announcement (9/20)

Email to Summer, Fall Wave Faculty -- September 20, 2022

From: School Leadership, Technology Leads
Subject: Welcome to UVACanvas: Try Our New Learning Management System (LMS)

One year ago, we wrote to you to ask for your partnership in selecting a new central learning management system (LMS) for UVA. Since then, many of you participated in surveys, focus groups, and vendor demonstrations to share what mattered most to you in a new system. Your feedback has helped shape the selection and configuration of our new LMS, UVACanvas.

Today, we are pleased to invite you to log in to UVACanvas and try out your new workspace— a personal space where you can experiment with course development, and tools and features.

Try UVACanvas Today

Your school or department is scheduled to begin using UVACanvas in Fall, 2023. Although you can access your workspace in UVACanvas now, please continue using UVACollab now and throughout the Spring 2023 semester.

We will reach out again in the coming months to help you transition to the new system.

In the meantime, we invite you to stay in touch and learn more by visiting the new UVACanvas Gateway—your gateway for logging in to UVACanvas and your central resource for news and support. You’ll find learning resources, how to get help, and important information about transitioning from UVACollab to UVACanvas. If you are wondering how your course site content will be migrated, or how to get ready, this is the place to find answers.

We are working hard to make this transition as easy as possible and to ensure you have the support you need every step of the way. For questions, please email the project team at [email protected].

Thank you,

The Learning Management System Project Team

Email to Spring Wave Faculty - September 20

From: School Leadership, Technology Lead
Subject: Welcome to UVACanvas: Try Our New Learning Management System (LMS)

Your school or department is scheduled to begin using UVACanvas in Spring, 2023. To help you begin your transition from UVACollab to UVACanvas in time for the Spring semester, there are three important updates to share:

1. Assisted Migration Update
On September 6, you received an update message sharing our assisted migration plan and an opportunity to select additional course sites to be included in our automigration. In summary, course sites created for the Spring ’22 and Summer ‘22 terms will soon be automatically migrated from UVACollab to UVACanvas. Course sites created for the Fall ‘22 semester will be automatically migrated after the semester has ended.

To request migration of course sites beyond those from Spring, Summer, and Fall ’22, please select those course sites via this survey by an extended deadline of September 26: Additional Course Selection Survey.

2. Ready to see the new UVACanvas? Try It Today
We invite you to access your new UVACanvas where you can experiment with course development within your personal test course site, workspace. Try UVACanvas

3. UVACanvas Gateway is Live
This is your gateway for logging in to UVACanvas and central resource for news and support. You’ll find guides to help you get started, how to get help, and important information about transitioning from UVACollab to UVACanvas. If you are wondering how your course site content will be migrated, or how to get ready, this is the place to find answers.

Looking ahead
We will be in touch again later this fall to share next steps and resources to help make this transition as smooth as possible. Additional information about key dates and what to expect can be found under “Spring 2023 Wave” on our School-Based Transition page.

We are working hard to make this transition as easy as possible and to ensure you have the support you need every step of the way. For questions, please email the project team at [email protected].

Spring Wave Only – Assisted Migration Plan and Additional Course Migration Request Survey (9/6, 9/7/22)

Email to Faculty in Education/SCPS -- September 6, 2022

From: Learning Management Project Team
Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Subject: Action Requested for Migrating Your Course Sites to UVACanvas

On August 31, you received an update message sharing our plans for migrating to UVACanvas — our new, central learning management system. Your school or department will begin using UVACanvas in the Spring ‘23 semester.

To help you prepare for this transition, the LMS Project team is offering multiple options to assist you in migrating your existing course content from your school’s Canvas system to UVACanvas. While many instructors prefer the flexibility of designing their course sites on their own, for others assisted migration may ease the transition from one system to another.

Assisted Migration Plan
Course sites created for the Spring ’22 and Summer ‘22 terms will soon be automatically migrated from existing systems to UVACanvas. Course sites created for the Fall ‘22 semester will be automatically migrated after the semester has ended.

Optional: Select Up to 5 Additional Courses (by September 19)
In addition to the course sites that will be automatically migrated, you may also select up to five additional sites from previous semesters to be migrated. This step is optional and is not required for retaining access to the original versions of these sites in your current Canvas. All sites, including those that are not migrated, will remain accessible until at least December 2025; any readings, handouts, and other course material stored on those sites will remain available for viewing or download.

To request migration of course sites beyond those from Spring, Summer, and Fall ’22, please select those course sites via this survey:

Survey: Select Your Additional Courses for Migration to UVACanvas
*Note: The survey that was included here can be accessed via the original email and is not available on this webpage.

Responses to this 5-minute survey are due Monday, September 19. We cannot guarantee that any course migration requests made after September 19 will be completed in time for the Spring semester. Please note: Sites listed in this survey represent the sites you created in your current Canvas only. For migration requests of UVACollab course sites to UVACanvas, please contact the Learning Technology Services team.

Next Steps
We will be in touch in mid-September to share next steps and resources to help make this transition as smooth as possible. Additional information about key dates and what to expect can be found under “Spring 2023 Wave” on our Key Dates page.

Thank you for your partnership as we transition to UVACanvas. Additional information is available on our project page. For questions, please email the project team at [email protected].

Thank you,
The Learning Management System Project Team

Email to Spring Wave Faculty Who Use UVACollab -- September 6, 2022

From: Learning Management System Project Team
Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Subject: Action Requested for Migrating Your Course Sites to UVACanvas

On August 31, you received an update message sharing our plans for migrating to UVACanvas—our new, central learning management system. Your school or department will begin using UVACanvas in the Spring ‘23 semester.

To help you prepare for this transition, the LMS Project team is offering multiple options to assist you in migrating your existing course content from UVACollab, or other systems, to UVACanvas. While many instructors prefer the flexibility of designing their course sites on their own, for others assisted migration may ease the transition from one system to another.

Optional: Select Up to 5 Additional Courses (by September 19)
In addition to the course sites that will be automatically migrated, you may also select up to five additional sites from previous semesters to be migrated. This step is optional and is not required for retaining access to the original versions of these sites in UVACollab. All sites, including those that are not migrated, will remain accessible until at least December 2025; any readings, handouts, and other course material stored on those sites will remain available for viewing or download.

To request migration of course sites beyond those from Spring, Summer, and Fall ’22, please select those course sites via this survey:

Survey: Select Your Additional Courses for Migration to UVACanvas
*Note: The survey that was included here can be accessed via the original email and is not available on this webpage.

Responses to this 5-minute survey are due Monday, September 19. We cannot guarantee that any course migration requests made after September 19 will be completed in time for the Spring semester.

Thank you for your partnership as we transition to UVACanvas. Additional information is available on our project page. For questions, please email the project team at [email protected].

Thank you,
The Learning Management System Project Team

All Participating Schools - Migration Plan Announcement (8/31/22)

Email to faculty on August 31, 2022:

From: Brie Gertler, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Virginia Evans, Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2022
Subject: The upcoming transition to Canvas: what you need to know

As announced in May, we have selected Canvas as our central learning management system (LMS). Canvas is very user-friendly and is currently used by most of our peer universities. Our version of Canvas, UVACanvas, will facilitate and support teaching and learning across a variety of instructional settings, and will seamlessly integrate the tools that many of you have come to rely on in recent years – such as Kaltura, Gradescope, and Zoom. For our students, many of whom take courses in multiple schools, UVACanvas will provide a unified, streamlined experience. UVACanvas will also offer a fully mobile app, where students can quickly view grades and announcements and send messages.

Our move to UVACanvas will take place over multiple semesters, with the first schools transitioning to UVACanvas in Spring 2023. Schools that will begin using UVACanvas in Spring 2023 include:

--School of Data Science
--School of Continuing and Professional Studies
--School of Education and Human Development
--Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy
--College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences: Art, Chemistry, Economics, Engagements, French, Mathematics, Politics, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, and Statistics (remainder in Summer, Fall 2023).

If you are an instructor in one of these schools, you will receive a follow-up email with additional details in the next few days.

All other schools will transition to UVACanvas by the Fall 2023 semester.

To help you prepare to use UVACanvas in your courses, any course sites you have created between the 2022 Spring semester and the time of your transition will be automatically migrated from their existing systems to UVACanvas. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to select up to 5 course sites from previous terms for migration. If you have been using UVACollab, you will retain access to all of your sites, and content from those sites will remain available to review or download through at least the end of 2025. For more information, please visit our LMS Project page.

We will be in touch with additional news the week of September 19.

While there is still much work ahead, we want you to know that we are working hard to make this transition as easy as possible and to ensure you have the support you need every step of the way.

Thank you,

Brie Gertler
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Commonwealth Professor of Philosophy
University of Virginia

Virginia H. Evans
Vice President and Chief Information Officer
University of Virginia

UVACanvas Announcements

1/18 - Spring Wave Students Only

Will your class use UVACanvas this Spring? Many schools and departments are moving course sites from UVACollab to UVACanvas in Spring 2023. Find out if your classes will use UVACanvas, or another learning system, next semester on canvas.virginia.edu/students.

1/9/23 - Spring Wave Faculty Only

Open Office Hours: Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 - 11 a.m. EST As you prepare your Spring course sites in UVACanvas, join our open office hours for support!

1/4/23 - Spring Wave Faculty Only

Your Spring ‘23 course sites are in UVACanvas. Support resources are available. As a reminder, your course’s student roster and grade sync with Student Information Systems (SIS) will be linked to your UVACanvas course site. Support for getting your Spring ‘23 course ready, including open office hour events, is available on canvas.virginia.edu.

12/16/22 - Spring Wave Faculty Only

View your new Spring ‘23 course sites in UVACanvas! Log in to UVACanvas to view your migrated course site content from previous semesters. You will also find the new Spring '23 course sites ready for you to build. Support for getting your Spring ‘23 course site ready, including open office hour events, is available on canvas.virginia.edu. Happy Holidays, UVA Learning Technology Services (LTS), [email protected]