“The last day of class carries outsized importance in your students’ recollection and perception of your course, serving as a sort of outro for its motifs and themes.”
Dear Faculty,
Spring is here, and that means there are just a few weeks left of the semester. As you know, the campus is transitioning from the current LMS Blackboard to Canvas. With this in mind, we wanted to offer some resources on decluttering and preparing your courses for next semester. Think of this as a time to “spring clean” as you begin to plan for the next iteration of your course(s). To help you with this, we have a few sources to share to guide you through this process.
We have also included resources that will be helpful as you plan end-of-term assessments, final in-person class sessions, and farewell messages to students. Here are a few podcasts and articles that offer ideas and strategies to foster lasting connections and thoughtful engagement opportunities. There is even a resource from our 2025 Annual New Approaches to Teaching and Learning conference keynote speaker James Lang!
We hope the final few weeks with your students are meaningful and memorable. We also hope you have a moment to prepare your course for its next iteration, regardless of LMS. As always, do not hesitate to contact Instructional Development with questions.
-The ID Team
CITS | Instructional Development
Click a resource to watch, listen, or read!
Throwback to James Lang!
Cleaning Up and Leaving Blackboard:
Cleaning Up in Canvas:
The primary organizing feature in Canvas is Modules. The power of Modules is that instructors can use them to organize all content pieces and set an order for students to access resources and complete assignments. When course sites use Modules, students can seamlessly move through the content without having to look up what to do next.
Canvas’s Modules work a bit like a folder system, BUT there’s an important distinction: Canvas content doesn’t actually ‘live’ in Modules. Rather, the content ‘lives’ in the various index areas: Assignments, Pages, Files, Discussions, Quizzes. What you see in Modules is a set of links that point back to the permanent content in those indexes.
- Takeaway 1: When you are positive you have created a piece of content but can’t find it, look in the index for that content (e.g., Pages, Assignments, etc.). If content exists in the index, you can easily add it back into a Module without recreating it.
- Takeaway 2: When you remove Canvas content from a Module, it is not deleted. The only way to delete Canvas content from your site is to open the index (e.g., Pages, Assignments, etc.) and delete the content from there.
Learn more about Canvas Modules:
Canvas Q&A with Instructional Development
Mark your calendars and register below! We’re hosting several Q&A sessions over the summer via Zoom. This is your chance to ask questions, explore new features, and possibly exchange discipline-specific tricks you’ve discovered in our new LMS. Sessions are informal and will not be recorded. Please feel free to attend any or all sessions that fit best with your schedule. Whether you have Canvas feature and/or new instructional tech questions or just enjoy great conversation, we’d love to see you there!
View a full list of Blackboard and Canvas workshops and self-paced offerings!
Instructional Development works with faculty to…
- Explore, design, and experiment with different teaching and learning modes.
- Research and integrate technologies that can enhance teaching and learning.
- Design and develop online courses and programs.
- Write learning outcomes, design assessments, craft activities, and develop content.
- Utilize best practices for using instructional technologies.
Feel free to contact us online to book an appointment!