ITSS Expanded Educational Technology Drop-in Session Schedule
ITSS educational technologists will be extending our regular drop-in session schedule through May 17 to assist faculty and instructing staff with Spring 2018 semester wrap-up and Fall 2018 course planning.
- Mondays from 3 to 4 p.m.
- Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Wednesdays from 9 to 10 a.m.
- Thursdays from 2 to 3 p.m.
We are also adding two drop-in sessions to provide assistance with final gradebook preparations in addition to semester wrap-up and fall course planning. Representatives from the Registrar's office will be available to assist with final grade (MyU/Peoplesoft) submission.
- Friday, May 4 from 9 to 11 a.m.
- Monday, May 7 from 12 to 2 p.m.
Final grades are due Wednesday, May 9.
All sessions will be held in Kirby Plaza 175. No registration is required for any of the drop-in sessions.
Can't make a session? Educational technologists are available throughout the year to assist faculty and instructing staff. Email [email protected] to schedule a consultation.
Office of Information Technology (OIT) Survey Requests
Accessing Moodle after Summer 2019 (Survey)
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is gathering information about how faculty may need to access Moodle course sites (use cases) after UMN fully transitions to Canvas (Fall 2019). Currently, the Moodle Lifecycle process retains course sites in their original form for five (5) years after the end of the academic year. We are investigating options to ensure that those who need Moodle content have access for the remainder of the life cycle. Please complete the Moodle Needs Survey to help the identify any additional needs that have not been considered during this sunset (retirement) process.
Proctorio (Survey)
If you used Proctorio this semester please consider filling out a short 4 question Proctorio Evaluation Survey about your experience. Survey results will be used to determine whether to renew for another year.
Canvas News
UMD Moodle to Canvas Transition
Transition Dashboard
We are quickly approaching the end of the first academic year of the Canvas transition. UMD educational technologists have been meeting with departments since last fall to discuss transition planning and migration support and resources. To date, we have met with 24 departments. This spring Academic Technology Support Services (ATSS) is providing Moodle to Canvas migration assistance for 194 May/Summer/Fall 2018 courses. See collegiate breakdown and more on the UMD LMS Transition Dashboard.
May/Summer/Fall 2018 Course Migration Update
The timeline for requesting ATSS course migration assistance for courses being taught May/Summer/Fall 2018 ran February 5 to February 13 with migration work occurring through April 30 (see table for details). Migration assistance for Spring 2019 courses will be announced and scheduled during the Fall 2018 term.
| Action | May 2018 Courses | Summer 2018 Courses | Fall 2018 Courses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Request form opens | February 5, 2018 | February 5, 2018 | February 5, 2018 |
| Course migration work by ATSS begins | February 13, 2018 | February 13, 2018 | February 13, 2018 |
| Request form closes | March 2, 2018 by 12 p.m. (Noon) | March 2, 2018 by 12 p.m. (Noon) | March 2, 2018 by 12 p.m. (Noon) |
| Migrated course available to instructor on or before | April 2, 2018 | April 16, 2018 | April 30, 2018 |
Canvas Course Site Provisioning
Instructors do not need to request Canvas course sites each semester, like they do with Moodle, but instructors will need to import their Canvas content each semester. Auto-generation of unpublished Canvas course sites for upcoming terms will take place on the following dates each year:
- Fall term: April 16
- Spring term: August 1
- Summer term (including May term): January 3
Note: Students are auto-enrolled into Canvas course sites (tied to PeopleSoft) towards the beginning of a term. Course sites will not be visible to enrolled students until the site is published. Once students are added to course sites, class rosters will be updated every 10 minutes.
The full Canvas Site Provisioning and Enrollment Calendar Schedule is available.
Unused Canvas Course Site Removal Process
Five months before each semester begins, unpublished placeholder course sites are automatically generated based on the upcoming semesters' PeopleSoft course data. These course sites will automatically appear on the Canvas dashboard of the primary or secondary instructor, and TA(s) as assigned in PeopleSoft. In an effort to keep the growing number of course sites organized for instructors and support staff, any unused site will be removed roughly one month after the conclusion of each semester. UMN defines unused course sites as being unpublished AND without any of the of the following content in the site:
- Announcements
- Discussions
- Files
- Modules
- Pages
- Quizzes
Canvas Training and Support
Basic Canvas offerings Continue; Advanced Topics in May
Academic Technology - OIT (AT-OIT) continues to offer online and in-person events to get new users familiar with Canvas basics. Visit UMN Canvas Events and Training for the latest scheduled offerings. While those sessions will continue, AT-OIT is partnering with User Experience Support to create a broader roadmap for online and blended training. A survey of the AT community in February identified a range of training topics of interest. Dates will be announced soon; expect to see the first series of topics in May.
Canvas Vendor Support Ends June 30, 2018
In order to ensure a smooth start to our first year of transition to Canvas, UMN chose to add Instructure's Tier 1 support offering. That included 24/7 access to their live phone and chat support, as well as a separate support offering that provided access their synchronous training. As planned, both of these contracts will expire on June 30, 2018. At that time, support and training will fully move to UMN's central training team and help desk. Help information and links within Canvas will connect or direct users to our local support instead of Instructure.