FAQs for Instructors

What's changing?
The University of Alberta is known for innovation and a deep commitment to its students. In line with these values and as part of the Student Experience Action Plan, the university is investing in a Learning Management System (LMS) with Canvas to replace eClass , affecting most student-facing courses (excluding eClass External) by Fall 2025.
Why now?
To achieve the strategic vision of the future through the Student Experience Action Plan, immediate action is needed. Feedback from across the university community indicates that the current LMS is creating more challenges than positive impacts. With significant system outages, it’s clear that eClass has reached its limits.

Three key factors are driving the urgency of this change:
  • System reliability - too many instructors, students and support teams have been impacted by system outages and delayed software updates with the current learning management system.
  • Sustainability - heavy system maintenance needs are out of balance with the free cost of access. Additionally, the current learning management system cannot support a more modern teaching and learning experience with a wider range of design and delivery options.
  • Reputation - as a top-tier university, the U of A is the last of the English-language U15 institutions to upgrade to a more modern learning management system, which is an important factor in attracting and retaining people, including students.
Why switch if eClass is free?
eClass is an open-source learning management system that is free to access but costly to operate. While the U of A does not incur licensing costs for eClass, there are high costs for system hosting, support, custom development, additional features and plug-ins.
Moving to a vendor-supported LMS with Canvas allows the university to benefit from seamless software updates, always-on system reliability, 24/7 enhanced support, access to a large team of experts, and built-in development of new features, all integrated with on-campus support and IST operations. These are many of the same benefits that have contributed to the widespread adoption of a vendor-supported LMS approach across the U15.
What's not changing?
Two key aspects of the instructor experience are not changing with the switch to a new LMS with Canvas:
  • Same on-campus support with IST as the single point of contact during standard business hours for all LMS support needs (eClass or Canvas). Instructors will continue to be supported by those who know them and how the U of A operates. IST can help to connect instructors with the right 24/7 vendor support whenever needed.
  • Instructors have the freedom to choose a preferred pedagogical approach with a wider range of instructional tools in Canvas to design and deliver a modern learning experience.
Who's impacted by this change?
This is a university-wide change, meaning almost everyone may be impacted in some way. Across all groups who use eClass , instructors and students will be most impacted. IST will also be affected as they continue to be the first point of contact for all LMS support needs (Canvas and eClass) during and after the transition to a new vendor-supported LMS.
When is this change happening?
To minimize the disruption to people during this widespread change, the new Canvas LMS is being rolled out in three waves, starting with some courses in Fall 2024. This phased approach is more complex to deliver compared to a big change all at once, which reflects the U of A’s commitment to making the people experience the first priority on this change journey. Please see the Project Timeline for more details.
How are people being engaged during this change?
Activities such as town halls and drop-ins during various meetings began in September 2023. The U of A community, including students, have been involved in the selection of the vendor of the new LMS (Canvas), announced on February 26, 2024. Vendor demonstrations by the final list of RFP respondents were shared in December 2023, with sessions recorded for all Faculty/staff or students who were unable to attend. Feedback was gathered by December 2023 for consideration by the vendor selection team. As the project continues through 2025, we’re actively engaging with groups across our university communities. These groups include the General Faculties Council, Committee on the Learning Environment, Deans/Chairs Council, as well as the LMS Advisory group who represents the interests of instructors and students.

U of A community members are welcome to submit questions and ideas to the project team to help improve the transition experience of the new Learning Management System. Please email us at lmsproject@ualberta.ca.
How will existing content and data be moved to the new LMS?
In Wave 2, our Canvas vendor partner will migrate courses from eClass to Canvas to minimize manual work in the new LMS. By November 2024, the last two years of eClass catalogue courses will be waiting in Canvas with simple activation checklists for instructors.
Will all of my previous work in eClass go away or be deleted?
No. Given the complexities of such a large transition, the U of A is running both Canvas and eClass in parallel for the first two years. By Fall 2025, eClass will be placed in read-only mode for all credit and non-credit catalogue courses. This sunset strategy allows for a three-stage transition to the new normal with Canvas. Once course creators are onboarded into Canvas, they will effectively stop creating new content in eClass. However, instructors will still have access to their course content in eClass (read-only) under the current archive policy.
How will instructors be supported with moving their courses to the new LMS?
Instructors will have the same on-campus support with IST as their single point of contact during standard business hours for all LMS support needs (eClass or Canvas). Throughout the process, IST can help instructors access 24/7 vendor support.
What learning opportunities will be available to help instructors transition to Canvas?
Getting instructors ready to use Canvas is the top priority. Instructors are encouraged to view the Canvas Sessions. In-person and virtual Canvas Learning Opportunities will be available before Wave 2 (Winter 2024 term) and Wave 3 (Fall 2025 term).
When can instructors start creating courses?
Instructors can begin developing content in their sandbox, regardless of which wave their courses will launch. Guidelines include how to request additional sandboxes for any other course construction requirements. For early adopters, content created in sandboxes for Fall 2024 credit courses can be transferred to live courses after July 1, 2024.
Can I use Canvas to create co-curricular learning opportunities?
Yes! Faculty and staff who create co-curricular learning opportunities can stage courses in their Canvas sandbox. Co-curricular learning opportunities are for internal audiences, require a CCID to enroll, and do not require payment. Examples of co-curricular learning opportunities include: training needed for a cohort of students, student pre-laboratory access training, internal faculty and staff training and professional development.
How do I login to Canvas?
Go to the U of A's Canvas page and enter your U of A CCID and password to login to the Canvas web app.
How do I download the Canvas Teacher mobile app?
If you wish to use the Canvas Teacher mobile app on your phone or tablet, follow these iOS or Android instructions. Login with your U of A CCID.
Where can I find on-demand help for using Canvas?
Once you login at the U of A's Canvas page with your U of A CCID, select Resources from the left menu to see a list of learning and support links. If you're using the Canvas mobile app, tap the top left menu to find Resources and tap again to view the full list.