Fall Course Shells Now Available in Canvas

July 18, 2022

Fall 2022 course shells are now available in Canvas in an unpublished state. Once you publish your course, it will be available to students in a Read Only state until the first day of the term.

COURSE MERGE DEADLINES

August 17 (11:59 PM) - Deadline to merge course sections through the self-service feature in ORCA

August 19 (5:00 PM) - Deadline to merge course sections through the Office for Academic Innovation

Due to a potential loss of student data, no exceptions will be made for the August 19 deadline.

ORCA’s Self-Service Features are Designed to Assist with Your Course Management

Combine course sections ahead of the start of the term

Add others to your course in any of the five course associate roles (TA, Lead TA, Grader, Grade Submitter, and Designer)

Confirm the status of training requirements for course associate roles

Request a duplicate Canvas Shell for sections that need two sets of content

Log into ORCA to get started!

SET UP YOUR GRADEBOOK IN CANVAS

As you move your content from one course shell to the next in Canvas, we recommend reviewing your gradebook setup and aligning it with your syllabus for the new semester. Gradebook setup is crucial for ensuring grades display accurately for students during the Final Grade submission window. Visit our Start-of-Semester Checklist for more information.

BLACKBOARD ARCHIVE GOING AWAY 8/31/2022

Spring and Summer 2021 courses will be deleted from the Blackboard Archive in late August 2022, consistent with TAMU System records and retention policies. The Blackboard Archive system will be decommissioned on 8/31/2022. The last day to request access to the system will be 8/22/2022.

SAVE THE DATE!

Mark your calendars to join the Digital Learning Expo, a three-day experience August 17-19!

We are convening the Texas A&M teaching and learning community to explore creative and trending topics as we gear up for the Fall 2022 semester. We will be partnering with Schools and Colleges at TAMU to highlight best practices in online and hybrid learning design; generate ideas to maximize leaner engagement; and explore how our digital learning environment can support all that you do in pursuit of the teaching and learning mission at Texas A&M University.

The Digital Learning Expo will be a combination of faculty presentations, panel discussions, and training opportunities. While this event will spotlight the digital learning environment, we invite all course instructors, teaching assistants, and staff who support teaching and learning to attend.

Stay tuned for more details!

Third Party Tool Update

We have made significant shifts in the structure of Canvas as a result of the Path Forward. We have worked over the summer in close collaboration with Academic Liaisons and School/College leadership to minimize disruptions with access to third-party tools and support. We have applied the majority of these shifts to Canvas in preparion for the Fall 2022 semester; however, there is a possibility that some third-party tools may have been missed based on the evolving landscape of these changes.

If a tool you used to have access to is no longer available in your Fall 2022 course shell, we ask that you contact your Academic Liaison so they may connect with us on next steps. We apologize for any disruption this may create and appreciate your understanding as we all work towards ensuring the digital learning environment is up to date to meet the needs of Texas A&M faculty and students.