Summer 2026 Start of the Semester Faculty

Welcome to the start of the Summer 2026 semester! We encourage you to follow the steps below to help you set up your course in Canvas. 

1. Merge course sections

Combine course sections via ORCA by May 21^st, 11:59 p.m. (for main terms). After May 25th, course sections will not be merged due to the potential loss of student data. 

2. Assign course roles

Verify all users enrolled in a course associate role have completed FERPA and Information Security Awareness training in TrainTraq.  

3. Access Canvas

Use your Texas A&M NetID and password to sign into the technologies that comprise Texas A&M University’s digital learning environment. 

4. Set up your course

Leverage our Start of Semester Checklist to set up your course in Canvas to enhance your students' experience.

5. Participate in the Observer Program for Athletics

Opt-in to the program beginning May 30th, 5:00 PM if you have a student-athlete enrolled in your course.  

Additional Resources

Changes in ORCA

• Development Shell Requests: Instructors, Academic Liaisons, and College/School Managers with ORCA access can now request development shells for active terms through ORCA directly. This feature is available on the ORCA home pageunder Auxiliary Courses. More information is available on the LMS website.
• Community Management: end date management was improved to support ADA Title II digital accessibility guidelines, and community/section reports were added to make it easier to identify and manage enrollments.
• Course Associate Enrollments: a new bulk enrollment upload option has been added under the Semester Courses menu in both the Enrollments tab and when editing courses under View Semester Courses. You will need to use the provided template from the Upload Enrollments Note: people can be added to multiple courses through the Enrollments tab, but only into the selected course when editing under View Semester Courses. Additionally, an enrollment processing timeframe was added to both for clarity.
• Required Training: course associate roles now show the following required training statuses: Ready, Training Required: 3001 – Information Security Awareness and/or 11012 – FERPA. Training notification emails have also been revised for clarity and communication will be sent one day prior to inactivation in addition to the existing 60-/30-day notifications.
• Incomplete Sections: A new notification has been created to remind Instructors of Record (IoR) about upcoming end dates at two-/one-week and one-day timeframes.

University-Wide Tools in Canvas

• Simple Syllabus: Based on faculty feedback from the fall 2025 semester pilot of Simple Syllabus and a review of all components, a few changes were made to the Spring 2026 Simple Syllabus template. Please contact Kelley Shaffer with any questions or concerns. The LMS website Simple Syllabus page includes resources for getting started with the tool as well as recommendations related to the Syllabus button provided in the spring 2026 Canvas templates and a schedule of training sessions the weeks of 1/5/26 and 1/12/26.
• Cidi Labs TidyUp: This tool offers instructors and course designers a streamlined way to clean up duplicate files and pages within their courses. It will be available at some point during the spring semester.
• Centrally-Supported/Funded Tools: Texas A&M University supports the teaching and learning mission through the integration of centrally-supported/-funded technologies that are available to all users within Canvas. By leveraging these tools, faculty can reduce burdens for students including financial costs, external logins, and time spent learning new tools in addition to their coursework. The LMS website provides resources for these tools, and the LMS support teams and partners also offer various training and professional development sessions throughout the year.
  
  Colleges and schools may request additional tools that are supported by the requestor and/or vendors. Although some tools may be paid for by colleges/schools/departments, other tools may have additional direct costs for students. To learn more, explore the LMS Tool Filter which includes a fee-incursion chart as well as options to filter tools that m1248 TAMU Texas A&M University | College Station, TX 77843-1248 US ay have an extra cost.

Support Channels

For technical assistance with Canvas, use the support options available to all faculty, teaching staff and students.

Watch On-Demand Videos

Browse the Gradebook in Canvas video playlist or What Grade Would Your Canvas Gradebook Earn for effective strategies in maximizing your teaching experience.

Teaching and Learning with Canvas

For questions about teaching with Canvas, contact the Center for Teaching Excellence to schedule a training or individual consultation. 

We are excited to work with you as the fall semester approaches. As always, please visit our support channels for all your digital learning needs. We hope you have a great semester!

You are receiving this official university correspondence, sent on behalf of Texas A&M University Center for Teaching Excellence, because you are either an incoming, current or former student, affiliate, staff or faculty member of Texas A&M University.