Learning Management System (LMS) - Canvas - UNO

Canvas (by Instructure) is a cloud-based learning management system (LMS) that is currently used by more than 700 colleges and universities around the world. Canvas is the LMS at all four of the University of Nebraska campuses (UNK, UNL, UNMC, UNO).

Canvas provides a set of tools focused on improving teaching and learning through a modern interface, and the ability to extend the platform to outside tools and systems.

Important Canvas Procedures

1. Course and enrollments are created in Canvas based on the information in MavLink.  Roster and courses are updated 3 times a day. Canvas is populated with upcoming semester courses on the following schedule:
   • Fall Semester - April 1st
   • Spring Semester - October 15th
   • Summer Semester - March 1st
2. Past courses will be kept within Canvas for at least 10 semesters. If this procedure needs to be altered Information Technology Services will partner with Faculty Senate before any changes are made. This procedure was put into place due to Federal Financial Aid rules.
    
3. A few weeks after each semester is over, students will only have read access to a course. Students will no longer find courses on the Dashboard. Students and instructors will need to look within the Courses icon under past enrollments.
    
4. Incompletes: If a student has an incomplete and needs access to one of the courses they were enrolled, the instructor of record can extent access for that student by using the UNO Canvas Utilities pages, found in the help section within Canvas.
    
5. There is a Federal Law on documenting student activity in course if student receives financial aid and then drops the course. The UNO Financial Aid office will contact the instructor of record to complete a form. The student becomes inactive within Canvas when they drop the course, but teachers in the course can go back and check activity on this student. The steps in Canvas are:
   1. Select People.
   2. Find the student in the list that has the Inactive button.
   3. Select the vertical ellipses on the inactive student and the select User Details.
   4. A new screen appears and select User Activity and Student Grades.

Canvas provided:

• Student guides and resources
• Faculty guides and resources

Support/Training Information: 

Login to Canvas, go to “Help” in the left side navigation pane, locate your campus support or training information.