Since last fall, DU’s Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) has been transitioning the University’s Learning Management System from Blackboard to Canvas, by the end of the school year, according to Instructional Designer for OTL Terri Johnson, Blackboard will be a thing of the past.

“June 20 is the final day that Blackboard will be available to students and faculty,” Johnson said.

Johnson was recently hired as an Instructional Designer for OTL to assist in Canvas support as the transition takes place.

“[Johnson] is doing a great job,” said Alexander Karklins, the Instructional Technologist at OTL. “It’s good to have as many people as we can to help faculty and students make the transition to canvas.”

OTL is also working to make the transition as easy as possible for both faculty and students.

“To support the transition, the Office of Teaching and Learning will offer workshops, open labs and one-on-one consultations,” reported the OTL on its website.

The transition itself is coming along nicely, according to Johnson. Many courses are starting to use Canvas over Blackboard, making the transition easier.
“We are very happy with how the transition is going so far,” said Johnson. “77-percent of courses using a Learning Management System this winter quarter are using Canvas rather than Blackboard. The Office of Teaching and Learning will continue to offer workshops on using Canvas as we fully transition.”

The transition has also been made easier for both faculty and students because of the program itself, according to Johnson.

“We have not had many issues with bugs in Canvas,” she said.
However, if any issues do arise, Johnson said the Canvas support team is happy to help resolve the problem.

“If there are any issues, Canvas support has been incredibly helpful,” said Johnson. “They are available 24/7 via email, chat and phone.”

Anyone seeking help in Canvas can click on the ‘Help’ link located on the top right of the webpage once are logged into Canvas.