Beginning of Semester Reminders – Spring 2026
Greetings Faculty and Staff,
We hope you had an outstanding winter break! Below are some reminders that will help get your semester off to a great start. For questions, email [email protected].
Canvas Login
Login to Canvas using the Canvas Login Portal page at http://go.vcu.edu/canvas.
Upcoming Course Deletions
Courses older than 5 years will be permanently deleted on June 01, 2026, as we begin our first round of purging courses that have aged out of the records keeping window.
In order to avoid breaking any course imports for future semesters, we recommend using the Export/Import workflow for transferring your course content from a former course to the next. You also have the option to transfer this content (via Export/Import) to a Primary Course Template using the Canvas Course Creation Tool.
Note: All Canvas 3rd Party Tools have unique functionality; course copy behavior may vary. If you are copying a course with embedded VoiceThreads, those entries should duplicate seamlessly. If you do run into trouble, email [email protected].
Course or Section Cross-Listing
Learning Systems has developed a custom merge tool to simplify course management for instructors offering multiple sections of the same course. The tool enhances student clarity by providing a clear, custom name for the merged parent course.
Visit the Cross-Listing Course Sections page or watch the Cross-Listing in Canvas video for things you need to know before cross-listing, cross-listing instructions, including “How to Perform a Custom Cross-List (Merge) of your Courses,” best practices, and FERPA Compliance.
Do not manually enroll students in courses; doing so may result in your student(s) being unenrolled each time the automated system enrollment file runs, potentially causing a loss of student activity in your course.
Syllabus Requirements
Virginia Commonwealth University values clear and timely communication to students regarding course structure and expectations through the creation of a syllabus. This policy requires all instructors to make available to students syllabi that contain specific information required for student success. This policy stipulates common components of syllabi at VCU, applicable to all courses. Visit the How to Use the Syllabus page for further instructions on how to set up your “Syllabus” page in Canvas.
Publishing and Unpublishing Courses
A course will be visible to students once it has been published by the instructor.
Publishing a course means it is available to students and can now be accessed from their Canvas dashboard. Here, you can find more information on how to Publish and Unpublish a Canvas Course.
Canvas 3rd Party Tools
Canvas 3rd Party Tool changes will soon take place during the upcoming change window. A timeline, deadlines, and a list of all in-progress requests can be found on the Request a Canvas 3rd Party Tool page, as well as, with what is needed from the requestor, the vendor, and more.
Visit Canvas 3rd Party Tools to learn more about these tools and see a list of those already installed.
Note: The Canvas 3rd Party Tool Request Form, including both the requester and vendor sections, must be completed 6 weeks before the upcoming change window.
In case you missed it…
- Differentiation Tags: Differentiation Tags is a Canvas feature that allows instructors to create custom sets of students within a course. These sets are hidden from students and can be used for various organizational and instructional purposes.
- Canvas Badging: The free version of Canvas Badging phased out on December 31, 2025. There are no other free versions currently available.
- Möbius has replaced Lon-Capa.
- Discussion Checkpoints: This is a feature that allows you to assess student engagement by enabling multiple due dates and reply requirements within a discussion assignment.
- Canvas Course Creation Tool: We released a new tool that allows you to generate a course shell independently. These shells are designed for purposes such as testing Canvas features (Sandbox), developing and delivering training (Training), or maintaining master copies of course content (Primary Course Templates).
Spring 2026 Training Opportunities
Upcoming Training Opportunities
For upcoming training hosted by Learning Systems, you can register at www.training.vcu.edu. (Keyword: Canvas, Kaltura, or Mobius)
Individual or Group Faculty Training
Faculty can request individual or group/departmental training by clicking on the “Request a Virtual Training Session” button on the Learning Systems website.
This training is intended for faculty who want to learn how to use the instructional tools supported by Learning Systems (i.e., Canvas and Kaltura).
For pedagogical guidance, instructors are encouraged to reach out to Academic Affairs.
Training Recordings
We hope that you were able to participate in the training opportunities previously offered. If not, you can catch up via the recorded training sessions largely led by Learning Systems’ Learning Support Specialist, Jon Reed, and some in partnership with the Academic Affairs instructional design team.
Visit the Learning Systems Academy for a library of short videos on topics ranging from beginner Canvas to using Kaltura.
Academic Integrity Concerns
In the case that a faculty member requests a Course Access Report or other Canvas administrator-level report to address a suspected academic misconduct issue, the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity (SCAI) has provided the following guidance:
The VCU Honor System & Standards of Academic Conduct states that Faculty “must report suspected violations to SCAI as provided in the policy.” (III.2) To initiate this report for use in an academic integrity violation, we would need to receive the request from VCU Student Conduct & Academic Integrity. You can report this suspicion of an honor violation to SCAI using the Honor System and Standards of Academic Conduct Reporting Form.
Requests for administrator-level reports will come directly from the SCAI office.
For all other guidelines and procedures, please see http://go.vcu.edu/lsprocedures.
Academic Technologies Website
Here you can find an overview of Academic Technologies, as well as information about the support and other instructional technologies offered to faculty by our team using the Instructional Technologies Toolkit.
Categories Beginning of Semester, Canvas, Teaching with Technology, VCU Academic Notices