[{"id":5753,"date":"2026-04-02T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/?p=5753"},"modified":"2026-04-01T10:16:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:16:43","slug":"voicethread-training-april-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/2026\/04\/02\/voicethread-training-april-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"VoiceThread Training &#8211; April 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Join VoiceThread&nbsp;for their&nbsp;free&nbsp;workshops! If you are new to VoiceThread or just want some new ideas, this interactive and hands-on explorations is just what you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All sessions&nbsp;are led by VoiceThread\u2019s instructional designer and online educator, George Haines, who will share his expertise to help you get the most from VoiceThread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Using\u00a0VoiceThread\u00a0in Canvas: Part 1- non-graded uses<\/strong> &#8211; <em><strong>April 7 at 1:00pm <\/strong><\/em>&#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/voicethread.cmail20.com\/t\/y-l-aihiltd-ijujhlyhjt-i\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Register<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is for educators who use&nbsp;VoiceThread&nbsp;in Canvas. In this hands-on workshop, you will get to practice creating the two basic non-graded links: VT Home and Individual VT. We will review examples of non-graded uses like lecture delivery, discussion boards, class introductions, syllabus review, and virtual office hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Using\u00a0VoiceThread\u00a0in Canvas: Part 2- Graded Assignments and Rubrics<\/strong> &#8211; <em><strong>April 21 at 1:00pm<\/strong><\/em> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/voicethread.cmail20.com\/t\/y-l-aihiltd-ijujhlyhjt-h\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Register<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is for educators who use&nbsp;VoiceThread&nbsp;in Canvas. In this hands-on workshop, you will get to practice creating assignments through&nbsp;VoiceThread&#8217;s Assignment Builder. We will work on the new &#8220;Stacked Assignments&#8221;, along with the standard Create and Comment assignments. You will see how students submit assignments, and we will review the Instructor&#8217;s grading interface, including the new rubric interface.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Join VoiceThread&nbsp;for their&nbsp;free&nbsp;workshops! If you are new to VoiceThread or just want some new ideas, this interactive and hands-on explorations is just what you need. All sessions&nbsp;are led by VoiceThread\u2019s instructional designer and online educator, George Haines, who will share his expertise to help you get the most from VoiceThread. Using\u00a0VoiceThread\u00a0in Canvas: Part 1- non-graded [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":574,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,80,90,56,81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faculty","category-online-teaching-and-development","category-teaching-with-technology","category-voicethread","category-workshops-and-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/574"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5753\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":5752,"date":"2026-04-02T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/?p=5752"},"modified":"2026-04-01T10:07:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:07:32","slug":"respondus-training-april-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/2026\/04\/02\/respondus-training-april-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Respondus Training &#8211; April 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Join these expert-led training to learn best practices and get your questions answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Protect the Integrity of Online Tests&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Learn about our newer features, like using a second camera for greater control over the level of exam security, switching to Excel and Word during online exams, and exams that only use screen recording (no webcams).<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Dates: April 9, 16, 21, 29<br><a href=\"https:\/\/go.respondus.com\/e\/710093\/webinars-\/49k88g\/1519773121\/h\/5SCXyXreEGYyRUfRr6eVMblFhOXj69YkM7ahYwThzoU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">REGISTER<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>Respondus 4 and the Test Bank Network: Quickly Create Online Exams<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Find out how Respondus 4 allows you to create and manage exams that can be printed to paper or published directly to your LMS, and how the Test Bank Network enables instructors to create online tests from official publisher test banks.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Date: April 14\u00a0@ 12 pm<br><a href=\"https:\/\/go.respondus.com\/e\/710093\/-register-2883445508232081753\/49k88n\/1519773121\/h\/5SCXyXreEGYyRUfRr6eVMblFhOXj69YkM7ahYwThzoU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">REGISTER<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Join these expert-led training to learn best practices and get your questions answered. LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Protect the Integrity of Online Tests&nbsp;&nbsp; Learn about our newer features, like using a second camera for greater control over the level of exam security, switching to Excel and Word during online exams, and exams that only [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":574,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,80,41,42,90,81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faculty","category-online-teaching-and-development","category-quizzesassessments","category-respondus","category-teaching-with-technology","category-workshops-and-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/574"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5752\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":5747,"date":"2026-03-05T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/?p=5747"},"modified":"2026-03-04T13:27:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T18:27:16","slug":"voicethread-training-march-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/2026\/03\/05\/voicethread-training-march-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"VoiceThread Training &#8211; March 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Join VoiceThread&nbsp;for their&nbsp;free&nbsp;workshops! If you are new to VoiceThread or just want some new ideas, this interactive and hands-on explorations is just what you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All sessions&nbsp;are led by VoiceThread\u2019s instructional designer and online educator, George Haines, who will share his expertise to help you get the most from VoiceThread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>VoiceThread\u00a0Assignments in your LMS<\/strong> &#8211; <em><strong>March 17, 1:00pm ET<\/strong><\/em> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/voicethread.cmail20.com\/t\/y-l-ajttkjd-ijujhlyhjt-h\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Register<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this hands-on workshop, you will get to practice creating assignments through&nbsp;VoiceThread&#8217;s Assignment Builder. We will work on the new &#8220;Stacked Assignments&#8221;, along with the standard Create and Comment assignments. You will see how students submit assignments, and we will review the Instructor&#8217;s grading interface as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>VoiceThread\u00a0Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)<\/strong> &#8211; <em><strong>March 24 at 1:00pm ET<\/strong><\/em> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/voicethread.cmail20.com\/t\/y-l-ajttkjd-ijujhlyhjt-k\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Register<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Participants will learn how VoiceThread can help educators provide multiple means of engagement, representation, action and expression for their courses. We will review all of VoiceThread\u2019s accessibility features, including: closed captioning, automatic alt-text, video comments for ASL, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Join VoiceThread&nbsp;for their&nbsp;free&nbsp;workshops! If you are new to VoiceThread or just want some new ideas, this interactive and hands-on explorations is just what you need. All sessions&nbsp;are led by VoiceThread\u2019s instructional designer and online educator, George Haines, who will share his expertise to help you get the most from VoiceThread. VoiceThread\u00a0Assignments in your LMS &#8211; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":574,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,80,90,56,81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faculty","category-online-teaching-and-development","category-teaching-with-technology","category-voicethread","category-workshops-and-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/574"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5747\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":5746,"date":"2026-03-05T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/?p=5746"},"modified":"2026-03-04T13:28:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T18:28:53","slug":"respondus-training-march-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/2026\/03\/05\/respondus-training-march-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Respondus Training &#8211; March 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Join these expert-led training to learn best practices and get your questions answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Protect the Integrity of Online Tests&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Learn about our newer features like switching to Excel and Word during online exams, exams that only use screen recording (no webcams), or using a second camera for greater control over the level of exam security.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Dates: March 12, 18, 25&nbsp;<br><a href=\"https:\/\/go.respondus.com\/e\/710093\/webinars-\/48ymn7\/1508675424\/h\/iwLl8CNFcHsHmBDISs3vpJeiqkPbe7sdFvxZwUu1Hqw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">REGISTER<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>Respondus 4 and the Test Bank Network: Quickly Create Online Exams<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Find out how Respondus 4 allows you to create and manage exams that can be printed to paper or published directly to your LMS, and how the Test Bank Network enables instructors to create online tests from official publisher test banks.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Date: March 17<br><a href=\"https:\/\/go.respondus.com\/e\/710093\/register-4193629060320314461\/48ymnf\/1508675424\/h\/iwLl8CNFcHsHmBDISs3vpJeiqkPbe7sdFvxZwUu1Hqw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">REGISTER<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Join these expert-led training to learn best practices and get your questions answered. LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor: Protect the Integrity of Online Tests&nbsp;&nbsp; Learn about our newer features like switching to Excel and Word during online exams, exams that only use screen recording (no webcams), or using a second camera for greater control over [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":574,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,80,41,42,90,81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faculty","category-online-teaching-and-development","category-quizzesassessments","category-respondus","category-teaching-with-technology","category-workshops-and-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/574"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5746\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":5731,"date":"2026-03-03T14:26:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T19:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/?p=5731"},"modified":"2026-03-03T14:26:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T19:26:27","slug":"canvas-feature-updates-february-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/2026\/03\/03\/canvas-feature-updates-february-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Canvas Feature Updates &#8211; February 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"course-settings\">Course Settings &#8211; Cross-listing Updated to InstUI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Production Environment Availability: 2\/25\/2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cross-list modal is updated to use React and InstUI. Functionality remains unchanged, but there are minor visual updates to improve consistency. These cosmetic changes, such as field styling or borders, do not affect how the modal works. This update gives the Cross-list form a cleaner, more consistent look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cross-List Section modal displays minor visual updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"847\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-4e7c6fe2508568-dbf2-847x1024.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-4e7c6fe2508568-dbf2-847x1024.avif 847w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-4e7c6fe2508568-dbf2-248x300.avif 248w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-4e7c6fe2508568-dbf2-768x929.avif 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-4e7c6fe2508568-dbf2.avif 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 847px) 100vw, 847px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"navigation\">Navigation &#8211; Improved Course Navigation Drag-and-Drop<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Production Environment Availability: 2\/25\/2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The course navigation page is updated to the latest coding patterns in React and TypeScript. Changes include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dragged items are highlighted with a blue fill and border instead of gray, consistent with keyboard-based reordering.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Items can be reordered using the keyboard: select an item, press Space to start moving it, use the Up\/Down arrows to reposition, and press Space again to drop it or Esc to cancel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While dragging with the keyboard, Tab and Shift+Tab do not change the selection. Only one item can be moved at a time, so this does not affect functionality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This update improves visual clarity and keyboard accessibility, making it easier and more predictable to reorder items and manage course navigation efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Course Navigation tab, dragged items are highlighted with a blue fill and border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"779\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-6b53e153c834f8-5b5a-1024x779.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5743\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-6b53e153c834f8-5b5a-1024x779.avif 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-6b53e153c834f8-5b5a-300x228.avif 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-6b53e153c834f8-5b5a-768x584.avif 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-6b53e153c834f8-5b5a.avif 1160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Course Settings &#8211; Cross-listing Updated to InstUI Production Environment Availability: 2\/25\/2026 The Cross-list modal is updated to use React and InstUI. Functionality remains unchanged, but there are minor visual updates to improve consistency. These cosmetic changes, such as field styling or borders, do not affect how the modal works. This update gives the Cross-list form [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1342,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[104,105],"class_list":["post-5731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-canvas","tag-canvas","tag-feature-update"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1342"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5731\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":5730,"date":"2026-03-02T15:37:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T20:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/?p=5730"},"modified":"2026-03-02T15:37:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T20:37:41","slug":"canvas-feature-updates-january-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/2026\/03\/02\/canvas-feature-updates-january-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Canvas Feature Updates &#8211; January 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"blueprint-courses\">Blueprint Courses &#8211; Direct Link to Courses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Production Environment Availability: 1\/14\/2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Blueprint Associations modal, a direct link to associated courses is added. This update allows users to navigate directly to the associated courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click the desired course link to access the course directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"460\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a23bd458bd8d-4445-1024x460.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5732\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a23bd458bd8d-4445-1024x460.avif 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a23bd458bd8d-4445-300x135.avif 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a23bd458bd8d-4445-768x345.avif 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a23bd458bd8d-4445.avif 1504w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"speedgrader\">SpeedGrader &#8211; Performance and Usability Upgrades for SpeedGrader Feature Preview is Concluded<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Production Environment Availability: 1\/17\/2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Performance and Usability Upgrades for SpeedGrader feature is no longer in feature preview, and the feature option is enabled by default for all institutions, but can still be disabled if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This feature provides foundational improvements to SpeedGrader&#8217;s backend, delivering faster load times and enhanced stability. Additional updates include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A streamlined interface for the Section drop-down menu.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A clearer, more prominent No Submission alert.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An improved interface for courses without content.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Submission Status updated to a drop-down menu.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rubrics automatically display in the traditional view.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Media attachments and submission comments are repositioned, and the delete icon has been updated.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A Comment Library filter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Support for moderated grading<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Assignment Comment Editor supports images, math, and course links.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A Multi-Select Sections filter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This feature enhances performance for a faster, smoother experience for users handling larger courses or complex assignments. Upgrading the backend technology improves SpeedGrader&#8217;s ability to manage high-demand tasks more efficiently and reliably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Sections drop-down menu is redesigned for a more streamlined and user-friendly interface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"571\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a528a457c9f5f8-6f30-1024x571.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5733\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a528a457c9f5f8-6f30-1024x571.avif 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a528a457c9f5f8-6f30-300x167.avif 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a528a457c9f5f8-6f30-768x428.avif 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a528a457c9f5f8-6f30.avif 1048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The No submission alert is enhanced for better visibility and clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"595\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-1f329c3b7c9288-9bc0-1024x595.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5734\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-1f329c3b7c9288-9bc0-1024x595.avif 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-1f329c3b7c9288-9bc0-300x174.avif 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-1f329c3b7c9288-9bc0-768x446.avif 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-1f329c3b7c9288-9bc0-1536x893.avif 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-1f329c3b7c9288-9bc0.avif 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Courses without content display a streamlined interface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-e95419846639f-d004-1024x399.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-e95419846639f-d004-1024x399.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-e95419846639f-d004-300x117.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-e95419846639f-d004-768x300.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-e95419846639f-d004.png 1164w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Instructors can edit the submission status using the updated Status drop-down menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"926\" height=\"710\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-6e977a667d9c7-e79b.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5736\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-6e977a667d9c7-e79b.avif 926w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-6e977a667d9c7-e79b-300x230.avif 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-6e977a667d9c7-e79b-768x589.avif 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 926px) 100vw, 926px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Rubrics automatically display in the traditional view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"556\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a27f37dd72efb-41e7-1024x556.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5737\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a27f37dd72efb-41e7-1024x556.avif 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a27f37dd72efb-41e7-300x163.avif 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a27f37dd72efb-41e7-768x417.avif 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a27f37dd72efb-41e7-1536x833.avif 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-a27f37dd72efb-41e7.avif 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"courses\">Courses &#8211; Concluded Courses and Blueprint Associations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Production Environment Availability: 1\/28\/2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Courses that are associated with a Blueprint display a Concluded status pill. This update improves transparency for Blueprint associations by clearly identifying concluded courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Concluded status pill displays when a concluded course is associated with a Blueprint course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-fad09597751138-fa5c-1024x412.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5738\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-fad09597751138-fa5c-1024x412.avif 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-fad09597751138-fa5c-300x121.avif 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-fad09597751138-fa5c-768x309.avif 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-fad09597751138-fa5c-1536x618.avif 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-fad09597751138-fa5c.avif 1540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"gradebook\">Gradebook &#8211; Gradebook Status Icons for Accessibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A View status for colorblindness<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>option is added to Gradebook Settings. When enabled, a symbol displays next to each status in the Gradebook to provide an additional visual indicator. This update improves accessibility by adding icon indicators to view status colors, making statuses easier to distinguish without relying on color alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Gradebook settings, click the\u00a0<strong>View status for colorblindness<\/strong>\u00a0checkbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"827\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-241752186eeaf-1e2c-827x1024.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5739\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-241752186eeaf-1e2c-827x1024.avif 827w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-241752186eeaf-1e2c-242x300.avif 242w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-241752186eeaf-1e2c-768x950.avif 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-241752186eeaf-1e2c.avif 1044w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 827px) 100vw, 827px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The gradebook status icons display in the gradebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"990\" height=\"922\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-573479d25cab7-825a.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5740\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-573479d25cab7-825a.avif 990w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-573479d25cab7-825a-300x279.avif 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-573479d25cab7-825a-768x715.avif 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 990px) 100vw, 990px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"eportfolios\">ePortfolios &#8211; Canvas Native ePortfolios Legacy Transition Updates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Production Environment Availability: 1\/28\/2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To improve clarity around ePortfolio options and support the transition to newer solutions, legacy indicators, in-product banners,added to Canvas native ePortfolios. <strong>Sunset Banner:\u00a0<\/strong>Canvas native ePortfolios display an in-product banner indicating that the product is planned to sunset on June 30, 2026. Users can export their ePortfolio content by following the instructions in the linked guide. <strong>Legacy Naming Indicator:\u00a0<\/strong>Canvas native ePortfolios are labeled as (Legacy), with the designation appended to the product name in the User Navigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This update helps users clearly understand which ePortfolio tools are legacy solutions, reduces confusion during the transition to newer offerings, and provides improved export options to support content retention and portability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The User Navigation includes a Legacy label [1], and a banner displays on the ePortfolio page [2].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-ee79b5fa320468-2a96-1024x412.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5741\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-ee79b5fa320468-2a96-1024x412.avif 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-ee79b5fa320468-2a96-300x121.avif 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-ee79b5fa320468-2a96-768x309.avif 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/03\/image-ee79b5fa320468-2a96.avif 1115w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Blueprint Courses &#8211; Direct Link to Courses Production Environment Availability: 1\/14\/2026 In the Blueprint Associations modal, a direct link to associated courses is added. This update allows users to navigate directly to the associated courses. Click the desired course link to access the course directly. SpeedGrader &#8211; Performance and Usability Upgrades for SpeedGrader Feature Preview [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1342,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[104,105],"class_list":["post-5730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-canvas","tag-canvas","tag-feature-update"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1342"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5730\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":5725,"date":"2026-02-09T11:41:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T16:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/?p=5725"},"modified":"2026-02-19T10:55:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T15:55:42","slug":"reminder-hard-deletes-and-upcoming-course-shells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/2026\/02\/09\/reminder-hard-deletes-and-upcoming-course-shells\/","title":{"rendered":"Reminder: Hard Deletes and Upcoming Course Shells"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Hard Deletes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a reminder that VCU Learning Management Systems will begin permanently deleting Canvas Courses that are 5 or more years old on June 1, 2026 to remain in compliance with the data retention policies of The Library of Virginia. For more information, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/guidelines--procedures\/records-management-policy--canvas-usage-at-vcu\/\">Records Management Policy &amp; Canvas Usage at VCU<\/a> page. Once these courses have been deleted, there will be no option for retrieval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now is the perfect time to start considering your next steps. We first announced this back in December, with recommendations to use the <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/canvas\/instructors\/building-your-canvas-course\/export-and-import-course-content\/export\/\">export<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/canvas\/instructors\/building-your-canvas-course\/export-and-import-course-content\/import\/\">import<\/a> workflow for moving course information from old courses into new shells. This helps keep courses more stable in the event that something that is copied, instead of imported, becomes obsolete or unavailable upon the deletion of its native course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Course Shells for the Upcoming Term(s):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Canvas course shells for upcoming terms will be released on the same day that registration opens. For details on semester registration dates, please refer to the <a href=\"https:\/\/academiccalendars.vcu.edu\/Default.aspx\">VCU Academic Calendar<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0The Summer 2026 course shells are projected to be accessible on February 10, 2026 and Fall 2026 course shells are projected to be accessible on March 23, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Course Exports\/Imports &amp; The Course Creation Tool: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is important to know that you should use the <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/canvas\/instructors\/building-your-canvas-course\/export-and-import-course-content\/export\/\">export<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/canvas\/instructors\/building-your-canvas-course\/export-and-import-course-content\/import\/\">import<\/a> workflow for moving course information from old courses into new shells. You can use our <a href=\"https:\/\/coursecreate.ts.vcu.edu\/\">non-academic course creation tool <\/a>to make a primary template to store course exports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Individual or Group Faculty Training:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An additional reminder that faculty can request individual or group\/departmental training by clicking on the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/training\/\"><strong>Request Training<\/strong><\/a>\u201d button on the Learning Systems website.<br><br>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 questions or concerns, email LSRequest@vcu.edu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hard Deletes: This is a reminder that VCU Learning Management Systems will begin permanently deleting Canvas Courses that are 5 or more years old on June 1, 2026 to remain in compliance with the data retention policies of The Library of Virginia. For more information, visit the Records Management Policy &amp; Canvas Usage at VCU [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2207,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,115,80,90],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-canvas","category-learning-with-technology","category-online-teaching-and-development","category-teaching-with-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5725\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":5716,"date":"2026-01-15T11:06:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/?p=5716"},"modified":"2026-01-15T11:06:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:06:53","slug":"canvas-feature-updates-december-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/2026\/01\/15\/canvas-feature-updates-december-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Canvas Feature Updates &#8211; December 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"modules\">Modules &#8211; Bulk Unpublish Supports Simple Published Files<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Production Environment Availability: 12\/3\/2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Files are unpublished through the Unpublish Module and All Items feature when in a simple published state with no other restrictions. Other availability states, such as scheduled availability or link-only, remain published. Previously, all files remained published regardless of their state. This update allows faster management of published files in bulk while preserving complex availability settings, reducing manual effort for content adjustments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Settings &#8211; Feature Options are Sortable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Production Environment Availability: 12\/3\/2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Users can sort feature options by feature, status or state. This update makes it easier for users to quickly find and manage feature options by allowing them to sort by feature name, status, or state, improving efficiency and reducing time spent navigating long lists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"116\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/image-db1f38b015d388-54af-1024x116.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5717\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/image-db1f38b015d388-54af-1024x116.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/image-db1f38b015d388-54af-300x34.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/image-db1f38b015d388-54af-768x87.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/image-db1f38b015d388-54af.avif 1188w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Feature Option Ascending and Descending Icons<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click the&nbsp;<strong>Ascending&nbsp;<\/strong>and<strong>&nbsp;Descending<\/strong>&nbsp;icons to filter by Feature [1], Status [2] or State [3].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"gradebook\">Gradebook &#8211; Scheduled Feedback<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Production Environment Availability: 12\/13\/2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Gradebook, instructors can manage the visibility of grades and feedback for individual assignments. By default, scores and comments are released together, but instructors can schedule them to release separately. This feature gives instructors greater flexibility and control over feedback timing, allowing them to align the release of rubric scores and comments with grading workflows, review sessions, or instructional pacing. It helps ensure students receive feedback when it is most meaningful and actionable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Gradebook, click the desired assignment\u00a0<strong>Options<\/strong>\u00a0[1], then click the\u00a0<strong>Grade Posting Policy<\/strong>\u00a0link [2].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"582\" height=\"792\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_0-1763567463496.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5718\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_0-1763567463496.avif 582w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_0-1763567463496-220x300.jpg 220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 582px) 100vw, 582px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Gradebook Assignment Options<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click the\u00a0<strong>Manually<\/strong>\u00a0radio button [1], then select the\u00a0<strong>Schedule Release Dates<\/strong>\u00a0checkbox [2]. Choose whether to release\u00a0<strong>Grades and Comments Together<\/strong>\u00a0or on\u00a0<strong>Separate Schedules<\/strong>\u00a0[3], and set the\u00a0<strong>Release Date<\/strong>\u00a0[4] and\u00a0<strong>Time<\/strong>\u00a0[5].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"316\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_1-1763567463497-316x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5719\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_1-1763567463497-316x1024.jpg 316w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_1-1763567463497-474x1536.jpg 474w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_1-1763567463497.avif 484w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 316px) 100vw, 316px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Assignment Grading Policy Modal<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When the release schedules are separated, comments must be released prior to grades.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Preserving scheduled feedback release dates during course copy\/import is not currently supported.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If an instructor manually releases grades before the scheduled release time, the manual release takes precedence and the scheduled release is canceled<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"new-quizzes\">New Quizzes &#8211; Survey Support<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Production Environment Availability: 12\/13\/2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New Quizzes supports Survey-type quizzes, allowing instructors to collect anonymous or non-anonymous feedback, with graded or ungraded options. Instructors can view survey data in the Reports tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Surveys support the following question types:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Multiple Choice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Multiple Answer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>True\/False<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fill in the Blank<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Essay<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>File Upload<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This feature gives educators a more intuitive way to engage students and promote reflection. It also helps educators more easily gather feedback, gauge understanding, and foster open reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When creating a quiz, click the Quiz Type drop-down menu to select the survey type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"275\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_0-1763562720291-1024x275.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5721\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_0-1763562720291-1024x275.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_0-1763562720291-300x81.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_0-1763562720291-768x206.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_0-1763562720291-1536x412.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_0-1763562720291.avif 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>New Quiz Moderate Page<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instructors can click the\u00a0<strong>View Log<\/strong>\u00a0link in the activity log\u2019s Moderate tab to see individual results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"647\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_2-1763562720293-1024x647.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5722\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_2-1763562720293-1024x647.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_2-1763562720293-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_2-1763562720293-768x485.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_2-1763562720293-1536x970.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2026\/01\/HeatherAhern_2-1763562720293.avif 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>New Quiz Reports Page<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Reports tab, instructors can view a breakdown of the results for each question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional Details<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Surveys created in Classic Quizzes can be easily migrated into New Quizzes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Questions can be set as required or optional.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Modules &#8211; Bulk Unpublish Supports Simple Published Files Production Environment Availability: 12\/3\/2025 Files are unpublished through the Unpublish Module and All Items feature when in a simple published state with no other restrictions. Other availability states, such as scheduled availability or link-only, remain published. Previously, all files remained published regardless of their state. This update [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1342,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[104,105],"class_list":["post-5716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-canvas","tag-canvas","tag-feature-update"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1342"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5716\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":5710,"date":"2026-01-05T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/?p=5710"},"modified":"2025-12-08T16:34:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T21:34:12","slug":"beginning-of-semester-reminders-spring-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/2026\/01\/05\/beginning-of-semester-reminders-spring-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Beginning of Semester Reminders &#8211; Spring 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Greetings Faculty and Staff,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <a href=\"mailto:lsrequest@vcu.edu\">lsrequest@vcu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Canvas Login<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Login to Canvas using the Canvas Login Portal page at <a href=\"http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/canvas\">http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/canvas<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"833\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2025\/12\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5711\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2025\/12\/image.png 833w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2025\/12\/image-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/588\/2025\/12\/image-768x409.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 833px) 100vw, 833px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Upcoming Course Deletions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/guidelines--procedures\/records-management-policy--canvas-usage-at-vcu\/\">records keeping window<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In order to avoid breaking any course imports for future semesters, we recommend using the <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/canvas\/instructors\/building-your-canvas-course\/export-and-import-course-content\/\"><strong>Export\/Import workflow<\/strong><\/a><strong> for transferring your course content from a former course to the next. <\/strong>You also have the option to transfer this content (via <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/canvas\/instructors\/building-your-canvas-course\/export-and-import-course-content\/\">Export\/Import<\/a>) to a Primary Course Template using the <a href=\"http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/canvas-coursecreate\"><strong>Canvas Course Creation Tool<\/strong><\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Note: <\/strong>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 support@voicethread.com.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Course or Section Cross-Listing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/canvas\/instructors\/managing-course-groups-and-sections\/cross-list-merge-courses\/\">Cross-Listing Course Sections<\/a> page or watch the <a href=\"https:\/\/vcu.mediaspace.kaltura.com\/media\/Cross+Listing+in+Canvas\/1_8hlre0fu\">Cross-Listing in Canvas<\/a> video for things you need to know before cross-listing, cross-listing instructions, including <em>\u201cHow to<\/em> <em>Perform a Custom Cross-List (Merge) of your Courses<\/em>,\u201d best practices, and FERPA Compliance.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Do not<\/strong><strong> <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Syllabus Requirements<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Virginia Commonwealth University values clear and timely communication to students regarding course structure and expectations through the creation of a syllabus. This policy <strong>requires<\/strong> all instructors to make available to students syllabi that contain specific information required for student success. <a href=\"https:\/\/vcu.public.doctract.com\/doctract\/documentportal\/08DA334CAAD4FA65C4D6B1D5CCD654F8\">This policy<\/a> stipulates common components of syllabi at VCU, applicable to all courses. Visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/community.canvaslms.com\/t5\/Instructor-Guide\/How-do-I-use-the-Syllabus-as-an-instructor\/ta-p\/638\">How to Use the Syllabus<\/a> page for further instructions on how to set up your \u201c<em>Syllabus<\/em>\u201d page in Canvas.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Publishing and Unpublishing Courses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A course will be visible to students once it has been published by the instructor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/community.canvaslms.com\/t5\/Instructor-Guide\/How-do-I-publish-a-course\/ta-p\/1185\">Publish and Unpublish a Canvas Course<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Canvas 3rd Party Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <a href=\"http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/canvas-tools-request\">Request a Canvas 3rd Party Tool<\/a> page, as well as, with what is needed from the requestor, the vendor, and more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/canvas-tools\">Canvas 3rd Party Tools<\/a> to learn more about these tools and see a list of those already installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> The <a href=\"https:\/\/powerforms.docusign.net\/37e9a0e9-9667-4a2a-b96a-2ea93a0d03fb?env=na3&amp;acct=b97497cf-0191-4ed3-a961-d4621f97f439&amp;accountId=b97497cf-0191-4ed3-a961-d4621f97f439\">Canvas 3rd Party Tool Request Form<\/a>, including both the requester and vendor sections, must be completed 6 weeks before the upcoming change window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In case you missed it\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/community.canvaslms.com\/t5\/Differentiation-Tags\/Differentiation-Tags-FAQ\/ta-p\/639336\"><strong>Differentiation Tags<\/strong><\/a><strong>: <\/strong>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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/community.canvaslms.com\/t5\/Parchment-Award-Digital-Badges\/Comparing-Canvas-Badges-Basic-and-Parchment-Digital-Badges\/ta-p\/600360\"><strong>Canvas Badging<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> The free version of Canvas Badging phased out on December 31, 2025. There are no other free versions currently available.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/2024\/06\/24\/discover-mobius-vcus-newest-stem-tool\/\"><strong>M\u00f6bius<\/strong><\/a> has replaced Lon-Capa.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/community.canvaslms.com\/t5\/The-Product-Blog\/Discussion-Checkpoints-Now-Available-at-the-Sub-Account-Level\/ba-p\/639603\"><strong>Discussion Checkpoints<\/strong><\/a>: This is a feature that allows you to assess student engagement by enabling multiple due dates and reply requirements within a discussion assignment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/canvas-coursecreate\"><strong>Canvas Course Creation Tool<\/strong><\/a>: 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).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Spring 2026 Training Opportunities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Upcoming Training Opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For upcoming training hosted by Learning Systems, you can register at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.training.vcu.edu\">www.training.vcu.edu<\/a>. (Keyword: Canvas, Kaltura, or Mobius)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Individual or Group Faculty Training&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Faculty can request individual or group\/departmental training by clicking on the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/training\/\">Request a Virtual Training Session<\/a>\u201d button on the Learning Systems website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For pedagogical guidance, instructors are encouraged to reach out to<a href=\"https:\/\/academics.provost.vcu.edu\/help\/help-desk\/\"> Academic Affairs<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Training Recordings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope that you were able to participate in the training opportunities previously offered. If not, you can catch up via the <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/training\/find-training\/training-recording-list\/\">recorded training sessions<\/a> largely led by Learning Systems\u2019 Learning Support Specialist, Jon Reed, and some in partnership with the Academic Affairs instructional design team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/lsacademy\">Learning Systems Academy<\/a> for a library of short videos on topics ranging from beginner Canvas to using Kaltura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Academic Integrity Concerns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/policy.vcu.edu\/doctract\/documentportal\/08DA32AA85BE764A67373C1A0775A51C\">VCU Honor System &amp; Standards of Academic Conduct<\/a> states that Faculty &#8220;must report suspected violations to SCAI as provided in the policy.&#8221; (III.2)&nbsp; To initiate this report for use in an academic integrity violation, we would need to receive the request from VCU Student Conduct &amp; Academic Integrity. You can report this suspicion of an honor violation to SCAI using the <a href=\"https:\/\/cm.maxient.com\/reportingform.php?VirginiaCommonwealthUniv&amp;layout_id=3\">Honor System and Standards of Academic Conduct Reporting Form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Requests for administrator-level reports will come directly from the SCAI office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For all other guidelines and procedures, please see <a href=\"http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/lsprocedures\">http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/lsprocedures<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Academic Technologies Website<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here you can find an overview of <a href=\"https:\/\/academictech.vcu.edu\/\">Academic Technologies<\/a>, as well as information about the support and other instructional technologies offered to faculty by our team using the <a href=\"https:\/\/academictech.vcu.edu\/instructional-technologies-toolkit\/\">Instructional Technologies Toolkit<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 lsrequest@vcu.edu. 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2207,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,79,90,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beginning-of-semester","category-canvas","category-teaching-with-technology","category-vcu-academic-notices"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5710\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":5707,"date":"2025-12-09T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/?p=5707"},"modified":"2025-12-09T09:22:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T14:22:10","slug":"end-of-semester-reminders-fall-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/2025\/12\/09\/end-of-semester-reminders-fall-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"End of Semester Reminders &#8211; Fall 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Greetings VCU Faculty,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope everyone has had a successful Fall semester. Below are some items to consider as you close out your course heading into Spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Spring 2026 Course Shells Available Now<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Course shells for the Spring 2026 semester are now available to Canvas instructors. As a reminder, a course will not be visible to students until it has been published by the instructor.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/community.canvaslms.com\/t5\/Instructor-Guide\/How-do-I-publish-a-course\/ta-p\/1185\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Publish and Unpublish a Canvas Course<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Just-In-Time Support<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you in need of support to complete your end-of-semester checklist? We\u2019re here to help.<br><br>For an overview of available support resources for Canvas and Kaltura, please see the <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/-help--resources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Help &amp; Resources&#8221; tab<\/a> on the <a href=\"http:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learning Systems website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Upcoming Course Deletions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/guidelines--procedures\/records-management-policy--canvas-usage-at-vcu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">records-keeping window<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to avoid breaking any course imports for future semesters, we recommend using the <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/canvas\/instructors\/building-your-canvas-course\/export-and-import-course-content\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Export\/Import workflow<\/a> for transferring your course content from a former course to the next. You also have the option to transfer this content (via <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/canvas\/instructors\/building-your-canvas-course\/export-and-import-course-content\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Export\/Import<\/a>) to a Primary Course Template using the <a href=\"http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/canvas-coursecreate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Canvas Course Creation Tool<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Lon-Capa Discontinued &amp; M\u00f6bius Alternative<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lon-Capa has been officially discontinued. VCU now offers M\u00f6bius in place of Lon-Capa for your STEM needs! M\u00f6bius provides lessons, assessments, and interactive learning activities. It unfolds the potential for the STEM student to acquire knowledge at a guided yet self-defined pace. For more information about M\u00f6bius and how to get started, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/instructional-tools\/mobius\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">M\u00f6bius webpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Grades &amp; Canvas Grade Passback<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Final grades are due by noon on December 18, 2025, via Faculty <strong>eServices<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you use Canvas to store and calculate your course grades, you will now see an option <em>(Course Navigation &gt; Ellucian Grade Passback 1.3)<\/em> to push them directly into Banner once you are done. For cross-listed courses, faculty should be able to do this all from the merged Canvas roster, precluding the need to go into eServices and enter grades on individual rosters. Only the instructor of record as assigned in Banner will be able to submit grades using this option successfully.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After grades have been pushed from Canvas, we recommend that instructors verify that grade data has passed successfully to eServices. Visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/rar.vcu.edu\/for-faculty-and-staff\/faculty-grade-entry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Banner Grade Entry<\/a> page for general information regarding grades and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information, please see: <a href=\"http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/canvas-ilp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">go.vcu.edu\/canvas-ilp<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Enrollment Reminders: Ellucian ILP and Canvas<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Spring 2024 semester, the Ellucian Intelligent Learning Platform (ILP) was implemented to integrate our Ellucian SIS (Banner) with Canvas seamlessly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What is Ellucian ILP?<\/strong> The Ellucian Intelligent Learning Platform (ILP) acts as a bridge, synchronizing vital information between our SIS and Canvas. It streamlines the exchange of user data, course details, student enrollment, and faculty assignments, eliminating the need for the three-times-a-day Banner import process (for Academic Courses and enrollments).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What does this mean for my course enrollments?<\/strong> ILP allows for real-time updates directly from Banner into Canvas, ensuring that course information, student and teacher enrollments, and user data are always current. If you have any questions about the status of a student or instructor within Canvas, email the Learning Systems team at <a href=\"mailto:LSrequest@vcu.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LSrequest@vcu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information, please see: <a href=\"http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/canvas-ilp\">go.vcu.edu\/canvas-ilp<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Carrying Over Incompletes to the Next Semester<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The last day for grades of incomplete to be converted from the Fall 2025 semester is April 2, 2026. See the<a href=\"https:\/\/academiccalendars.vcu.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Academic Calendar<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have students who are finishing out the course with an \u2018incomplete\u2019, there are specific steps the instructor needs to take before the term concludes on December 22, 2025. After this point, you will only be able to access the course in <em>Read-Only<\/em> mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For step-by-step instructions, visit the<strong> <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/canvas\/instructors\/managing-course-groups-and-sections\/managing-students-with-an-incomplete-status\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Managing Students with an Incompletes Status<\/strong><\/a> page or contact<strong> <\/strong><a href=\"mailto:lsrequest@vcu.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LSrequest@vcu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Training Opportunities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Upcoming Opportunities<\/strong> &#8211; For upcoming training, you can register at<a href=\"http:\/\/www.training.vcu.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> www.training.vcu.edu<\/a> (<strong>Keyword:<\/strong> Canvas, Kaltura, or Mobius)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Individual or Group Faculty Training<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Faculty can request individual or group\/departmental training by clicking on the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Request Training<\/a>\u201d button on the Learning Systems website.<br><br>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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Training Recordings<\/strong> &#8211; We hope that you were able to participate in the Fall semester training opportunities; if not, you can catch up via the <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/training\/recorded-training-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recorded training sessions<\/a>, largely led by Learning Systems\u2019 Learning Support Specialist, Jon Reed, in partnership with the LEDstudio instructional design team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/-help--resources\/learning-systems-academy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learning Systems Academy<\/a> for a library of short videos on topics ranging from beginner Canvas to using Kaltura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Canvas 3rd Party Tools<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <a href=\"http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/canvas-tools-request\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Request a Canvas 3rd Party Tool<\/a> page, as well as what is needed from the requestor, the vendor, and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about these tools and get a list of those already available for use, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/go.vcu.edu\/canvas-tools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Canvas 3rd Party Tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>VCU IT Status<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay up-to-date about IT systems and service outages by subscribing to the <a href=\"http:\/\/it.vcustatus.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IT status page<\/a>, top right-hand corner. If you have any questions or problems with subscribing, please email itstatushelp@vcu.edu. The IT Service Management Office will be able to provide any assistance and support needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Academic Technologies Support<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Academic Technologies frequently posts information about the support services we offer. Below are links to our blogs, and we encourage you to subscribe to all of them, or to the ones that apply to you. When you go to each blog, there is a \u201csubscribe\u201d section on the right side of the screen. Enter your email address and click the subscribe button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/adobe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Adobe Blog<\/a> &#8211; highlights and resources for Adobe Creative Cloud users<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/classroomtechnology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Classroom Technology Blog<\/a> &#8211; notices about classroom technology and support<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learning Systems Blog<\/a> &#8211; notices and resources for teaching and learning with technology<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/zoom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Zoom Blog<\/a> &#8211; announcements and tips for using Zoom<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, the <a href=\"https:\/\/academictech.vcu.edu\/instructional-technologies-toolkit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instructional Technologies Toolkit<\/a> will help you navigate to the information and resources you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For any information regarding our team, what we do, what we support, and\/or how to get support, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/learningsystems.vcu.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learning Systems website<\/a> or email <a href=\"mailto:lsrequest@vcu.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LSrequest@vcu.edu<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For timely updates, subscribe to our blog in the top right-hand corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enjoy your winter break!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greetings VCU Faculty, We hope everyone has had a successful Fall semester. Below are some items to consider as you close out your course heading into Spring. Spring 2026 Course Shells Available Now Course shells for the Spring 2026 semester are now available to Canvas instructors. As a reminder, a course will not be visible [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2207,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,85,23,29,118,80,38,90,54,81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-canvas","category-end-of-semester","category-faculty","category-loncapa","category-mobius-2","category-online-teaching-and-development","category-policy","category-teaching-with-technology","category-vcu-academic-notices","category-workshops-and-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5707\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/learning-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]