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Canvas Changes for Summer 2025

The following changes will be made after the conclusion of the Winter 2025 semester on April 29:

• Pearson MyLab will be removed from 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Canvas.  Access Pearson replaces this app.  Pearson content may need to be relinked or reloaded.  Please contact your Pearson representative or support for details.
• Pearson Revel will be removed from 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Canvas.  Access Pearson replaces this app.  Pearson content may need to be relinked or reloaded.  Please contact your Pearson representative or support for details.
• Classic Quiz creation will no longer be available.  As previously communicated, any quizzes created or imported into courses on or after April 29, 2025 will use the New Quiz engine.  Please see the  for an overview of New Quizzes.
• Discussion Checkpoints will become available as an optional feature.  Discussion Checkpoints allow an instructor to set multiple due dates or checkpoints for graded discussions to accommodate different stages of the discussion process, such as the initial post and follow-up replies. 

Upcoming Canvas Features and Feedback Opportunities

51��Ƶ-Dearborn has been granted access to a few upcoming features.  These features are “previews” and subject to more frequent changes than usual.  All previews will be optional and will need to be specifically enabled in a Canvas course.  Because these are preview features, official documentation is not yet available.

• Modernized SpeedGrader focuses on improving the performance and stability of SpeedGrader while keeping the interface familiar and easy to use.  The goal is to optimize performance for a faster, more seamless experience, especially for those working with larger courses or complex assignments.
• Enhanced Rubrics with Student Self-Assessment provides visual and functional enhancements to rubrics across Canvas.
• Block Editor is a simplified content creation tool that allows educators to build high quality Canvas pages without needing to leverage HTML. 

We are asking faculty who are interested in testing new features (including those listed above) and providing feedback to Instructure to join  (click the link, login, then click the big green “Join” button).  Faculty who join this group will be contacted about specific testing and feedback opportunities as they become available.

Digital Accessibility

Please visit 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s digital accessibility web page for the latest information, resources, and training materials around digital accessibility, which is part of new Title II regulations that take effect in April 2026.  A few highlights are included below.

The Office of Digital Education and Hub for Teaching and Learning Resource recently launched a new asynchronous Digital Accessibility Course (). It is expected that the course will take 4-6 hours to complete, which we realize is a lot of time to commit.  A $200 completion incentive will be provided to the first 250 instructors (tenure track faculty or lecturers) who complete the full course.

Opportunities for Funded Assistance:

• 250 small grants are being offered so that instructors (tenure track faculty or lecturers) can hire a student in their discipline to assist with accessibility work.  Please  if you are interested.  
• Human-generated captions are available for videos with highly inaccurate machine-generated captions that are stored in Kaltura/MiVideo.  Please  if you are interested.

The Office of Digital Education has dedicated Zoom office hours to discuss digital accessibility  Please at any of the days/times listed below:

• Mondays from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm with Chris Casey
• Tuesdays from 9:30 am - 10:30am with Chris Casey
• Wednesdays from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm with Chen Wang
• Thursdays from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm with Chen Wang

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the ADA Title II regulations on digital accessibility, please email [email protected].

Canvas sites for non-Banner courses or programs

51��Ƶ-Dearborn's second Canvas instance, "Professional Development Canvas," is now available.  This second Canvas instance allows 51��Ƶ-Dearborn to leverage Canvas for non-credit courses for industry partners, professional development, faculty/student training, programs for the public and more. In addition, this Canvas instance has a front end allowing a list of eligible courses to be shown to users to self-register.  For more information about this Canvas instance or to request a course be created, please see the Professional Development Canvas page.

Canvas access extensions for I/X grades

As a quick reminder, Canvas course access can be extended for students who have received an X or I grade (with a completed and approved I contract).  If you would like to extend Canvas course access, please contact your unit Canvas support personnel and let them know which course and student needs an extension.  Once the details are verified, Canvas access for the student and instructor will be extended to the deadline for X grade completion or the date on the approved incomplete contract.  Please note that all student work and grading must be done by this date, there is not an option to have extra grading time in Canvas for these circumstances.

Canvas Support

If you or your students have any Canvas questions or support needs during regular business hours, it is best to reach out to your unit's Canvas support personnel via email or phone first, then arrange an in-person appointment if necessary.  For help with Canvas technical issues outside of regular business hours or during holiday breaks, 24/7 support from Canvas is also available to 51��Ƶ-Dearborn faculty and students via phone or chat.  Information on 24/7 support is available from the Help menu within Canvas.

Please contact The Office of Digital Education ([email protected]) with any questions regarding items featured here.