UTTELTUpdate: Blackboard to Canvas transition

Update: Blackboard to Canvas transition

A few months ago, we informed the UT about the selection of Canvas as the successor of Blackboard. In the past few months, the contract has been legally formalized and we have started developing an implementation plan.

Cooperation with faculties

We work closely together with the faculties in designing the system and planning its further implementation. Sounding board groups are established for teachers and students to discuss important choices, such as the functional design of the system or the timeline. All faculties are represented in the sounding board group.

The collective recommendations from the sounding board groups are subsequently used as input for decisions to be made by the project steering committee. This Canvas project steering committee consists of Marjolein Dohmen-Janssen (ET), Hans Oeloff (CES) and Erik van den Bosch (LISA), and is chaired by Jan Willem Polderman (EWI). Our intention is to also add two students to the steering committee. Recruitment to this end has already begun in consultation with the Overleg OnderwijsCommissarissen (OOC).

When will the transition from Blackboard to CANVAS take place?

Our aim is to make Canvas available to every course at the start of the academic year 2018/2019. Blackboard will no longer be used at that time. In the upcoming academic year 2017/2018, we will start using Canvas as part of a pilot project. Based on the experiences with Canvas during the pilot project, the Canvas implementation strategy will be further developed. How and until when blackboard may remain available is yet to be determined.

In the weeks and months ahead, we will publish regular updates keep you informed about the progress of realizing the Canvas environment and forthcoming main activities. Should you already have questions or suggestions at this time, we would be happy to hear from you. If you would like to contribute to the decision-making process, you can certainly do so.

More information

For more information, send us an email (canvas@utwente.nl) or contact Mike van de Steeg (Project Manager Canvas).