CAMPUS-APPROVED LMS

Canvas

Students must access all online courses through the University’s approved learning management system (LMS). At this time, that system is Canvas. If you use course organization tools such as GitHub, Google Classroom or Microsoft OneNote, you must link to those tools from within the course Canvas site.

Using the campus-approved learning management system (Canvas) as the central hub for all course activity ensures students have a consistent experience across their courses. It reduces confusion, streamlines navigation, and ensures that essential content and communication tools are accessible and organized in one place.

One Canvas Login

For more information and articles about One Canvas, please visit UM Academic Technology's Canvas Knowledge Base or email us at teachingtools@umsystem.edu.

Benefits to Students

Canvas offers several key benefits for students. It provides centralized access to all course materials, assignments, quizzes, and other resources. The consistent structure across courses reduces confusion. Built-in tools help students track deadlines and receive notifications about assignments, grades, and updates. Canvas also enhances communication with instructors and peers through messaging and discussion boards.

Benefits to Instructors

Canvas simplifies course management by organizing materials, assignments, and announcements in one place. Instructors also benefit from analytics that track student progress, enabling them to offer targeted support.

Canvas fosters engagement through communication tools like announcements and discussion boards.
Using Canvas supports communication between UM system students and instructors.
Canvas courses can be easily modified and updated for future iterations.

Rationale

Providing students with one avenue to access all courses helps to acclimate students to the learning environment more effectively.

HLC: This item aligns with #6 on the HLC 21st Century Distance Education Guidelines 2021.

What Reviewers Look For

Reviewers will verify that Canvas is the primary platform used to deliver course content, announcements, and assessments. Any required external tools should be clearly linked from within Canvas with supporting instructions provided. The course should not rely on students navigating third-party platforms independently unless explicitly guided.

What You Can Do

Consider doing the following in your course:

Deliver all core materials through Canvas modules and pages.
Use Canvas tools for announcements, gradebook, and communication.
Link all required external tools or publisher content from inside Canvas.
If students need to create a separate account for a tool, include a link to the privacy policy and set up instructions in your “Start Here” module or syllabus.