Canvas Instructor FAQs 2 - course set up and migration

Once you're ready to begin, follow the steps outlined in the Canvas Faculty Hub for setting up your course.

It is important to be aware that Canvas has a course size limit of 2GB, which is different from Blackboard. There are a tips to reduce your files sizes, if needed, on the preparing your course for Canvas page. This is helpful if you are encountering difficulty with file size as you transfer content to Canvas. 

There are two main ways to migrate your Blackboard course content to Canvas: Working from an OHIO template in Canvas, or importing full course content from Blackboard. Step-by-step instructions for both options are detailed in the Moving Course Content from Blackboard to Canvas help article.

Access 24/7 Canvas support via phone, chat, and email right inside Canvas. Log in to Canvas at canvas.ohio.edu and select "Get Help" from the left navigation menu. The University also offers individual consultations, departmental workshops, and a diverse range of self-guided training. View the Canvas Training webpage for more information.

Yes. Canvas uses only one container type, courses, but settings can be adjusted to replicate Blackboard Organizations within Canvas. Learn more about Organizations in Canvas. When you're ready, submit a request a for an organization-type purpose by selecting 'I am requesting a manually created course' in the Canvas request form and provide as many details as possible about your organization so we can set the course up in the appropriate area within Canvas.

Instructors will have access to Blackboard until June 2026. In June 2026, to support the transition from Blackboard to Canvas, the University will retain all academic courses from the past seven years (dating back to June 2019) for two years (until June 2028). For more information, review Retaining and Retrieving Previous Course Content.

Academic courses are defined as courses generated from our Student Information System (PeopleSoft) for academic credit. This does not include Blackboard organizations, test courses, or any other kind of manually created courses. Instructors must save this type of content on their own if they wish to retain it. Please review the Blackboard Retirement page for a complete timeline on when different content will be deleted.

After June 2028, all Blackboard academic course content will be deleted.

Term-based courses load to Canvas eight-weeks prior to the start date of the course. This means instructors will have access to begin setting up their course that will later have students enrolled. Students will be enrolled in courses two-weeks prior to the start date of the course. Courses will only be accessible to students when instructors publish the course. 

If you are unable to see or access a course in your Canvas Dashboard, view our Troubleshooting Course Access help article.

Students will be enrolled in courses two-weeks prior to the start date of the course. When a student adds or drops a course after this time, their course enrollment will be updated during the next Canvas data update, which runs three times per day. Courses will only be accessible to students when instructors publish the course. 

Manually created courses that have no activity for a period of two years will be eligible for deletion. OIT will notify the instructor of the course at least 30 days in advance of the planned deletion to provide an opportunity to retain their content outside of Canvas. Learn more about content retention in Canvas.