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Prepare your course for Canvas

You can prepare your Blackboard course now for a successful move to Canvas. Taking time now to prepare your course will help save you time and ensure you have less work to do when you start getting organized in your new Canvas courses. This guidance also applies to faculty and staff using Organizations in Blackboard. 

What can you do now? 

Ensure your Blackboard course is 2GB or less   

  • The total size limit for all courses in Canvas is set to 2GB, an increase over the default Canvas setting of 500MB. There was not a limit in Blackboard, so this is a significant difference.  
  • Individual media files (e.g., video) are also limited to 500MB per file in Canvas.   
  • Offload big files to reach the 2GB maximum.  
  • Consider moving individual media files to reduce storage while still providing great instructional content. Consider moving large files to Panopto (video only) or Microsoft OneDrive.   
  • Consult with an instructional technologist for more individualized support. Instructional technologists can help you select technologies to support your teaching and learning goals. They can also discuss your plan for moving your course to Canvas given the unique features of the new Canvas platform.  

Consider securely retaining records for future use   

  • Review past courses for students with “PR” or “I” grades to determine whether you want or need to retain any gradebook or student information. We will archive student records in accordance with the University’s record retention policy, but securely preserving your own copy of records could simplify a future grade dispute or student re-enrollment situation.  
  • Academic records are protected by FERPA and should be secured in a way that preserves students’ privacy. We strongly recommend storing files in University-supported products with secure login procedures. OIT provides guidance for acceptable storage of student records to meet FERPA guidance. 
  • In addition to student records, review past versions of your courses to ensure you save the best copies of instructional material.  We will support course migration in a variety of formats, but retaining your own copies of great material you created is always a wise back-up plan.