Canvas for Faculty

As the Educational Technology group facilitates and administers functionality related to course management in Canvas, it occasionally is requested of us to copy specific courses designed by instructors to others who may assume instruction in that particular course.

Per the faculty handbook, Canvas courses are designated as created works “for hire” (Section 2.12.1.1) and so belong to Marian University. While that policy is clear, Educational Technology holds that, where possible, requests for course duplication should be made to the creator of the content before the content is to be copied. We ask this to both acknowledge the creator of the work as well as Marian’s core value of Dignity of the Individual.

Therefore, in order to facilitate the copying of courses to other instructors who are not the original creators, it is the Educational Technology group’s policy to confirm acknowledgment of such a request to all interested parties (faculty instructors, Department Chairs, Deans, etc.).

If an instructor (non-Chair or Dean) wants a copy of a course that was created by a user still employed at Marian University, they should reach out to the creator to request permission. Once obtained, record of acknowledgement should be forwarded to the Educational Technology department and the duplication will proceed. Educational Technology will not mediate any disagreement that occurs between the parties regarding a copied course. Reconciliation should be sought by the appropriate Department Chair or Dean, but ultimately, the Faculty Handbook’s policies on created work “for hire” will hold the final authority.

For requests made for courses in which the original creator has left Marian, duplication of the course will proceed.

If a request is made by a Department Chair or Dean, the Educational Technology group will proceed with the course duplication and notify the creator that this request has been made by the requestor as a courtesy for their reference.

When assigning (or requesting) roles for users in courses, it is the user's responsibility that the requested user is eligible to receive all of the permissions for the role they are given. The main roles in Canvas are the following. Click on the names of the roles to see the permissions they receive.

• Designer
• Observer
• Student
• Teacher Assistant (TA)
• Teacher

If a course is enrolled by Colleague/MU-HUB, anyone with the Teacher role can add the following users to the course:

• Teaching Assistant (TA)
  • Since TAs have access to student and grade information, the instructor of record is responsible for ensuring that anyone given the TA role has gone through FERPA training.
• Designer
  • When adding Designers, bear in mind that Designers can view and edit all content within a course (including tests and quizzes).
• Observer

The following roles may not be added:

• Teacher
• Student

In Colleague/MU-HUB enrolled courses, these roles are automatically enrolled via the Registrar. Any official missing enrollments should be reported via a ticket to the IT Help Desk (HelpDesk@marian.edu).

If a course is not a Colleague/MU-HUB course (such as organizational, institutional, or development courses), anyone with the Teacher role can add a user into any role they wish.

Non-Colleague/MU-HUB courses usually are:

• Organizational (courses used for club pages)
• Institutional (courses used for professional development or assessments)
• Developmental courses (courses used by faculty to develop content for a particular course)
• Sand Box (courses used by faculty to test different aspects of Canvas, but not usually focused on a particular course)
• Student-led (courses developed by students, usually for a class project)

If you would like one of these courses or if you have one of these courses and are unable to assign users as you wish, contact Educational Technology.

There are a couple of situations that might require accessing a course in a term that has concluded. There are different policies surrounding this depending on the reason that access is required.

Opening a Course to Finish an Incomplete

If a Registrar-approved Incomplete needs to be completed, the course can be reopened by Educational Technology. Email Blake with the full course code (ex. 2020SP ENG-101-MM01) and the date that the course should be finished. Note: Once the course is re-opened, if the faculty member needs it open longer, they can extend the time in the Course Settings, under Participation by setting a new "End" date. If the course closes again before completion, email Blake again.

Give a New Instructor Access to Past Content

Due to security, access to student data, and academic integrity concerns, Canvas restricts adding new users to completed courses. If a past instructor wishes to share the content from a concluded course, Educational Technology can create a Development version of that past course for the new instructor. It will copy over the content used in the concluded course but no student data or submissions will be included. The new instructor can then use and edit the Development course to create their own template for the course. When requesting past content, be sure to follow the process included in the Course Duplication Policy.

In accordance with the Canvas Course Data Retention and Purge Policy, the Educational Technology team will be deleting old Canvas courses on a rolling 7-year basis. Use the chart below to determine when a course will be deleted. If your term is not listed, it hasn't been scheduled for deletion yet.

To check your course term name, go to Courses, All Courses, and sort the past enrollments by the Term column.

If you wish to save the content before its deletion, see the instructions here to export the course out of Canvas.

Creating accessible digital content is an essential part of fostering an inclusive learning environment where all students, faculty, and staff can fully participate. This checklist is designed to help the campus community integrate accessibility into digital materials and activities, including instructional content in Canvas, documents, forms, audio, videos, and websites.

The recommendations reflect current best practices aligned with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA, which represent the recognized standard for ensuring digital access for people of all abilities. By following these guidelines, faculty and staff can enhance usability for everyone and contribute to a more equitable and welcoming university experience.

We highly encourage you to refer to the Accessibility Checklist for Instructional Content for more detailed best practices and areas for mindfulness in addressing potential accessibility gaps.  If you’re unsure about an accommodation request or an accessibility issue, work with the Personalized Learning Center, the Center for Teaching and Learning, or the Educational Technology department for assistance and guidance.