Enhancing Our Learning Management System
Welcome to the LMS Transition page. This page is your go-to resource for everything related to the LMS transition, including timelines, training opportunities, support documentation, and answers to frequently asked questions.
Our Objective
Learning Technology Solutions will enhance the educational experience for students and faculty by adopting a modern, accessible, and user-friendly learning management system.
We are committed to facilitating a seamless transition to Canvas for students, instructors, and staff. To accomplish this, we will implement the following strategies:
- To ensure alignment and support, foster collaboration and transparency with colleges, faculty, and students.
- Prioritize the delivery of a consistent and high-quality teaching and learning experience.
- Provide instructors with the necessary time and resources to effectively leverage the capabilities of Canvas.
Transition Information
Transition Resources
Schedule Office Hours with Instructional Designers
Additional Resources (Cont.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions and answers related to the LMS transition.
LTS sent me a survey about moving to Canvas, but I'm not ready to teach in Canvas. Can I ignore the survey?
No. Even if you plan to continue teaching in Blackboard for now, completing the survey is important. LTS works with colleges on a scheduled basis and will move on to support other units as the transition progresses. Once LTS has moved on from a college, the full level of instructional design support will no longer be available, and faculty will be responsible for completing more of the migration and course preparation work independently.
Completing the survey does not commit you to teaching in Canvas this semester. It helps ensure your courses are included while full instructional design support is available and allows LTS to plan transition work and support timelines across colleges.
If I start working in Canvas now, will I have to redo this work later?
No. Work completed in Canvas remains available and can be reused in future semesters. Preparing your course in Canvas earlier can reduce workload later as the transition progresses.
How do I know whether I’m teaching in Blackboard or Canvas?
Through Fall 2026, faculty may teach in either Blackboard or Canvas. You are responsible for choosing which LMS to use and clearly communicating that choice to students. If you have not actively worked on preparing your course in Canvas, you should plan to teach the course in Blackboard for the current semester.
Because Blackboard will retire on December 31, 2026, all courses taught in Spring 2027 and beyond must be taught in Canvas.
What will happen to my courses in Blackboard?
Blackboard courses will be transferred to Canvas, while all other courses will be archived for four years. If you need access to an archived course, you can request it emailing lts@uic.edu, which creates a support ticket. Student data from Blackboard will be archived as well.
What can I do in my courses to prepare them for the move to Canvas?
- Review your courses taught in Blackboard Original and Ultra and delete or download and archive any unused content. For step-by-step instructions, consult this quick guide: Downloading and Deleting Files from Blackboard Original Courses or view this video: Downloading or Deleting Files from Blackboard Original Courses.
- Download content specific to your course or section to personalize the source version of the course.
- Begin accessibility remediation of any content in your courses.
Will my Blackboard content automatically move to Canvas?
No. Course content does not move automatically. Content must be copied into Canvas either by requesting a course copy using the Canvas Course Site Copy request form, or by working with an instructional designer as part of the transition process.
Once my course content has been copied into Canvas, am I ready to start teaching in Canvas right away?
Copied content should be considered a starting point, not a finished course. In most cases, materials copied from Blackboard into Canvas will require some cleanup and restructuring to ensure the course is organized, functions as expected, and is ready for teaching in Canvas.
Faculty may either:
- work with an instructional designer to review, organize, and prepare the course for teaching, or
- take responsibility for reviewing, organizing, and preparing the materials themselves.
Regardless of the support path, faculty should plan time to review the Canvas course before teaching to confirm content, links, assessments, and settings are ready for students.
I’m not ready to move to Canvas yet and I don’t want my materials deleted from Blackboard. What happens to my content?
Your course materials are copied, not moved or deleted, when a course is migrated to Canvas. The original content remains in Blackboard during the transition period.
Blackboard will remain available through December 31, 2026. After that date, the ability to edit Blackboard courses will cease, and your Blackboard courses will be available only in read-only or archived format. To continue teaching and updating courses, materials must be moved to Canvas before Blackboard retires.
When will I have access to Canvas?
All faculty have access to Canvas from September 30, 2025. Access Canvas at canvas.uic.edu using your UIC credentials.
I want to start working on my courses in Canvas. How do I get started?
If you’re ready to start working on restructuring a specific course or courses in Canvas, fill out the Canvas Course Site Copy request form. You can also request a ‘work site’ by filing out the Ongoing Course Site request form if you’d like to start building a new course from scratch.
I use tools like Echo360 and MatLab in my course, will these be available in Canvas?
Yes. These tools are known as Learning Tool Interoperability (LTIs). All the LTIs currently used at the university will be accessible in Canvas. Some tools may require updates to their latest versions to ensure Title II compliance and proper functionality within Canvas.
Information about available tools, update status, and Canvas integration is maintained on the UIC LTI Catalog.
I’m confused about the difference between teaching in Blackboard and Canvas. What’s different?
In both Blackboard and Canvas, courses are scheduled in Banner, and that scheduling information feeds into an empty course shell for the active term. These course shells include the correct instructors and enrolled students but do not contain course content.
In Blackboard, faculty are accustomed to copying content from a previous Blackboard course into the active term shell. The process in Canvas is similar, but because Canvas is a new LMS at UIC, a Canvas course starting point must first be created. Course content needs to be copied from Blackboard into Canvas and then used as the starting point for future Canvas courses. Blackboard course materials cannot be copied directly into an active Canvas course without first creating that Canvas version of the course.
What resources will be available to my college during this transition?
Each college that does not currently have one will be assigned an Instructional Designer (ID), along with graduate students and/or TAs. The ID and TAs will reach out to you for a consultation once your course or courses are ready to be restructured and remediated. They will handle most of the work, while faculty will be involved at various stages to edit and approve the course or courses.
What support is available after LTS has finished working with my college/school/department?
After LTS moves on to support other colleges schools/departments, faculty will still have access to self-paced resources, workshops, and general support. However, the full level of one-on-one instructional design support will no longer be available.
What resources will be available for Title II remediation?
LTS uses YuJa Panorama in Canvas to help identify and remediate accessibility issues directly within the LMS. This tool allows faculty, instructional designers, staff, and TAs to detect common accessibility problems and address them within their courses.
Workshops and documentation are available to support faculty in using YuJa Panorama and understanding accessibility expectations.
Where can I get information on University Protected Health Information (PHI) Policy for Learning Applications
On our LTS website you can get information on PHI as it relates to the LMS and learning applications on our page titled “University Protected Health Information (PHI) Policy for Learning Applications” additional information can be found at University of Illinois System Privacy Statement – EVPAA