Important Updates: Transition to Canvas LMS, New Instructional Tools and Protocols

 

Dear Colleagues,

I hope this message finds you well and excited to begin the new academic year. I am writing to share several important updates related to course delivery and instructional support starting this fall.

 

Transition to Canvas LMS

Thanks to the work of several faculty and IT staff, UMass Dartmouth has now fully transitioned from Blackboard to Canvas as our official Learning Management System (LMS). All courses will be conducted exclusively on Canvas.

Learn more about Canvas Policies and Procedures.

Student Access to Canvas Courses

Students will now receive access to their Canvas course sites seven (7) days prior to the official course start date listed in COIN. Canvas has a single site-opening date for all Fall courses. This course site’s launch date was set to seven days prior to the course start date after consultation with the Faculty Senate Steering Committee.  Fall 2025 courses will be open to students on 8/27/2025.

All course sites are set as Published as a default to ensure student access. Faculty may toggle their sites to Unpublished if their course is not yet ready for student access.  When a course is unpublished, students cannot access the course site and content or receive course announcements until the site is toggled back to Published. If you plan to communicate with your students before the official start date, please use one of the following options:

1. Ensure your Canvas course site is set to Published and then use the Announcements tool.
2. Use the email roster functionality in COIN to reach your registered students directly.

Please see UMassD’s Study Guide to Canvas for more information on the Canvas transition.

 

New Support Tool: Brainfuse Online Tutoring and Writing Lab

We are excited to introduce Brainfuse, a new platform offering 24/7 online tutoring and writing support for students across a variety of disciplines. We encourage you to share this resource with your students and integrate it into your syllabi, course sites, and Canvas announcements. The Academic Resources Center (ARC) with the Business Center and Writing and Multiliteracy Center (WMC), located on the second floor of the Library during the LARTS renovation, and the STEM Learning Lab, located on the second floor of SENG, will continue to be the primary sources of tutoring services for students, with Brainfuse supplementing on campus tutoring services during off-hours and during peak demand.

Learn more about Brainfuse.

We appreciate your continued commitment to delivering high-quality instruction and student support. These updates reflect our shared goal of making teaching and learning more seamless, accessible, and effective. Should you have any questions or need assistance with Canvas or other instructional tools, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Instructional Development team.

 

Ramprasad Balasubramanian
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs