October 20, 2017  |  News & Events, Timely Announcements

Dear Colleagues,

In October the UW System Board of Regents approved a contract for a new Digital Learning Environment (DLE) – that is, a new online course management system — for all UW institutions. We will be moving from D2L to Canvas as our DLE. This change is the result of an extensive UW System RFP process that involved the input and cooperation of thousands across the UW System, including many faculty, staff, and students at UWM. The move to Canvas is an opportunity for UWM to continue and expand upon its tradition of student success and teaching and learning excellence. UWM’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) will be leading the campus implementation of Canvas. The CETL Team firmly believes this is a positive step forward for UWM and they will work to make this transition as smooth as possible for everyone!

Here are a few of the exciting features of using Canvas:

  • Mobile Learning: Canvas provides a mobile app and responsive design for mobile browsers
  • Group Workspaces: Canvas provides excellent tools for group collaboration
  • SpeedGrader: Canvas enables instructors to mark up papers directly in Canvas and give efficient feedback in discussions
  • Interface: Canvas provides a contemporary, user-friendly interface
  • Analytics: Canvas provides greater access to data and analytics

Feel free to visit the UW System DLE Implementation Project website, which describes the system-wide project and updates. Information specific to UWM—including the timeline, training opportunities, support information, and more—will be available in the coming weeks. UWM instructors will have until the close of the Fall 2019 semester to move their courses from D2L to Canvas.  CETL will let you know when and how you can move your courses.

In the meantime, I request that you:

  • Look for future information from UWM’s CETL Digital Learning Environment Project Managers
  • Do not reach out to UW-Madison for test courses, support, or resources
  • Do not request a course site directly from Canvas as you may not be able to easily move it to our version of Canvas, which may look considerably different.

If you have questions about the UWM or UW System implementation of Canvas, please email dle-project-managers@uwm.edu.

Take care,

Johannes Britz
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs