Issue 3: Content Migration
The third edition of the Canvas newsletter is devoted to migration of iLearn courses to Canvas and content reorganization, including instructions and tips for moving content from iLearn to Canvas.
Migration Support
A key aspect of moving to Canvas for Fall 2022 or beyond is how best instructors can reorganize and integrate content migrating from iLearn into Canvas. Any migration from one system to another will require work to adjust content and refine use of features into the paradigm of a new system. In this case, the migration from iLearn to Canvas requires a basic understanding of the Canvas course organization structure and entails some specific reorganization steps for content of different types. Use of iLearn features (such as Discussion Forums or Quizzes) will require some additional adjustments.
Working with Your Migrated iLearn Courses in Canvas
Academic Technology has developed a support guide including a short video (7 minutes 30 seconds) that provides an additional overview. We also provide a feature to feature translation (between iLearn and Canvas), steps for setting up your custom Canvas course home page, and additional support for adding or reorganizing content.
View the guide or copy and paste the following link into your preferred web browser: https://athelp.sfsu.edu/hc/en-us/articles/6430417717139
Expectations for Migrations and Final Decisions for Teaching in Fall
We realize that the course migration process may be time-consuming and frustrating. We have generally recommended that instructors start with using a Canvas training module titled “Getting Started with Canvas” to gain a basic understanding of the structure of a Canvas course. With that background, we have provided support documentation and videos to help support specific tasks in the migration process (including the document highlighted above). AT is also available by phone (415-405-5555) and email (at@sfsu.edu) during regular business hours and is offering both One-on-One Canvas engagements (https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/CanvasSupportOfficeHours@mailsfsu.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/) and a full schedule of live workshops (https://canvas.sfsu.edu/canvas/training). We encourage all of you to call or join one of our many support options as you hit roadblocks, have quick questions, or feel frustrated and need a bit of redirection.
You are receiving this newsletter because you intend to teach at least one course in Canvas this fall. As of this newsletter date (August 11th), if you have not yet started the training and preparation process, we’d suggest you look at that you examine the process as soon as possible and consider pushing back this decision to Spring 2023 if you require more time. If you are also experiencing other challenges in migrating content or rebuilding your learning experiences from iLearn and are frustrated, we understand and also suggest that you consider buying yourself more time by opting to start teaching in Canvas in Spring 2023.
Changing Your Choice To Teach in Canvas in Fall 2022
If you’d like to reconsider your decision to teach in Canvas in Fall 2022 and would like to opt-out, please email at@sfsu.edu with the name, number and section number of the course and we will move it back to iLearn. We recommend opting-out prior to the start of the fall semester to avoid disruption to your students, however, we will continue work with you on opting out beyond the start as needed.
K16 Vendor Migration Update
Academic Technology has been working with K16, a vendor specializing in moving content between learning management system (LMS) platforms, to migrate course content from iLearn to Canvas. The K16 migration process will migrate all active iLearn course shells from Fall 2021 to Spring 2022 in a batch process. AT worked closely with K16 to “tune” their conversions to deliver the best possible migration, however, any migration will still require content reorganization and an evaluation of the use of features offered in the new system.
The K16 migrations should be completed by Friday, August 12th (the process was originally to be completed by July 29th but took longer than expected). Over 8,000 courses have been converted from iLearn into Canvas. Migrated course content will appear as options to select from in the Import Content section in Canvas. For more information, view the documentation via AT Help.
While this process is an improvement above the standard import options for course content from iLearn to Canvas, instructors will still need to format and shape course content after it is migrated.
Reminder to Publish Your Fall 2022 Courses
Make sure to publish your opted in Fall 2022 Canvas courses so your students can access the course through the My Courses block in iLearn. As a reminder, your opted-in Canvas courses are set as "unpublished" by default, which means students will not be able to see or access your Canvas course until you have manually published it.
Support Contact
As always, we welcome any feedback on the Canvas transition project in our community forum.
For specific questions or concerns, you can also call our main support line at 415-405-5555 or send us an email to at@sfsu.edu and we'll be more than happy to assist.