Instructure Canvas will replace Blackboard Learn as the core learning management system (LMS) used at Hopkins. The LMS currently in use at almost all JHU divisions was Blackboard Learn. By the beginning of FA22, all JHU courses will be hosted in Instructure Canvas (https://canvas.jhu.edu/).

JHU SAIS faculty, students, and staff worked together with central Hopkins and representatives for all 9 JHU divisions in testing and selecting the best suited LMS for JHU. Upon the successful selection of Canvas as our LMS, the SAIS ODL team, in collaboration and coordination with JHU central IT, has created the migration plan for all SAIS courses to complete migration into Canvas by the start of FA22.

To achieve this goal, SAIS courses will be migrated into Canvas in two phases. Phase 1 migration, which is currently underway, will wrap up by the end SP22. This phase includes only fully online courses and some organization sites.

Phase 2 migration, which will commence at the start of SU22 and will wrap up by the start of FA22, will include all other SAIS courses.

Please note that the most recent version of your course as of FA21 will be migrated into Canvas. Please keep track of changes made to your courses in SP22 and/or SU22 so that you can implement those updates in your course after it is migrated to Canvas.

In summary, fully online courses will be taught in Canvas starting SU22, while all other courses will continue to run in Blackboard until the end of SU22. Starting FA22, all courses will run in Canvas. It is important to know that even if your course is running in Canvas, faculty, and students will continue to have access to Blackboard to retrieve any necessary materials from previous run courses. This access will remain available until the end of November 2022.

Important: Blackboard will be taken offline on December 1, 2022, so please ensure you have everything you need from Blackboard well before that date.

Next Steps:

• The centralized JHU Canvas Help Documentation repository is available on the Canvas at JHU website. Check out the Faculty Resources and Students Resources links on the navigation menu. This repository can be used to learn more about Canvas features and answer common questions.
• Explore the Canvas Community. This is where Canvas users, from all around the world, help each other find answers, share ideas, and network or collaborate.
• The Canvas Training Services Portal will become available on April 1, 2022. This portal includes access to live trainings and asynchronous courses and videos.
• Synchronous workshops will be hosted by the Online & Distance Learning team starting in April 2022. The workshops will run every month until the start of FA22. These will be an opportunity to learn SAIS-specific Canvas best practices, get some hands-on training, collaborate with your peers, and ask questions.

 

ODL will continue to update you on the progress of the LMS migration.

Please reach out to sais.odl@jhu.edu with all your Canvas migration-related questions and concerns.