Canvas for Faculty and Staff: Course Preparation, Training, and Support

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Canvas for Faculty and Staff: Course Preparation, Training, and Support

Access Canvas, prepare courses, review migrated content, complete training, and connect with instructional and technical support.

Overview

Canvas becomes North Carolina A&T State University’s learning management system beginning Fall 2026. Faculty and staff can access Canvas to review available course shells, prepare courses, complete training, and become familiar with Canvas tools.

Access Canvas

Faculty and staff can access Canvas at ncat.instructure.com using their university OneID credentials.

Getting Started With Canvas

Go to https://ncat.instructure.com.
Sign in using your OneID@ncat.edu username and OneID password.
Complete multifactor authentication if prompted.
Review the courses and organizations displayed on your Dashboard.
Select Courses and then All Courses to view additional course shells.
Complete the available Canvas training before preparing or delivering a course.

Access Canvas Watch: Accessing Canvas for the First Time

The Accessing Canvas for the First Time video is approximately seven minutes.

Find More Information

Select one of the sections below to review course shells, course preparation, training, Instructional Designers, Blackboard migration, frequently asked questions, and support information.

Select a section below to view additional information.

Course Shells and Migrated Courses

Blank Fall 2026 course shells were loaded into Canvas in March 2026.

Spring 2025 through Spring 2026 courses were migrated into Canvas and may be used for copying and course preparation. Summer I and Summer II 2026 course shells will be added to Canvas as well.

Migration Does Not Complete Course Preparation

Faculty are responsible for building courses and reviewing course materials as needed. Migrated or imported content may require changes to navigation, links, assignments, quizzes, due dates, accessibility, integrated tools, and the overall Canvas course layout.

Canvas Course Preparation Checklist

Before publishing a Canvas course:

Confirm that you are working in the correct course and section.
Review the course home page and navigation menu.
Confirm that the syllabus and instructor information are current.
Organize content into clearly labeled modules.
Review assignments, discussions, quizzes, and grade settings.
Update semester dates, assignment due dates, availability dates, and calendar entries.
Test links, files, videos, publisher materials, and external applications.
Review copied or migrated quizzes for question and answer accuracy.
Confirm that course materials meet accessibility requirements.
Remove or hide outdated and duplicate content.
Use Student View to review the course from a student’s perspective.
Publish the required modules, assignments, and course when ready.

Canvas Day 1 Ready Checklist

Use the complete Canvas Day 1 Ready Checklist to review the detailed steps needed to prepare your course before students receive access.

View the Canvas Day 1 Ready Checklist

Publishing Courses and Content

Students cannot view an unpublished course. Publishing the course alone may not make every item visible. Modules, pages, assignments, quizzes, and other required content may also need to be published.

Verify the publication status, course start date, and content availability dates before directing students to access an activity.

ITTD will publish all courses system-wide prior to the first day of classes. Students will not be able to enter course shells and complete work until the first day of classes.

Canvas Training

ITTD offers monthly training sessions, workshops, self-paced resources, and instructional support to help faculty and staff learn Canvas.

Use the button below to review and register for scheduled training opportunities.

View and Register for Canvas Training

Access On-Demand Canvas Training

Sign in to Canvas.
Select Help from the Canvas global navigation menu.
Select Training Services Portal.
If prompted, select Authorize.
At the top of the page, select Higher Education.
Review the available training options and enroll.

Instructional Designers and Assigned Units

Each college or designated unit has an assigned ITTD Instructional Designer. Instructional Designers serve as primary contacts for Canvas implementation, course development, course migration, training, accessibility, and instructional design assistance.

Instructional Designer	Email	Assigned Colleges and Units
Danielle Crosby	dacrosby@ncat.edu	College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences College of Education College of Engineering
David Whitehead	dfwhitehead@ncat.edu	Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering
Keia Pannell	kdpannell@ncat.edu	College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences College of Science and Technology Military Science Aerospace Studies Center for Academic Excellence Honors College

Course Preparation Assistance

Instructional Designers and Canvas Coaches provide support that may include:

Course development and migration guidance.
Review of migrated course content.
Canvas workshops and training.
Hands-on assistance and consultations.
Canvas course template options.
Course organization and navigation recommendations.
Accessibility guidance.
Guidance for using Canvas features and academic tools.
One-on-one or small-group support.

View the Canvas Implementation Website

Academic Tools and Third-Party Integrations

Many academic tools previously integrated with Blackboard are also integrated with Canvas. Availability and configuration may differ by tool or course.

These tools may include:

Publisher-provided course tools and materials
Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor
Panopto
Qwickly Attendance
Accessibility tools
Video and multimedia services
Other university-approved instructional applications

Verify Tools Before the Course Begins

Do not assume that a copied or migrated integration is ready for student use. Open and test each integrated tool, confirm the correct course association, and verify student access before publishing the activity.

Using Migrated Course Content

After a Blackboard course has been migrated, faculty can copy the content into a new course shell. After copying content into a new course shell:

Confirm that required files and course materials copied successfully.
Review the organization of modules, pages, and course navigation.
Open and test links, files, videos, and external applications.
Review assignments, discussions, quizzes, and question banks.
Review the Canvas Gradebook and assignment group settings.
Update due dates, availability dates, and semester-specific information.
Remove duplicate, outdated, or unsupported content.
Confirm that content meets accessibility requirements.
Use Student View to verify the student experience.
Publish the course and required content only after the review is complete.

Do Not Assume Everything Migrated Correctly

Course migration does not guarantee that every item will appear or function exactly as it did in Blackboard. Faculty remain responsible for reviewing each Canvas course before students receive access.

Blackboard Content and Historical Data

Course delivery transitions from Blackboard to Canvas for Fall 2026. Faculty, staff, and authorized administrators will continue to have limited Blackboard access for approved data retrieval and course exports through June 30, 2027.

Courses offered before Spring 2025 are not included in the identified Canvas migration terms. Faculty will have an opportunity to download and securely store required Blackboard course packages before Blackboard is retired.

User activity, submissions, and other user-generated data are not included in the standard course-content migration. Departments and course owners should archive required information in accordance with university records, privacy, security, and retention requirements.

Migration Support

Contact your assigned Instructional Designer or ITTD for assistance preparing Blackboard content, reviewing a migrated course, organizing Canvas content, or resolving migration concerns.

Canvas Access for Staff and Organizations

Staff access Canvas using university OneID credentials.

Staff members who previously used manually created Blackboard accounts beginning with org_ will not use these credentials in Canvas.

Faculty and Staff Frequently Asked Questions

When can faculty start using Canvas?

Faculty can access Canvas now. Blank Fall 2026 course shells were loaded into Canvas in March, and Spring 2025-Spring 2026 course shells are available for copying, exporting, and course preparation.

Will my existing Blackboard courses be migrated?

Courses from Spring 2025 through Spring 2026 were migrated into Canvas and can be used to prepare Fall 2026 courses. Summer I 2026 and Summer II 2026 courses will be migrated into Canvas in the fall.

Will training and support be provided?

Yes. ITTD provides workshops, monthly training, self-paced learning opportunities, and instructional consultations. Visit learn.ncat.edu to register.

What additional support does ITTD provide?

Assigned Instructional Designers
Canvas Champions and Canvas Coaches
Hands-on assistance
One-on-one consultations
Canvas course templates
Course development and migration support

Will I still be able to use instructional and third-party tools?

Many tools previously integrated with Blackboard have been integrated with Canvas. Faculty should confirm that each required tool is available and configured before using it with students.

What will happen to courses offered before Spring 2025?

These courses are not included in the identified migration terms. Faculty will have access to download and store required backups before Blackboard is decommissioned on June 30, 2027.

Will Blackboard user activity and data be migrated?

No. Standard migration does not include user activity or user-generated data.

Will staff still have access to Canvas?

Yes. Staff can access Canvas using university OneID credentials. Access depends on assigned roles and permissions.

Will business processes, integrations, or reports change?

Some processes, integrations, and reporting tools may change. Updates will be communicated by the implementation team.

Where to Get Help

Instructional and Course Design Assistance

Contact your assigned Instructional Designer or ITTD for course design, migrated content, templates, training, accessibility, instructional use of Canvas, and academic-tool integration guidance.

Account and Technical Assistance

Contact the IT Service Desk for OneID sign-in problems, access errors, system errors, or technical problems that cannot be resolved through basic troubleshooting.

Questions about the Canvas implementation may be sent to ittddept@ncat.edu.

Include the course name, course reference number or section, semester, affected users, browser and device, complete error message, screenshots, and troubleshooting steps already attempted.

Canvas Faculty and Staff Resources

Access Canvas, register for training, review documentation, or request assistance.

Access Canvas Canvas Day 1 Ready Checklist Register for Canvas Training Watch the Canvas First-Access Video Canvas Implementation Information Canvas Instructor Guide Request Technical Assistance

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Canvas for Faculty and Staff: Course Preparation, Training, and Support