Academic Technology Policies
Questions? - Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu
Table of Contents
- Blueprint Courses in Canvas
- Canvas Global Announcements
- Academic Integrity/Student Data
- Canvas Guest User Accounts
- Subaccount Administrator Access
- Teaching Tools in Canvas
- Record Retention Schedule in Canvas
Blueprint Courses in Canvas
Blueprint courses allow an instructor and/or academic coordinator to create content and learning objects in a single template course, lock specific settings and/or content items, and push updates to all associated courses through course syncing. Any items that are not locked can be managed individually by other course instructors. Content that can be edited by an associate-course instructor is not overwritten when the Blueprint Course is synced to associated courses, and new content created in an associated course is not erased. Blueprint courses ensure that all associated sections have the same core content but allow for individual instructor personalization.
Note: There are nuances within Blueprint courses and if not set up correctly, could have unintended consequences.
Policy
Requests to create a Blueprint course should be sent to Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu. When a new Blueprint course request is made, coordinators will be required to attend a consultation with a member of the Academic Technology team to review how Blueprint courses function, answer any course-related questions, and provide a list of course sections to associate.
Canvas Global Announcements
Global Announcements appear on the Canvas Dashboard for all users or targeted audiences (teachers, students, TAs, etc.). They can be created at a global level and subaccount level by Instructure, Canvas admins, and/or subaccount administrators.
Policy
Global announcements will be approved using the following criteria:
- The announcement sponsor must be a university entity.
- Audience can be teachers, TAs, and/or students.
- Announcement must support the academic mission/student academic success of the university. Canvas is where students go to LEARN.
- Announcement can be no longer than 85 words; To keep announcements brief, consider including a link to additional information.
- Optional: Images can be no larger than 125x125px.
- Announcements are typically published on Sundays and will remain active for seven days.
- To ensure diversity and avoid overwhelming the platform, sponsors are limited to one 7-day announcement and cannot post back-to-back weeks.
- Requests will be forwarded to the Provost’s Office to ensure announcements support the University’s academic mission and student academic success.
- No more than two Canvas Global Announcements will be displayed at a time.
Procedure
- Requests must be submitted using this form
Links to an external site. seven days prior to desired publication date.
- (Sign-in Links to an external site. may be required to validate access within The University of Texas at Austin)
- We will respond within 1-2 business days.
Example Global Announcements
Academic Integrity/Student Data
The Teaching, Learning and Collaboration team is often contacted by students and instructors regarding access to student records, specifically page views, and access data for academic integrity inquiries or other similar student activity metrics. However, inconsistent application of who is granted access to student data, or the unintentional exposure of private student data to unauthorized persons is a potential risk. Therefore, a guidance policy based on who should vet these requests in conjunction with the Student Conduct and Academic Integrity office and Information Security Office, removing the Canvas team from directly participating unless specifically engaged by the request of either of these offices was established.
Policy
All Canvas data requests, specifically page views and access data for academic integrity inquiries or other similar student activity metrics, will be deferred to the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity and/or the Information Security Office depending on the nature of the request.
Canvas Guest User Accounts
Access to Canvas is established by a user’s university affiliation. By default, the affiliations automatically provided a Canvas user account include current faculty, current staff, current students, future faculty, future students, and official visitors. There are certain scenarios that would require a non-UT affiliated user to access Canvas. Such examples include visiting instructors, program participants, course auditors, anonymous graders, and vendors. Each role that requires access would apply for the current term only, and access would expire at the end of the term. Former students/faculty needing access to acquire files or content are allowed access on a temporary basis – no more than five days, unless sponsored by current faculty/admin. Approved users will receive a 'Courseware User Entitlement' or CWU by the UT Service Desk. Entitlements must have an expiration date, but may be extended by approval.
Note: Guest access is limited to small groups (less than 50 people). Larger groups should schedule a consultation to determine if Canvas is the best solution.
Policy
Requests for course auditors and anonymous graders should come from the instructor of record, not the student/grader. Please send the name, UT EID, and semester access is requested (CWU will expire at the end of the term) to Canvas@utlists.utexas.edu.
Canvas Sub-Account Administrator Access
Course and non-academic sites are organized in a hierarchical structure within Canvas referred to as sub accounts. There is a root/global/top-level account, and sub-accounts for each college/school and department that contains their respective course sites. Sub-account administrator access allows local instructional support staff to manage and configure courses within their domain. These roles present opportunities to customize the course environments and provide enriched support to users within a college/school/unit.
Administrator access is intended to help provide technical support, user support, or access analytical data related to the courses within the sub-account. Canvas sites and instructional materials are considered privileged communications and should not be accessed without the instructor's consent. Moreover, the sub-account administrator role grants access to highly protected data, such as instructor materials not otherwise shared and student data that is protected by FERPA. Given the level of access granted by this role, a strict policy for onboarding and offboarding administrators should be adopted.
Policy
Before access is granted, the requestor must:
- Receive approval from an academic dean, department chair, or other authority to authorize an employee to have view and edit access to all Canvas sites and user accounts within their sub-account.
- Use this form Links to an external site. to submit the business justification, requested role, and acknowledge completed FERPA and Information Security training.
- Complete Sub Account Administrator training delivered through Canvas.
- Attend a 45 minute consultation with a member of the Teaching, Learning & Collaboration team.
Roles and Permissions
Current Roles: College Admin and Department Admin. For the breakdown of permissions for each role, please view Account Level Permissions.docx Links to an external site.
Required Training - Onboarding
Admins have access to secure data within Canvas, including student records and instructional materials. Confirmation of the following training is a required step in the admin request process.
- Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)*
- Information Security Awareness*
- Canvas Sub-Acct Admin Training
*Available in UTLearn
Annual Audits - Offboarding
Once a user leaves the University, their Canvas user account is removed. When adding new users, the best practice is to confirm addition and reply with the list of all admins for that subaccount to catch any mid-year updates.
Once a year, timed with our Records Retention course deletion policy, we will pull a report of all subaccount admins and verify with each c/s/u.
Canvas Teaching Tools (3rd Party Tools/LTIs)
Teaching tools or third-party applications are educational technology applications used for instructional purposes. Most of these applications can be integrated into Canvas to provide a seamless experience for students.
Canvas hosts directory data that falls under FERPA law. Third party applications that are integrated into Canvas must also comply with TX-RAMP guidelines for Cloud Services (law-Senate Bill 475).
Policy
- Determine if the LTI tool is using FERPA Links to an external site.data. FERPA data may include course enrollment data, assignment submission data, and/or student grades. If you are unsure, please contact canvas@utlists.utexas.edu.
- If “Yes,” then TX-RAMP certification or an ISORA assessment is required. Our team will work with the vendor and Information Security Office (ISO) to vet the application (LTI tool). Interested instructors/staff will need to work with their local Business Contracts Office to secure a contract - even if the tool is "free." From start to finish, these steps typically take 4 - 6 weeks (about 1 and a half months) depending on the request backlog. Plan ahead!
Vetted and Approved apps (Canvas)
Record Retention Schedule for Canvas "Term" Courses
The next course deletion period will be Friday, October 25, 2024 at 5pm. In accordance with record retention guidelines, we will be removing Fall 2018, Spring 2019, and Summer 2019. Courses in the 'Default,' and 'Organization' terms will NOT be deleted.
In accordance with the University of Texas at Austin Records Retention Schedule (UTRRS) Links to an external site., official term courses* in Canvas that are five (5) years or older will be deleted at the end of the academic year. This may include but is not limited to course records such as:
Syllabi; Course Descriptions; Modules; Course Announcements; Digital Materials (Files); Videos; Course Pages; Course Discussions; Course Assignments and Quizzes; Rubrics; related grade documentation: Submissions, SpeedGrader Comments, Grades; and Correspondence (Inbox)
For more information, please read Record Retention Schedule for Canvas 'Term' Courses