Student FAQs

Accessing Canvas

What is Canvas?

Canvas is a modern and intuitive Virtual Learning Environment, provided by Instructure, an educational technology company founded in 2008. Canvas will be replacing Blackboard from August 1st 2020.

Why was Canvas chosen?

Consultation with staff and students began in November 2017 to identify what features and functionality were expected for any future VLE provision at Newcastle.

There was a fantastic level of engagement with surveys and focus groups from all areas of the University and the feedback gathered helped to inform a comprehensive set of requirements which were finalised by the VLE Review Task and Finish group, chaired by Prof. Simon Pallett.

Newcastle published its Invitation to Tender on March 1st 2019. Following feedback from staff and students throughout the consultation phase, it was clear that usability and ease of use were highly important and as a result, the user experience was weighted equally to the functional/technical requirements and the cost of the system.

A cross-functional team representing key stakeholder groups scored the requirements and 90 staff and 28 students volunteered to test and score the systems' usability against key tasks.

Following the tender process Canvas achieved the highest overall score and this proved that it was the best system to meet the University's requirements.

When can I get access to Canvas?

All students will be given access to Canvas in April 2020. You will have access to sample courses and training materials to familiarise yourself with the platform.

Your login details will be the same as for other University systems and will use the Office365 login mechanism you use to access your emails.

A number of modules have already been identified as early adopters and students taking these modules will be using Canvas during Semester 2, 2019/20 academic year.

What browsers are supported in Canvas?

A list of Canvas supported browsers and requirements can be found at https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1284

How do I access Canvas from my mobile device?

You can access Canvas through the Canvas app on a number of mobile devices. Instructure offers a free mobile app for both iOS and Android. When opening the app for the first time you will be asked for school or institution.

Enter Newcastle and select Newcastle University

Learn more about connecting to various mobile devices here:

When will the change to Canvas happen?

Canvas will be used as the University's centrally supported VLE from August 1st 2020.

Throughout the 2019-20 academic year, all modules will be delivered as normal on Blackboard and staff and students will continue to be supported in their use of Blackboard. From August 2020 this provision will move to Canvas.

How do I change how often I get emails from Canvas?

You can change how often you get notifications from Canvas:

Select Account on the left navigation
Select Notifications

IMPORTANT Note: We strongly recommend that you keep Announcement and Conversation Message notifications set to “notify me right away”. Many lecturers will use these for primary communications with the class.

Why do I not see my courses on the dashboard?

If your module leader has not published the course it will not appear on your dashboard.
If you have a lot of courses on your dashboard, it may be hidden.

To view all courses:

Click on Courses in the left navigation
Click on All Courses to see all of the courses you are enrolled on.

Migration from Blackboard

What will happen to existing Blackboard content and do I need to do save anything?

All Blackboard content from the last three years will be migrated into Canvas for reference and students will get access to this once the courses have been reviewed and published by module teams. If you can't see your 19/20 courses from the 24th July, then please get in touch with your lecturer.

It will not be possible to access your previous assignments inCanvas. If you wish to keep your assignments or any feedback, you will need to download them prior to Blackboard becoming unavailable (31st July 2020).

From 5pm on July 31st 2020, you will lose access to the Turnitin assignments that have been submitted through Blackboard.

If you need to access your assignments and feedback, you will need to follow these steps before the 31st of July:

1) Access the feedback to your submission by following the steps in the 'How to access your feedback in Turnitin' student guide

2) Select the down arrow in the menu panel

3) Choose “Current View”.

4) Save the .pdf

This will download an annotated .pdf with your feedback included.

Will ReCap be affected?

ReCap will be integrated with Canvas so current and future recordings will continue to be accessible to students.

ReCap recordings from the 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years will be available in Canvas from the 24th July 2020 and, from this date, ReCap recordings will no longer be accessible from Blackboard.

Training and Support

How do I get help using Canvas?

The Canvas 24/7 help is available to all staff and students 365 days per year to answer any 'How do I ' questions you may have. You can use either live chat or phone support via the help menu in Canvas.

Canvas support will be able to help with Canvas queries but not with login issues, ReCap or Turnitin so in these cases you may be redirected to the University's IT Service Desk.

Can I use Office365 in Canvas?

Yes, you will be asked once to give Canvas permission to link to your Office365 account.

Is there a training course for Canvas?

Canvas is designed to be easy and intuitive to use and you won't need any formal training sessions but the Canvas Implementation Team have developed a 'Getting to Know Canvas' online course which you will see on your Canvas dashboard or in your Courses list. This takes you through the key areas of Canvas including platform navigation, setting your notification preferences, accessing content and submitting an assignment.

In addition to these FAQs you can also access Canvas student support guides which are all available on the Canvas community. Please be aware not everything will apply to how we are using Canvas at Newcastle.

You also have access to the Canvas 24/7 support via live chat, phone or email from the Help menu in Canvas.

I have a question about how Canvas is used on my course. Who should I speak to?

You should speak to your tutor or course administrator. Please do not contact Canvas as they cannot help with course-related inquiries.

Assessment and resits

I have deferred my assessments to the August assessment period. Will I use Blackboard or Canvas for this?

From 5pm on the 31st July 2020, all learning materials and assessments will be accessed and submitted through Canvas. Blackboard will not be available to staff or students from this date.

Your modules in Blackboard are being copied into Canvas so you will be able to use these for revision or submission purposes. These should be available to you in Canvas from w/c 22nd June. They will remain in Blackboard until the end of July. It's important to note that the content won't necessarily be structured in Canvas in the same way as in Blackboard as the two systems have a different menu structure.

Canvas is really easy to use, and you can now log in to Canvas using your normal University login details. Go to the Getting to know Canvas' online course which you will see on your Canvas dashboard or in your Course list. This course will help you to familiarise yourself with Canvas terminology and navigate the platform and includes screencasts such as ' How to submit a Turnitin assignment', Canvas video guides and links to a large number of Canvas' step by step guides.

Any time you need help you can also access the Canvas 24/7 support via live chat from the Canvas help menu.

Do my previously submitted Turnitin assignments and feedback on Blackboard copy into Canvas as I need access to them after July 31st?

No. Previously submitted assignments in Blackboard do not transfer in to Canvas.

From 5pm on July 31st 2020, you will lose access to the Turnitin assignments that have been submitted through Blackboard.

If you need to access your assignments and feedback, you will need to follow these steps before the 31^st of July:

1) Access the feedback to your submission by following the steps in the 'How to access your feedback in Turnitin' student guide

2) Select the down arrow in the menu panel

3) Choose “Current View”.

4) Save the .pdf

This will download an annotated .pdf with your feedback included.

I am a postgraduate student and my module runs over July 31st when the University loses access to Blackboard. How do I submit any assignments or dissertations after that date?

Any assessments that are due to be submitted after the 31st July will need to be submitted through Canvas.

The Canvas implementation team are working with your lecturers to copy your upcoming assessment submission points in to an equivalent Canvas course and you may start to see in the assessment submission area of your Blackboard course, a link to the newly created assignment in Canvas, instructions on what you need to do and a screencast showing you how to submit in the new platform.

A plan for the transition of the rest of the learning materials on any PG courses that span the July 31st date have been communicated to the schools and, for the majority, this content will be copied into Canvas w/c 22nd June. For any queries about this you can contact canvas@ncl.ac.uk.

Canvas is a really intuitive platform, and you can now log in to Canvas using your University login (loginID@newcastle.ac.uk). All students have access to a 'Getting to Know Canvas' course which will take you through the key areas of Canvas including submitting an assignment and accessing marks and feedback which will help you in the transition. If you need help at any time, you can access the library of Canvas step-by-step and video guides and contact the Canvas 24/7 support from the Help menu within the platform.

I am an INTO student and my module runs over July 31st when the University loses access to Blackboard. How do I submit any assignments or dissertations after that date?

Any assessments that are due to be submitted after the 31st July will need to be submitted through Canvas.

The Canvas implementation team have been working with your lecturers/tutors to work out a suitable date to transfer your module from Blackboard to Canvas before the 31st July and this varies depending on the programme you are studying.

Canvas is a really intuitive platform, and you can now log in to Canvas using your University login (loginID@newcastle.ac.uk). All students have access to a 'Getting to Know Canvas' course which will take you through the key areas of Canvas including submitting an assignment and accessing marks and feedback which will help you in the transition. If you need help, you can access the library of Canvas step-by-step and video guides and contact the Canvas 24/7 support from the Help menu within the platform.

I have a resit exam in August. Will I have access to my previous content for revision?

Yes. All learning materials from 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 are being copied into Canvas from Blackboard and you will have access to these from the end of June for revision purposes.

It's important to note that the structure of the content within the Canvas course may not display exactly the same as it does in Blackboard as the course menus are not the same. The majority of your learning materials will be displayed within the modules area of the Canvas course.

The 'Getting to Know Canvas' course will familiarise you with Canvas terminology e.g. what is meant by courses and modules, and will help you to navigate your way around the new platform. You can also contact the Canvas 24/7 support via the Help menu in Canvas at any time who will help you via live chat when you need it.