Welcome back, Spartans! We hope you’re rested, recharged, and ready to kick off the Spring 2025 semester. To help you get started, we’ve gathered essential Canvas updates, resources, and tips you need to prepare your course shells and set your students up for success.
Key Updates for Spring 2025
- Spring 2025 course shells are live.
- Lucid for Education is now integrated with Canvas.
- Update: Discussion Checkpoints disabled (see below)
- Optional AI features remain available in Canvas.
- Explore popular knowledge articles to help you get started for Spring 2025.
Spring 2025 Course Shells
All Spring 2025 course shells have been created and are available to instructors of record.
If you don’t see your course shell on your Dashboard:
- Go to Courses, then go to All Courses to verify its availability.
- Confirm your Instructor of Record status in Banner. If updates are needed, contact your department administrator.
- If you were recently added as the instructor of record, allow time for the next Canvas update cycle.
NEW! Lucid for Education Integration in Canvas
Lucid for Education is a suite of visual collaboration tools designed to enhance teaching and learning by enabling educators and students to create, collaborate, and communicate visually. It is now integrated with Canvas, providing tools for diagramming, brainstorming, and project management. This suite includes:
- Lucidchart: Create flowcharts, diagrams, and mind maps.
- Lucidspark: Collaborate on digital whiteboards for brainstorming and interactive activities.
Getting Started
- Log into Lucid through Canvas to activate your free account.
- Once activated, you can access Lucid through Canvas or the Lucid Virtual Collaboration Suite.
- Lucid documents can be submitted as official assignments and embedded directly into the Rich Content Editor in Canvas. If the Lucid logo is not visible, click the Plug-In icon to access additional apps.
Visit the Canvas: Lucid for Education knowledge article for more information, including guides for getting started with specific tools.
update: Discussion Checkpoints Disabled
The Discussion Checkpoints feature, initially set to launch on January 18, 2025, has been disabled due to unanticipated changes to SpeedGrader. We received significant feedback and concerns from instructors and are working with Canvas Support to address these issues.
We will share further updates as more information becomes available. In the meantime, traditional graded discussions remain unaffected and available for use.
AI Features in Canvas
Optional AI-powered features introduced in Fall 2024 remain available:
- Smart Search: Quickly find relevant content in Canvas.
- Discussion Summaries: Summarize lengthy discussion threads. (Consult with your ATS before use.)
These features are disabled by default. To enable, go to Course Settings, then go to Feature Options.
Data use and privacy information is available for Smart Search and Discussion Summaries.
Popular Knowledge Base Articles
Here are some popular resources to help you prepare for Spring 2025:
- Adding First Day Complete Course Materials to your Course Navigation
- Setting Up Teams Meetings in Canvas for Synchronous Virtual Class Meetings
- Best Practices for Importing Previous Course Content into New Canvas Shell
- Merging (Cross-Listing) Sections into one Canvas Shell
Is Your Canvas Course Student-Ready?
Explore the Canvas: Course Checklist – Ensuring Your Class is Student-Ready article to make sure everything is in place for the new semester.
Help Students with Microsoft Teams
Share the Student Guide to Microsoft Teams with your students to help them navigate class meetings. This guide includes:
- Key terms
- Setup instructions
- Troubleshooting tips
Need Help?
For help with Canvas:
- Search the Knowledge Base: Access step-by-step instructions and documentation in the 6-TECH Knowledge Base.
- Contact Academic Technology Support: Reach out to your school’s Academic Technology Specialist or submit a 6-TECH ticket.
- Instructional Design Assistance: Learn more and request support through the ITS Learning Technology website.
For other technical assistance, please contact 6-TECH:
- Phone: (336) 256-TECH (8324)
- Email: 6-TECH@uncg.edu
- Submit a ticket: 6-TECH Online Portal
Stay connected by subscribing to ITS News and the UTLC Newsletter for ongoing updates and resources.
