Rowan University will begin transitioning its learning management system from Blackboard to Canvas this year to streamline course delivery for faculty and provide a seamless experience for students across all schools and colleges whether they are taking a traditional face-to-face, hybrid or online course.
While this project has been in the works for some time, the sudden need to move so many classes online highlighted the difficulties of operating one university with two different learning management systems. Courses developed in Canvas could not migrate easily to Blackboard or vice versa. As we anticipate further development of online courses and the need to be flexible in our course delivery options, the need to convert to a single learning management system has become clear.
The first step of the transition to Canvas will begin this summer and focus on non-medical undergraduate and graduate courses across all campuses. Canvas will replace Blackboard for those courses in the fall 2020 semester.
Faculty at the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU) and the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM) will start receiving training on Canvas in the beginning of 2021. Canvas will replace Blackboard for medical courses in the fall 2021 term.
We recognize that this will require some faculty to adapt to a new learning environment in a time already filled with challenges, but once done, the entire university will operate under a single system with greater flexibility in accommodating both online and in-person settings. We appreciate both your cooperation and understanding.
Information Resources & Technology, in partnership with the Division of Academic Affairs, will be providing additional details and training materials in the coming months to support faculty during this transition.
If you have any questions, please contact the Technology Support Center at 856-256-4400, or submit a ticket in the IRT Support Portal.