EVMS myPortal
Welcome
Logout

Announcements

Embracing a bright future with Canvas: Our new Learning Management System (LMS)

Dear Faculty and Staff,

We are thrilled to announce the exciting transition to Canvas, our new cutting-edge Learning Management System (LMS). As we embark on this journey, we want to assure you that our approach is designed to make the transition as smooth as possible. Institutional leadership has collaborated closely, recognizing the immense value of a unified LMS to enhance your teaching experience and minimize disruptions to your students as we transition to become part of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University.

Here’s what you can expect:

  1. Access for all: Starting this month, Canvas will be available to all faculty and staff members. You’ll find comprehensive resources to guide you as you log in and explore this powerful platform.
  2. Pilot program for excellence: In Fall 2024, the EVMS School of Health Professions (EVMS SHP) will lead the way with a pilot program. Their valuable insights will shape the Canvas experience for everyone.
  3. Spring 2025 full adoption (EVMS SHP): Following the successful pilot, the EVMS SHP will fully transition to Canvas in Spring 2025.
  4. Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) timeline: We are committed to tailoring this transition to meet the unique needs of each cohort within the medical school. MD Program Clerkship (MD2027) and Elective (MD2026) phases will be in Canvas in Spring 2025. MD Program Pre-Clerkship phase will be in Canvas for Fall 2025.

Please review the following details and act where needed.

Access to Canvas

To provide ample time for familiarization with the new LMS, faculty and staff members will have access to Canvas starting this month. To access Canvas, please log in at https://canvas.odu.edu.

Action Required:

Preliminary resources for faculty/staff:

  1.    Personal Sandbox course: Every faculty and staff member will immediately have access to a personal Sandbox course in Canvas. This Sandbox is not your live course, but an empty course where you can explore and experiment with the various Canvas features. Faculty and staff members can access their Sandbox course in their Canvas Dashboard.
  2. “Growing with Canvas” training course: All faculty and staff members will be enrolled in the “Growing with Canvas” self-paced training course, which can be accessed in your Canvas Dashboard.
  3. The Canvas Instructor Guide from Instructure

Training opportunities:

Canvas training will be available in various formats. Faculty members are invited to attend either in-person, online (via Zoom), or visit the Learning Management Integration Resources SharePoint site. The schedule for these sessions will be advertised in the coming weeks to help prepare for the fall semester and beyond. All faculty members are encouraged to attend these training sessions, regardless of when their courses will go live in Canvas. The training sessions will be recorded, and the recordings will be made available to all faculty and staff members.

Canvas training sessions, both live webinars and asynchronous, are also available through the Canvas Training Portal.

Pilot program for the EVMS SHP:

Several courses within the EVMS SHP will be part of a pilot program and will go live in Canvas during the Fall 2024 semester. You may review the complete list of SHP courses participating in the pilot program. The medical school will follow a slightly different schedule for various cohorts as detailed below.

Important migration information:

We appreciate your cooperation and enthusiasm as we make this significant transition to enhance our teaching and learning experiences. Further updates and detailed schedules will follow at a later date.