Canvas Communication Policy

Overview

Canvas is a learning management system (LMS) that a number of colleges and programs at WesternU utilize to deliver and manage curriculum. Click here for a listing of LMS usage on campus.

Below you will find the policy related to communication between Online Education and users of Canvas for assistance with the platform.

General

• Requests, issues, and questions related to Canvas from all users must be submitted via the service/issue request intake form linked here. The purpose of this central intake area is to provide Canvas support personnel redundancy, increase communication efficiency, and to assist Online Education with managing work volume surges preceding and following new semester course launches.
• Once a ticket is submitted by a user, they will receive an automated message to their university email account via the university ticketing system, TeamDynamix (TDX). This email will include ticket portal links to access the details of the ticket (e.g., full communication thread, status updates, related documents) and the user may access these links at any time to view the most up-to-date information. The email will be sent from Online Education Support. Click on the screenshot below to view an example of the email which will be received.

• Providing an Update or Loading Documents
  • There are two ways in which a user can provide an update/reply to the ticket or to load relevant documents for Online Education to reference.
    1. Email
    • A user may reply directly via their university email to the automated TDX email received. The email reply will simultaneously post an update to the ticket feed and notify Online Education and additional contacts listed on the ticket regarding the update. Users may also include attachments and those files will automatically post to the ticket for reference as well.
    2. Ticket Portal
    • When accessing the ticket portal links via the TDX email, users are routed directly to an area where updates can be posted, contacts can be notified, and files can be loaded for reference. 
• Users will receive an acknowledgement of their ticket by Online Education and next steps by no later than the following business day.
• For emergencies (e.g., platform-wide outage, access to timely exams, etc.), the Online Education department will strive to reply back as soon as is possible.
• Users will be notified of updates to the ticket by automated email from Online Education Support.
• All communication must be via the ticketing system.  Users will not get a reply to a message sent through Teams or to an email sent directly to the Canvas Admin. 

Launching Courses in a New Semester

• Preceding new semester start dates, historical main points of contact within colleges/programs who have courses that were previously launched in Canvas will receive an automated TDX email from Online Education. This email will inform that a ticket has been created and that the communication area is now open regarding course launch activities for the upcoming semester. Appropriate contacts will receive one TDX email/ticket per course, per semester, and this ticket will serve as the sole communication area specific to the new semester launch of the referenced course.
• It is expected that all communication (including status updates) and needed files sent to and from the Online Education will occur within the ticket. As course ownership/support may change from semester to semester, please contact Online Education via the ticket to provide information on changes specific to the course (e.g., new course director this year, new assigned curricular staff, etc.).