Today’s updates:

1. Zoom Video Conferencing is now available to all University faculty, staff, and students. You can access your enterprise account by visiting Pitt’s Zoom webpage and authenticating with your University credentials.
2. Zoom is compatible with CourseWeb/Blackboard and we anticipate that it will be compatible with Canvas very soon.
3. The Zoom Help Center contains a variety of resources to help you get started with using this video conferencing tool. We encourage you to view these resources for assistance with audio and video sharing, scheduling class meetings, and for a general overview of how you can use the tool to conduct synchronous meeting sessions.
4. The Teaching Center has a Getting Started with Zoom page as an additional resource repository.

As previously announced, effective for the summer 2020 term, the University’s learning management system will transition to Canvas from CourseWeb (Blackboard Learn). As students have made it clear that they prefer a single LMS for all courses, instructors are encouraged to make every effort to transition their courses to Canvas. However, should current circumstances require additional time, a temporary extension is available for summer courses through the Student Information System (PeopleSoft). Currently being used in a limited release, Canvas was selected as the best platform for advancing the University’s teaching and learning mission following an extensive evaluation in 2019. Canvas training opportunities and online resources remain available through the Teaching Center. In addition, Canvas offers 24/7/365 support for all Pitt faculty, student, and staff. To opt out of the Canvas transition, faculty can request that their course(s) continue to use CourseWeb (Blackboard) through the Faculty Center. Please visit our Canvas @ Pitt web page for more information on the LMS transition.

The University of Pittsburgh will transition to the Canvas Learning Management System in 2020. Canvas will allow instructors to deliver content in a more organized way, communicate with students through multiple channels, and grade assignments for students with better tools, along with a host of other features. Recently, Canvas representatives met with our LMS Support and Consulting team and our CSSD colleagues to begin learning how to best implement this LMS for the University community. Watch Headlines: Canvas @ Pitt video or visit our Canvas @ Pitt web page to learn more information about the resources available to you in the new learning management system.