Canvas Updates for Spring 2027 Courses

Tags Canvas Update

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

As part of Project Horizon, we’re making several improvements to Canvas that will provide more timely enrollment updates and improve the overall experience.  

General Questions

When will Canvas updates be applied?

Canvas updates will be applied starting with the Spring 2027 courses. 

What are the key benefits of this update?

The main benefits include:

  • Real-time enrollment updates– removes the delay between registering for a course and being added/dropped from the course in Canvas
  • Cleaner naming on course cards and homepages
  • Enhanced course and dashboard management​
  • Submit Final grades directly from Canvas (Pilot Coming Soon)

Course Naming

How will the course naming format change?

Beginning with Spring 2027, course names in Canvas will be reorganized to make key course information easier to identify.

As shown in the example below, this change makes course names easier to read and helps students and faculty quickly identify their courses.

Current Course Naming Format (Before)

New Course Naming Format (Spring 2027) (After)

Course Dates & Availability

Will faculty still have access to past courses?

Yes. Faculty can access previous courses by navigating to Courses> All Courses where past courses are available under the Past Enrollments section.

Do faculty still need to publish their courses?

Yes. Courses remain unpublished as part of this update. Faculty must publish their courses for students to access them.

Can faculty import and export course content from previous courses?

Yes. Faculty will use the same import and export process as before.

Can faculty change the start and end course dates in Canvas?

No. Course start and end dates are determined by the registration system and cannot be manually changed. If you need to limit student access after the course end date, please refer to the Restrict Student Access to a Canvas Course article

Student Enrollment

When will enrollment changes be updated in Canvas?

Enrollment changes will sync in real-time. This means course rosters will update immediately when students enroll, drop, or withdraw.

Will students still have access to past courses? 

It depends on your course access settings.

  • If restrict students from viewing course after course end date is not selected, students can access past courses by navigating to Courses > All Courses and locating the course under Past Enrollments.
  • If the restriction is selected, students will no longer be able to view the course after the course end date.
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