Technology

Canvas Course Access Timeline

You will be able to view/interact with your courses in Canvas at different times dependent upon your role within a course, in addition to other factors, as explained below.

When Will I Be Able to View My Courses in Canvas?


RoleCourse Access Timeline
Instructor
  • Instructors must be correctly listed as the instructor-of-record for their course(s) within Campus Solutions in order to see them in Canvas. If they are not, they will need to work with the Office of the Registrar to correct this.

  • Instructors will see their courses in Canvas approximately at the time Course Registration opens for the future academic term:

    • Fall Term: Mid-March
    • Spring/Winter Terms: Mid-October
    • Summer Term: Mid-February

  • Incoming instructors will be able to log in to Canvas as soon as HR has begun their online onboarding process. They will additionally need to be entered as the instructor-of-record for their course(s) within Campus Solutions by the Office of the Registrar in order to see their courses in Canvas.
Student
  • Students will be able to see their course(s) for a future academic term in Canvas up to 30 days in advance of the term, provided the course has been published by the Instructor. Unpublished courses will not be viewable to students in Canvas, but will be visible in the Classes I'm Taking list in My.IllinoisState.edu. The red button to access a course in Canvas appears in that list when the course has been published.

 

How Long Will I Retain Access to My Courses in Canvas?


RoleCanvas Course Retention Timeline
Instructor
  • Instructors will retain access to their past courses as long as they remain actively employed by Illinois State University, for a period of time as yet to be determined by a shared governance group.

  • If an instructor leaves Illinois State University, they will lose access to Canvas and their course content upon separation.
Student
  • Students will retain access to past courses until approximately 10 days after the end of the academic term for which the course was offered.

  • It is strongly recommended students save any personal content they wish to retain prior to completion of the course/academic term.



Additional Resources

How to Get Help

  • Instructional assistance and knowledge for Canvas is available through the Center for Integrated Professional Development by phone at (309) 438-2542, or email at ProDev@ilstu.edu.

  • Technical assistance and knowledge for Canvas is available through the Technology Support Center at (309) 438-4357, by email at SupportCenter@IllinoisState.edu, or by Live Chat at Help.IllinoisState.edu.