Sakai-to-Canvas FAQ for Instructors

Why is Durham Tech leaving Sakai?

Sakai has served Durham Tech well for 10 years. However, due to the large number of institutions leaving Sakai, we’ve become concerned about its future viability. Also, newer systems offer a more modern interface, enhanced ease-of use, a robust mobile experience, better integration with third-party tools, and improved accessibility. To provide reliable and up-to-date tools for Durham Tech faculty and students into the future, a new system is needed.

For more on this, see our blog post Why Durham Tech is Evaluating Alternatives to Sakai.

How was Canvas chosen?

A Learning Management System (LMS) Evaluation Task Force was formed in September 2022 with the charge of recommending a new LMS for Durham Tech. Task force members include eight teaching faculty (seven of whom supervise other instructors, including many adjuncts), a student representing Student Government Association, and staff from Instructional Technologies. For a list of members, see LMS Evaluation Task Force Membership (PDF).

The task force evaluated two LMSs: Canvas and Moodle hosted by Open LMS:

• Canvas has been adopted by most K-12 public school systems in NC (including those in Durham and Orange counties), by 12 of 17 institutions in the UNC system, and by 4 NC community colleges.
• Moodle/OpenLMS is used by 32 of 58 community colleges in NC.

The task force’s evaluation process included vendor demos, trying out each product in a fully-functioning “sandbox”, feedback from task force members who have used Canvas and Moodle at other institutions, input from the Distance Learning Committee, a LMS survey sent to all Durham Tech faculty, and information collected from two colleges that use Canvas and two that use Moodle/OpenLMS.

The task force also developed a list of eight broad themes for evaluating each system. For more on this see our blog post The Evaluations Have Begun.

Why was Canvas chosen?

After careful consideration and in-depth discussion of both systems, the task force unanimously agreed to recommend Canvas. Below is a summary of the top reasons Canvas was selected:

• Ease of use
  • Canvas is easy to use and has a modern, intuitive interface.
  • Canvas has a shorter learning curve than Moodle.
  • Instructors and students of all technical skill levels can be successful with it.
• Features/tools
  • The tools in Canvas seem flexible, not overwhelming.​
  • Canvas has a similar layout to Sakai​ and functions consistently across tools.
  • Canvas offers time-saving features (speed grader, easy-to-use rubrics, drag-and-drop) that enable instructors to provide feedback to students and update course content efficiently.
• Student experience/mobile access
  • Task force members who have used Canvas as a student report a good user experience on the student side.
  • The Canvas mobile app is user-friendly, highly rated, and especially useful for students​.
  • Many students will have used Canvas in high school, making their transition to Durham Tech easier.

What does Canvas look like?

Watch the Canvas Overview video below for a good introduction to the structure and basic features of Canvas.

Video watch time: 6 min

When will I start teaching on Canvas?

Credit courses:

• All Spring 2023 credit classes will continue to use Sakai.
• All Summer 2023 and Fall 2023 credit classes will use Canvas.

Non-credit courses:

• Non-credit classes that start prior to May 15, 2023 will use Sakai.
• Non-credit classes that start May 15, 2023 or later will use Canvas.

NOTE: Non-credit classes that start before May 15, 2023 (on Sakai) and end after July 31, 2023 will need to transition from Sakai to Canvas before the end of July. This is a small number of classes (5 or fewer). Instructional Technologies will consult with the instructors of these classes to work out a transition plan.

What training will be provided and when?

Instructional Technologies plans to begin faculty training during Spring break (March 7-10, 2023). Trainings will be repeated and continue through Spring, into Summer, and beyond.

Training workshops will be offered in a variety of formats (online/webinar and in person) to help faculty make the transition from Sakai to Canvas.

Detailed training plans are still under development, but we expect most faculty may need 6 hours of training to feel comfortable making the switch to Canvas.

What assistance will be provided for migrating my course content from Sakai to Canvas?

Durham Tech will contract with a consultant to migrate 1,200+ courses from Sakai over to Canvas. Instructional Technologies will work with deans, program directors, and chairs to identify specific courses on Sakai to migrate over to Canvas.

The migration process does a good job of bringing over most Sakai content (such as Tests/Quizzes, Assignments, Discussions, Rubrics, Resources, Lessons, etc.). However, it is not perfect. Due to differences between Sakai and Canvas, and the varied ways instructors use Sakai, some cleanup of migrated content will be needed -- particularly content from Sakai’s Lessons tool.

Instructors will need to review their migrated courses thoroughly and spend time making updates. The time required will be far less than rebuilding your courses from scratch. Instructional Technologies will provide guidance and advice for instructors on how to review and clean up migrated content.

How long will I be able to access my content on Sakai?

At the end of July 2023, all content (including student data) on Sakai will be moved to an archive server. Instructors will be able to access their courses on the Sakai archive server for at least one year (until July 2024).

What will happen to other tools I use: Warpwire, Turnitin, Meetings (BigBlueButton), and Proctorio?

Durham Tech will continue using Warpwire, Turnitin, Meetings (BigBlueButton), and Proctorio. All of these tools will be integrated into Canvas. The great news is that you will not have to re-learn these tools and can continue using them as you do now!

In some cases, there will be differences -- for example, the steps to create a meeting are a bit different in Canvas, and Proctorio offers additional options for instructors to select in Canvas. However, all of these tools will operate similarly in Canvas as they do in Sakai, with little or no additional training needed.

What will happen to my project sites and advising sites on Sakai?

Instructional Technologies is evaluating how to handle project sites and advising sites. More information will be provided at a later date.

When will I be able to access Canvas?

We anticipate providing access to Canvas for faculty when training begins (March 2023).

What other educational institutions are using Canvas?

Most K-12 public school systems in North Carolina use Canvas, including Durham County Schools, Orange County Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Wake County Schools, Alamance County Schools, and almost all others in our area.

In the North Carolina Community College System, four colleges have adopted Canvas: Guilford Tech, Stanly, South Piedmont, and Johnston.

All universities in our service area are migrating to Canvas: UNC Chapel Hill (currently migrating), NC Central University (announced August 2022), and Duke University (announced December 2022).

Across the UNC system, 12 of 17 institutions have adopted Canvas.

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