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Canvas Rollover Summer 2026

canvas

This summer marks the first full implementation of the annual rollover of Canvas content from one academic year to the next. The process will be automated wherever possible to minimise the workload for staff.

While some elements are still being tested by the eLearning team, a number of activities are already underway. The timeline below provides an indicative overview of the planned work; please note that dates may change.

Canvas Rollover Timeline

  1. Confirmation of the Canvas template for Academic Year 2026–27 – Complete
  2. Creation of all Canvas course spaces for Academic Year 2026–27 – Complete
  3. Application of the 2026–27 Canvas template to course spaces – Complete
  4. TLSE teams confirming content to be copied and identifying new units – In progress (Deadline: 1 June)
  5. Content copying from 2025–26 to 2026–27 course spaces – 2–15 June
  6. Staff access to 2026–27 course spaces – From 16 June
  7. Students added to courses – Early September (TBC)
  8. Automatic publication of all course unit spaces – Week before Welcome Week (by 14 September)

Brief FAQ

Exactly what is it that a Unit Team has to do before Teaching starts in September 2026

The primary task for unit teams is to review, update and prepare their Canvas course spaces for delivery.

From 16 June, academic staff will have access to their 2026–27 course spaces and can begin making updates. This may include:

  • Recreating assessment submission links (refer back to the 2025–26 space to confirm settings and student-facing instructions)
  • Updating or replacing teaching materials in response to curriculum changes or student feedback
  • Reconfiguring groups, differentiated tags and discussion boards
  • Updating dates throughout the course (particularly for weekly releases)
  • Ensuring assessment information aligns with the University of Manchester AI Assessment Policy

What do Staff have to publish? Can staff publish the course spaces?

Staff must ensure that all relevant content is published before teaching begins, including:

  • Modules
  • Quizzes
  • Assignments
  • Files and links

Some teams may choose to publish only introductory content and the first few weeks of materials, releasing content incrementally.

Please note:

  • To support DASS students, teaching materials must be available at least one week in advance (e.g. materials for a Tuesday lecture should be published the previous Tuesday).

Staff may publish their course spaces themselves. However, all courses will be automatically published before 14 September. If you have already published your course, this will not be affected.

For students to access a course:

  • The course must be published, and
  • The date must be on or after the course start date (14 September)


Do I need to recreate the Course Unit information again?

No. Course Unit Information will be carried over into the new course spaces.

However, you should review and update this content as needed to ensure it remains accurate for 2026–27.

Will ALL the canvas information be copied over

No. While most content will transfer, some elements must be recreated.

You will need to rebuild all assessment submission links, as these are tied to specific course spaces and do not function correctly when copied.

This includes:

  • Assignment submissions (including SpeedGrader links)
  • All LTI tools (e.g. Gradescope, STACK, Buddycheck)

Quizzes will be copied successfully and will function in the new course spaces.

All uploaded files and video links will be copied across to new academic year spaces.

As this is the first year of auto-rollover content within Canvas we highly recommend that academic staff check every aspect of their course as soon as possible and flag any potential issues via the helpdesk to the elearning team

The above information is accurate at the time of writing but this is a dynamic timeline, changes will be communicated via the Teaching College Newsletter so please keep a look out for any updates.