Update on Canvas and Finals
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:
Baylor will restore access to the Canvas system at 1:00 p.m. CT today (Friday, May 8). Instructure restored the Canvas system for Baylor and other colleges and universities nationwide to operating condition overnight. Final exams currently scheduled for today will be conducted on Thursday, May 14, and all will be administered online. (Clarification: Final exams originally scheduled for today will be conducted online on Thursday, May 14. All remaining exams will continue as scheduled.) Please pay close attention to the information and instructions below.
Technical Instructions
In case the Canvas system goes down again and to reduce cybersecurity risks that may be inherent with the restoration of the system:
All faculty, staff and students:
Make sure that Windows or MacOS is updated to the latest version, and that your browser is also up to date.
Do not accept any unrequested downloads under any circumstances and report any unusual activity to HelpDesk+ immediately.
Faculty and other Teachers of Record:
Export gradebooks using the following instructions. (Note: Baylor teams worked through the night to download all gradebooks, but faculty also should do so.)
Download important course-related materials to your computer.
Export Canvas Classic Quizzes as PDFs using the following instructions.
Export Canvas New Quizzes as PDFs using the following instructions.
About Finals
Final exams currently scheduled for today will be conducted on Thursday, May 14, and all exams will be administered online. When administering exams online, we ask faculty to build in flexibility so that students who are traveling or have other post-semester commitments can complete their exams when their schedules permit. We recognize that this change presents challenges regarding test security. As a reminder, Respondus is a powerful tool that faculty can use to proctor online exams.
OALA students with final exams moved to May 14 and who may now have conflicts due to travel should read a message on the OALA website and contact Dr. Danny Hernandez, OALA Director, with questions.
For online and hybrid students currently in session, students should follow the specific instructions provided by their faculty regarding any modifications to their coursework.
Students with questions about grading guidelines for a course in terms of how their final exam impacts their overall grade should discuss those individual questions with their instructors.
At the current time, there are no anticipated changes with Commencement May 15-16 or with the beginning of the May Minimester on Monday, May 18.
The deadline for students moving out of the residence halls remains 24 hours after the completion of their last final exam. Of course, that time shifts as final exams shift.
Should Canvas be compromised again, we will be in touch rapidly to discuss next steps.
Thank you very much to all of you for your flexibility and understanding as we work through this challenging set of circumstances.
Gratefully,
Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D.
Provost