Introduction
Canvas is Virginia Tech's learning management system (LMS). Instructors use Canvas to manage teaching materials like assignments, quizzes, feedback, and student grades.Â
- Official courses are automatically created in instructors’ Canvas accounts.
- Enrolled students are automatically added.
- Instructors can reuse teaching materials by importing them into a new course site.
- Canvas provides 24-7 support by phone (833-639-7621) and chat (click Help on any Canvas screen).
The Canvas Instructor Guide and the Canvas Student Guide have full instructions on using Canvas. These instructions are specific to Virginia Tech. To see other Canvas topics, please see:
Contents
Instructions
Canvas Archiving
Starting July 1, 2025, Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS) and the Division of IT will begin archiving Canvas courses from before 2021 as part of an effort to streamline the platform and manage long-term storage.
- Course sites that were automatically created through the university’s Registrar/HokieSPA timetable system — typically with a Course Request Number (CRN) and auto-added student enrollments — and taught prior to 2021 will be archived.
- Courses that were manually created (such as sandbox, project, or training sites not linked to the Registrar) will not be archived.
During the first year, no course data will be permanently removed. Archived courses can be restored upon request.
Definitions
| Terminology | Definition | Indicators |
| Official Course Site | Canvas sites that were automatically created through the university’s Registrar/HokieSPA timetable system — typically with a Course Request Number (CRN) and auto-added student enrollments |
Official Course sites:
|
| Manually Created Course Site (or Draft Site) | Courses that were manually created (such as sandbox, project, or training sites not linked to the Registrar) by clicking Start a New Course in your Canvas Dashboard. |
Manually Created Course sites:
|
| Archived Site | A Canvas site that has been removed from active use but not permanently deleted. |
The course no longer appears in the list when you go to Courses > All Courses in Canvas. Archived sites can be restored from the archive by request. |
| Purged Site | A Canvas site that has been permanently deleted from the Canvas system. No course sites will be permanently deleted until July 2026. |
The course no longer appears in the list when you go to Courses > All Courses in Canvas. Sites that are purged will be older than 8 years. Purged sites can not be restored. |
Identifying Official Course Sites
Official course sites are automatically created for courses on the university’s Registrar/HokieSPA timetable system.
To identify if a site is an official course site:
- Go to Canvas and log in with your PID and PID passphrase.
- Navigate to your course site using your Dashboard or Courses > All Courses.
- Click on Settings in the course navigation menu.
- Check the SIS ID field and ensure it is not blank. SIS IDs have a specific naming convention.
- For example, ENGL_1105_84845_202409:
- ENGL - Department Code
- 1105 - Course Number
- 84845 - Section/Course Request Number (CRN)
- 202409 - Term Code (year + month)
- For example, ENGL_1105_84845_202409:
- If the SIS ID field is blank or does not exist, the course was manually created and is not subject to archiving.
Draft Courses
Virginia Tech creates draft courses in all instructor Canvas accounts for software system reasons. These sites have the naming convention: [Your Name] Draft Course.
These sites cannot be deleted and will not be part of the archiving process.
Requesting Restoration of Course Sites
In July, this section will be updated with instructions on how to request restoration of an archived Canvas site.
Please keep in mind that external tool data is not included in the restored Canvas course.
Getting Help
If you have questions or concerns about the Canvas archiving plan, please contact TLOS by submitting a 4Help incident.
For instructions on resolving common issues with Canvas, see:
- Troubleshooting Canvas (for Instructors)
- Troubleshooting Canvas (For Students)
- Recommended Browser Privacy and Security Settings for Canvas
Instructure, the creators of Canvas, provide 24-7 Canvas support, including live chat and a support hotline.
To get Canvas help, click Help on any Canvas screen and choose from help options:
- Search the Canvas Guides: Search Canvas documentation.
- Chat with Canvas Support: Open a chat window in Canvas (or call the phone number).
- Contact Virginia Tech 4Help: Submit an incident on 4Help or call 540-231-4357.
- Browse Virginia Tech Resources: See other Canvas Knowledge Base articles.
- Report a Problem: Submit a Canvas support case by filling out a short form.
- Ask the Community: Go to Canvas user community resources.
- Submit a Feature Idea: Search a list of current feature idea conversations. Add to an existing conversation or start your own!