Canvas LMS (Learning Management System) is an online platform from Instructure that helps universities and schools manage their courses, deliver content, facilitate communication, and track student progress. 

After an extensive vetting process, the Montana University System selected Canvas by Instructure as its single Learning Management System. To learn more about the evaluation criteria used to choose Canvas, please visit MUS’s Single Learning Management System page.  

Starting in Summer 2025, Canvas by Instructure will be the learning management system (LMS) used for all MSU courses. For a detailed timeline, visit the OCHE Single LMS website. 

Canvas and D2L Brightspace are both learning management systems for educational institutions. With its modern interface, extensive customization, robust integration with third-party tools, and mobile-friendly design, Canvas stands out, enhancing learning across various environments.

Use the Tool Comparison resource to familiarize yourself with the features available in Canvas and how they correlate with those in D2L. 

Faculty are able to access Canvas now, and we encourage you to do so by visiting https://montana.instructure.com/login/saml. Students will be able to view their courses in May 2025. 

Faculty will begin teaching in Canvas for Summer 2025 session, and not before. We recommend that faculty use the coming months to familiarize themselves with the Canvas interface, review their migrated courses, and add additional content if necessary. 

  1. Yes. Academic Technology and Outreach offers frequent in-person and online training opportunities.Register by visiting our Training Events page.
  2. Instructure, Canvas's parent company, also offers live webinars and on-demand content through the Canvas Training Portal. For instructions on how to access the Portal, visit our On-Demand Resources page.
  3. "Growing with Canvas" is a course designed to enhance Canvas LMS skills and is conveniently pushed into faculty's Canvas dashboards for access. 

  1. Log in to Canvas, explorethe features and familiarize yourself with the interface.
  2. Request a practice or master shell in Canvas (be sure to choose the Canvas tab at the top) to familiarize yourself with the platform, test features, and develop content without impacting live courses.
  3. Review and sign up for live training events.
  4. Review the migration options to understand how to import content into your Canvas course.

Access to D2L Brightspace will be discontinued for all users in June 2025. You will no longer be able to access your D2L Brightspace account at that time.

No student data, submissions, or grades will be included when your course content is migrated to Canvas.

To learn more about downloading this information from D2L Brightspace, visit the Retaining Student Data from D2L Brightspace page.

Visit our Migration page to explore the options for transferring your content from D2L Brightspace to Canvas.

All D2L Brightspace course content from Summer Semester 2022 – Spring Semester 2025 will be migrated to Canvas for you in a series of phases. To learn more about the migration schedule and what you must do to get your courses ready for students, please visit the Migration page.

Migrated courses will not include any student data, grades, or submissions. 

To request any courses outside Summer 2022 through Spring 2025, non-credit courses, practice, and or master courses be migrated for you, please email your list of course codes to canvas@montana.edu.

No. Before June 1, 2025, instructors will need to have grades finalized and posted in Banner and download any work samples or student data needed for annual reviews, accreditation or other purposes.

To learn more about downloading student information from D2L Brightspace, visit the Retaining Student Data from D2L Brightspace page.

No, your course isn't ready immediately after migration. Every migrated or imported course will require review and adjustments. The time needed will vary based on the complexity of your D2L course. Resources are available to walk you through the review process on the Migration page.

Yes. All external tools licensed university-wide (iClicker, Panopto, etc.) will be available when Canvas goes live. If there are tools you use independently, you may request that they be added by contacting the helpdesk.

Our team is here to assist you throughout this process. Access all available contact options on the Contact page.

Yes. Canvas offers a free mobile app for both iOS and Android devices. To learn more, search for “Canvas” in your device’s app store. Make sure to download the correct version, as there is a separate app for students, instructors, and parents of K-12 users.