Pepperdine Canvas LMS Transition Plan

Go Canvas: Pepperdine University will transition to the Canvas LMS

Overview

After careful consideration, a comprehensive learning management system (LMS) study, and a successful pilot program, the Provost and Deans of each of our schools have selected Instructure Canvas as Pepperdine University's next LMS starting Fall 2025. We believe that Pepperdine Canvas will serve our faculty and students well by fostering an academic ecosystem that enables impactful learning experiences.

Join Us at a Town Hall!

Calling all Faculty and Staff! Come to one of our LMS Transition Town Hall sessions. The next session was held on Wednesday, April 2 at 10AM PDT. Review the recording of our previous February Town Hall.

April LMS Town Hall Registration

Summer 2025 Early Adopters Program

We're excited that more professors will be able to dive into Pepperdine Canvas this summer! Select the topic below to learn more.

Become an Early Adopter

Faculty Participation

Ready to Join Early? Please consider joining the Pepperdine Canvas Early Adopters program for Summer 2025! The interest form will be emailed to all Pepperdine faculty soon. Submitting an interest form is not a guarantee of participation in the program but rather a way for TechLearn to gauge overall interest from the community. Once the interested parties have responded, TechLearn will share a list of respondents with the academic leadership at each school/division. If approved, TechLearn will connect with the professors and share training and support resources. Bear in mind, it's possible that some classes — especially those that are cohort-based, part of a special sequence, or other critical program-specific classes — may need to stay on Courses/Sakai until the fall.

Faculty teaching with the Digital Campus (2U) LMS are not eligible to participate in the Pepperdine Canvas Early Adopters Program.

Participating Instructor Expectations

For the Summer 2025 early adopter program, participating instructors may express interest in teaching one or all of their classes in Pepperdine Canvas. Any classes/sections not designated to be delivered in Pepperdine Canvas should continue using Courses/Sakai the official launch in Fall 2025. Participating instructors will be expected to:

Attend a Training: Attend at least one 90-minute Pepperdine Canvas onboarding training (Recordings of all sessions will be made available to participants):
- Wednesday, March 26 @ 9 AM PDT — Canvas Overview
- Monday, March 31 @ 9 AM PDT — Assignments, Rubrics, and Speedgrader
- Friday, April 4 @ 9 AM PDT — Quizzes
Provide Feedback: Share experiences in a feedback survey during the summer term

TechLearn and Instructure (Canvas) will be available for training and support, and TechLearn will share resources and consultation opportunities for participating instructors. TechLearn is also be making a content migration request available to participating faculty.

Student Expectations

Students in the selected classes/sections will not be able to opt out of using Pepperdine Canvas for the course but do have the option to opt out of a student survey designed for the early adopter program.

FAQ: Making the Move to Pepperdine Canvas

Choose a topic below to learn more about the LMS transition.

What is changing?

Pepperdine Canvas Selected to Replace Courses/Sakai

The University has selected Canvas LMS to replace our Courses/Sakai LMS. Canvas will become Pepperdine's primary learning management system, and Courses/Sakai will eventually shift to an archival state until the service is ultimately decommissioned. The final date for decommissioning has not been determined yet, but we expect to retain the service in a read-only mode for a few years after the transition.

Note: This change does not affect schools or programs that use the Digital Campus LMS (powered by 2U). This change only applies to schools and programs that use Courses/Sakai.

Why the Move?

Sakai has served Pepperdine well for over a decade, but multiple factors influenced the University's decision to change LMS platforms, including market adoption, user-friendliness, expanded features, and more. The community can explore the full analysis in the forthcoming 2023-2025 LMS Study Final Report.

Advantages of Canvas LMS

Canvas is the market leader for higher education in North America and Canada. It offers a robust set of features to help instructors and students create learning experiences. A few of the major advantages that Canvas offers Pepperdine include:

Built-in help resources, including 24x7 live chat and phone options
Mobile app for students and instructors
Intuitive and modern design and interface
More flexible academic ecosystem to support teaching and learning
Improved notification options and reminders
SpeedGrader for faculty
Improved document preview features
More daily enrollment updates (6 times a day)
and more…

When will it happen?

Timeline

Spring 2025

University announces selection of Canvas to replace Sakai
Canvas LMS pilot continues for select spring 2025 classes
February 12 LMS Town Hall (View the Recording)
April 2 LMS Town Hall (Register to Join!)
2023-2025 LMS Study Final Report
Migration options in testing
Early Canvas preview available
Early Canvas training workshops
Initial Canvas documentation available

Summer 2025

Faculty early adopters are invited to try Canvas
Migration options available
May 14 LMS Town Hall (Register to Join!)
More Canvas training workshops
Starter course templates available
Expanded Canvas documentation available

Fall 2025

All classes available in Canvas LMS
Last semester for classes in Courses/Sakai, by request only
More Canvas training workshops

Spring 2026

Full Canvas LMS adoption
Courses/Sakai shifts to an archival state only

How will it happen?

Community Engagement

The University will send multiple announcements and offer town halls about the pending LMS Transition. Technology & Learning will collaborate with the Center for Digital Learning and school support teams.

Content Migration

A Migration Process is under development. There will be options for requesting the migration of course content or self-migration steps for professors who want to jump in early.

Faculty Training

Multiple training opportunities will be provided, including workshops, recorded training sessions, step-by-step documentation, and 1-on-1 consultations.

Faculty Peer-to-Peer Opportunities

Technology & Learning will host opportunities for professors to share their experiences, strategies, and techniques on how best to use Canvas LMS in teaching.

Starter Course Templates

Technology & Learning will develop and provide course templates to kickstart your site setup.

One Term Extension to Continue with Sakai

Canvas adoption will formally start in Fall 2025. Professors who need a little extra time may request a one-term extension to continue using Courses/Sakai for Fall 2025, and then fully transition to Canvas starting Spring 2026.

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