Teaching Support

Introducing Canvas

Canvas was selected as the sole learning management system (LMS) for all UMass Amherst courses, replacing Moodle and Blackboard by 2025.  

Learn more about Canvas including how to request the migration of courses from Moodle or Blackboard. 

Moodle Upgrade

During Summer 2023 Moodle was upgraded to version 4.1.  Faculty who are continuing to use Moodle, will need to upgrade to iClicker Cloud.

Faculty Resources

• The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) provides consultations and resources for teaching faculty including guidance on how to create an inclusive syllabus. 
• Library services available for faculty include both print and electronic course reserves, customized library workshops, and resources on copyright, plagiarism, and information fluency. Connect with your departmental Library Liaison to learn about the resources and expertise available in the libraries. 
• The Instructional Design, Engagement and Support team (IDEAS) provides support for existing instructional technologies and can help you explore emerging instructional technologies and alternative course modalities including fully-online and flexible learning strategies.  
• The Assistive Technology Center (ATC) offers faculty and students instruction, training, and support for assistive technology for teaching and learning. The ATC offers access to scanning equipment, optical character recognition software, document and screen reading software, voice recognition software, text enlargers, and other assistive technologies.  
• Visit the Office of Disability Services Faculty Handbook to access the Accommodations Statement to include on your course syllabus and learn more about the accommodation process and common classroom accommodation requests.  

• New faculty are encouraged to visit Campus Resources for New Faculty to gain a broad view of available institutional resources. 

Student Resources

• Student Success Planner 2023-24  Each month, the 23-24 Student Success Planner features articles and videos to support students with their academic and personal well-being. 
• Student Support Resources This links you to all the campus resources to support students (CCPH, UHS, Dean of students, CNS support etc.).
• CNS Advising Center The academic deans and advisors are here to answer your questions about how to best support your students. 
• The Maroon Folder is an excellent resource for faculty to assist with recognizing and helping students needing support or experiencing crisis or distress.  
• The UMass Amherst Academic Alert initiative enables faculty members to submit an academic alert (ideally within the first four weeks of the term) to connect undergraduate students who are experiencing academic difficulty with support and learning resources.