Course Material Considerations: Preparing for the Unexpected

If you use a Learning Management System (LMS) like Canvas to share course materials, you know that when Canvas is unavailable it can disrupt teaching, communication, and access to learning materials. While outages are uncommon, recent events have highlighted the importance of having a plan in place so that learning can continue when technology is unavailable.

Here are four simple steps educators can take to improve the resilience of their course(s) and make sure students can access essential learning materials when needed.

1. Access to Lecture Videos Outside of Canvas

Many educators utilize recorded lectures. During a Canvas outage, these videos may be more difficult to locate and share quickly with students. Having direct access to your videos allows you to continue providing students with learning materials, even if Canvas is temporarily unavailable.

Consider:

• knowing how to access your Panopto recordings outside of Canvas,
• keeping direct links to important recordings readily available, and
• identify alternative methods for sharing video links with students, such as email or OneDrive.

For step-by-step instructions, see the Knowledge Base article: Panopto: Access Your Classroom Recording Videos Outside of Canvas. Planning ahead ensures that a temporary Canvas disruption does not become a disruption to student learning.

2. Create Materials Using Templates

Rather than building all course content directly within Canvas, consider creating learning materials using a template prior to building in Canvas. Benefits include:

• Materials can be developed collaboratively more effectively.
• Content can be reused and updated more efficiently.

Templates and other useful resources are available for use in the USask Course Design Handbook.

Developing materials outside of Canvas creates a “master” copy that remains available regardless of where your course is delivered. Files can be distributed through email, OneDrive, Teams, etc. during service interruptions. 

3. Download an Offline Copy of Your Course

At the beginning of each term, consider downloading an offline copy of your course. At USask, Canvas allows instructors to generate an ePub version of their course content that can be saved and accessed offline. Having a copy of your course provides a convenient backup of course materials that can be referenced during an Canvas outage.

To create an ePub version, follow the instructions in the article Exporting and Printing Canvas Content. Once you have completed both the instructor and student steps and successfully generated your ePub file, you can disable the feature until it is needed again.

Creating an ePub takes only a few minutes and provides peace of mind that key course content remains accessible, even when Canvas is unavailable. As a bonus, an ePub version provides a low-bandwidth, mobile-friendly format that can be shared with students when internet access may be limited.

4. Considering Low-Bandwidth Access for Students

Emergency preparedness is not only about system outages, but also about ensuring students can continue learning when they face connectivity challenges. Consider providing downloadable materials such as:

• PDF versions of readings,
• slide decks,
• course schedules,
• lecture notes, and
• exported course content (e.g., ePub).

Having these materials available for download can help students access essential information even when internet access is unreliable. Keeping relevant materials and having them readily available to share is essential for the success of a course.

Small Steps, Big Impact

Emergency preparedness does not require creating duplicate courses or complex backup systems. Simple practices such as storing files in OneDrive, maintaining original source documents, and keeping offline copies of course materials can help ensure continuity for both instructors and students when unexpected disruptions occur.

Download the Emergency Preparedness Checklist for Instructors to put these ideas into action and strengthen your course readiness. A little preparation today can make a significant difference when technology does not behave as expected.

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This article was created with the assistance of AI tools, as described in the GMCTL AI Disclosure Statement.}

This resource is shared by the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning (GMCTL), University of Saskatchewan, under a CC BY-NC-SA license.