Global System Announcements Guidelines

Global announcements appear as prominent banners or alerts on the Canvas Dashboard for targeted users (e.g., Students, Teachers, or all Canvas users) and can trigger email/SMS/push notifications based on user preferences.

• Restricted scope: Global system announcements are restricted to issues related to the Canvas LMS, external tool integrations (e.g., Turnitin, Panoppo, Zoom), and emergencies affecting students or teachers well-being.

  • Examples of appropriate use - Scheduled Canvas maintenance/downtime, unexpected outages, major feature changes requiring user action, critical security alerts, campus-wide emergencies (e.g., severe weather closures coordinated with university leadership), or urgent shifts impacting Canvas access/usage.

  • Inappropriate use - Routine reminders, departmental events, non-urgent promotions, student surveys, or anything better suited to email, Pioneer Portal, myTWU alerts, or the university website/news feed.

• Length and formatting - Announcements must be limited to 3-4 sentences, with links to additional resources if needed.

  • Content must be text-only (no banners, images, GIFs, embedded media, etc.), though basic styling like bold, italics, or bullet points is allowed.

  • They can (and often should) link to a shared Google Doc with more detailed information to keep the announcement concise while providing depth.

• Approval process - All global announcements must be approved by the Executive Director of Digital Learning.

  • Submit drafts via email for review before posting.

  • This helps prevent overuse, ensure alignment with university priorities, and avoid notification fatigue (where users ignore or disable alerts).

• Best practices -

  • Keep tone professional, urgent when needed, and actionable (e.g., include who to contact, deadlines, or next steps).

  • Target audiences precisely if possible (e.g., students only for registration-related Canvas changes).

  • Coordinate with University Communications or other stakeholders for emergencies.

  • Monitor frequency—reserve for truly high-impact items to maintain user trust in notifications.

Global Calendar Events Guidelines

The global/institution-level calendar (visible on the Canvas Dashboard calendar or via the Calendar global navigation link) is separately managed from announcements. It displays institution-wide events/dates that appear for relevant users without needing to subscribe to individual courses.

• Management: Like announcements, this is handled by Canvas Administrators. Events are added at the account level and can be targeted (e.g., all users or specific roles like Students/Teachers).

• Scope restrictions: Global calendar events will not include student events, club events, or other non-institution-wide activities (to avoid clutter and keep it focused on official university business).

  • The focus is on broad, mandatory, or high-visibility academic/operational dates that benefit from being visible in every user's Canvas calendar.

• Suggested content Includes:

  • Major academic deadlines: Add/drop period end dates, withdrawal deadlines, final exam windows, grade submission deadlines.

  • Semester milestones: First/last day of classes, commencement dates, semester breaks/holidays (e.g., Thanksgiving, spring break).

  • Canvas/platform-related events: Scheduled maintenance windows (e.g., scheduled maintenance on first/third Thursdays 1-3 a.m. CT).

  • High-level university events: Official holidays observed by TWU, major campus closure dates (weather-related if planned).

• Best practices for calendar events:

  • Keep descriptions brief (title + short details + link if needed).

  • Use recurring events for patterns (e.g., weekly maintenance if predictable).

  • Color-code or categorize if possible for clarity (e.g., red for deadlines, blue for maintenance).

  • Avoid overloading—aim for 15 key events per semester to keep the calendar useful without overwhelming users.

  • Cross-reference with the official TWU Academic Calendar (twu.edu/registrar/academic-calendars) to ensure consistency.