Course Materials

The University of Alberta’s brand name for its Learning Management System is Canvas. Canvas allows you to create and customize a website for your course and provides tools for communication, course content, assessment and course management. Access to the site is restricted to students registered in your course. We request that instructors set up an Canvas site for all courses and that, as a minimum, post the course outline and description of assignments. 

To set up your Canvas site, use the Request a Course link. Click on the "Request on Canvas" button and follow the prompts. Please contact your Subject/Program Area Coordinator before requesting your course, as they may have course information that they can share with you.

Your student list on Canvas will continue to be updated daily until the add/drop deadline. After the add/drop deadline all students will remain on your Canvas students list even if they withdraw from the course. Students do not have access to Canvas until the first day of class unless you specify differently when you request the section. 

If you run into difficulties please see for more information Canvas Support. You can also submit a ticket for help at Contact IST.

Information about course outlines is found As noted previously, please provide an electronic copy of your course outline by posting it to Canvas and avoid making photocopies for each student. Remember to submit your course outline through the Faculty of Education Course Outline Submission Form.

The Faculty has a shared Print Centre (in 2-111, on the second floor of Ed North). The Faculty's Print Centre is available to all faculty members, staff and course instructors. You do not require a code to be able to photocopy on these machines and you can print to them from the computer that is set up in the room. Please contact eduprint@ualberta.ca for the codes to access the Education Print Centre

If you are using the Print Centre and have questions or encounter any issues, please email them to eduprint@ualberta.ca.

Note that office supplies are also available in that space, on a self-serve basis. If you notice that supplies are low, please also notify eduprint@ualberta.ca.

Instructors should attempt to limit the number of additional pages photocopied and consider alternative ways to provide students with access to materials: textbooks, course web sites (i.e., Canvas), course packs, or contact Education librarians at Subject Librarians. See below for policies regarding distribution of copyrighted materials to students.

For many courses, textbook orders are submitted well in advance of the term by Subject/Program Area Coordinators. Please connect with them (See contact list).

Instructors may request that materials be placed on reserve in Rutherford Library. Library-owned materials will be retrieved from the library stacks by library staff. Instructor-owned materials, including photocopies of articles, should be submitted in person or through campus mail to the library. Reserve requests must be made electronically at UA Library Reading Lists 

When using copyrighted materials for course readings you have options: 

1. UA Library Online – If the copyrighted materials are available in digital form through the UA library then you can provide students with a reading list. Follow these instructions to create a reading list: UA Library Reading Lists.

2. Fair Dealing - In some cases you may be able to use copyright protected materials in accordance with the Fair Dealing exception in the Copyright Act and the University of Alberta’s Fair Dealing Guidelines. For more information, including a link to the Fair Dealing Guidelines.

Please consult the Copyright Office regularly for up to date information on Copyright and Licensing so that you can be sure you are working from the most current information available. There are many grey areas but there can be penalties for infringement. Educational exceptions for use of copyright protected material and fair dealing exceptions may apply in some cases. Err on the side of caution and consult the Copyright Office if you are in doubt. 

Be sure to model academic integrity to your students by citing all sources in course material (including presentation slide decks, etc.).

Technologies in Education (Tech in Ed) is dedicated to helping faculty, staff, and students in the Faculty of Education to become more effective, knowledgeable, and confident integrating technology into their daily practices of teaching & learning, research, communication and administration. It is located in Education North 3-104. The team at Tech in Ed can help you with any of the following needs:

1. Where can I get help for my students or even for myself?
   The Education Learning Commons (ELC) is a great place to start. Staff and students are welcome to drop by during our public hours (M-F, 9 am - 1 pm). The space is equipped with a number of computer workstations and various maker space kits. When you need help getting started just ask one of our friendly tech coaches for help. Tech in Ed also hosts technology learning sessions in the Red Chair space of the ELC. Typically, these 30-minute technology sessions are designed to help users navigate Canvas, Zoom, Google Suite, the Smart Board, or they introduce unique educational technology tools for teaching and learning. You can also arrange for your class to attend a customized tech session. Just send us an email at techined@ualberta.ca. We also have four bookable breakout rooms available equipped with SMARTBoards to book online. You can visit our website at Tech in Ed to access booking forms.

2. Where do I get help to successfully integrate technology into my teaching and learning?
   If you have pedagogical questions that tie in with your technology needs and you want some advice, reach out through techined@ualberta.ca or drop by to book some time with one of our learning designers. Our support ranges from providing student support for your technology-based assignments, to helping you strategize and implement digital learning resources in your Canvas site, to helping you set up and manage your grade book. We also offer online and blended course design. Our designers will work closely with you to figure out the best pedagogical approach for online/blended learning solutions. If you are new to Canvas, Zoom or any of the tools available within Google Suite, our team is well-versed in the many ways these tools can be used to support your teaching and learning needs and we offer training and orientation through one-on-one coaching sessions.

3. Where do I get access to technology? Where can I get help to create digital resources?
   Our Media and Communications team is available to help you to plan for and navigate the technology demands around videotaping or running Zoom sessions from the classroom, for setting up and moderating videoconferences, or preparing visual or video-based resources.  You can also gain short-term access to specialized equipment (video/audio devices, adapters, etc.) through an equipment loans program.  We can provide graphic design, video capture or photography to support creation of digital resources for all approved and funded projects. For any of these services, please send a request form on our website to our email tedmedia@ualberta.ca. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

4. Where do I get help for my exams?
   If you are an education instructor and need help to plan for and administer your exams, we can offer you a host of solutions. Whether you need to prepare Canvas quizzes, administer a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) exam in your classroom, or administer online quizzes and exams, we can help you out. Our team is able to help you to set up digital (Canvas) exams and negotiate the various security tools available (Respondus) for online administration of exams. If you have any questions about the exam support process send an inquiry to edexams@ualberta.ca. 

If you ever need help or have any questions at all, visit us on our website Tech in Ed. You can also contact us by email techined@ualberta.ca or call us at 780-492-3563 or we’d love to see you in person. You can drop by during our public hours 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. 

For courses requiring pre-session study, course packs of materials must be ordered through the Bookstore (see above) or provided as links to online materials posted on Canvas well in advance of the beginning of the class. When the course is scheduled on BearTracks, ensure that there is a statement, “Pre-session study is required. Contact the Instructor” so the students know where to check if they need further information and cannot access Canvas or do not know who the instructor is. Please check with your Subject/Program Area Coordinator before assigning pre-session study.