Slack: Canvas Course Workspaces

Environment

U-M Slack, U-M Canvas

Issue

How do I create Canvas course workspaces for U-M Slack?

Resolution

• Instructors for Canvas courses can create U-M Slack workspaces for their courses each term. Only instructors listed as a Teacher for at least one section of the course can create a course workspace.
  • This ability is only available for Ann Arbor campus courses at this time.
• Refer to Slack: Create a Workspace for instructions on creating a course workspace.
  • You can verify that your course workspace has been created by going to the U-M Slack Workspace Manager tool.
• All U-M Slack-eligible Teachers, Students, TAs, and other course members will be automatically added to the workspace once it is created.
  • The workspace and its channels will be visible in the Slack desktop, web, and mobile apps for all eligible members.
  • If any students in the course are not eligible for U-M Slack, they will not be added and will be unable to join the workspace.
  • If any students add/drop the course after the workspace is created, changes will be synced at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. (EST) daily, and the students will be added/removed appropriately.
• Only courses for the current academic term will be listed in the creation tool.
  • A term will be considered the current term about one month before it starts.
  • The course must be provisioned in Canvas with a Teacher assigned to at least one section to create a workspace for it.
  • You cannot create a course workspace for courses where "No term" or "Default term" is selected.
  • If you accidentally selected the wrong course to associate with the workspace, contact the ITS Service Center for assistance.

Important things to note:

• You cannot associate an existing workspace with a new Canvas course.
• The Canvas course does not have to be published before a workspace is created. However, if the workspace is created before the term begins, anyone in the course can access it once it is created.
• Membership is synced between Canvas and U-M Slack twice daily at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. (EST).
  • The Teacher who created the workspace will be assigned the Workspace Admin role, and all other people in the course will become members.
  • The Teacher who became the Workspace Admin can promote other members to Workspace Admin as needed after creation.
• You can create a single workspace for multiple Canvas course sections associated with a single course, even if each is taught by a different instructor.
  • Select one instructor to create the workspace and have all instructors add that person as a Teacher to their section in Canvas. They can be demoted once the workspace is created.
• The workspace creator must have a U-M Slack account created at least 24 hours before attempting to create a workspace. Students who haven't created their U-M Slack account before the workspace is created will have to wait 24 hours after creating their account to gain access.
• Individuals associated with the Canvas course will continue to have indefinite access to the workspace after the term ends unless the workspace is deleted upon request or they are no longer eligible for U-M Slack.

Additional Information

• What should a Teacher do if they are the Workspace Admin but are leaving and need another course Teacher to take over as admin?
  • First, the new Teacher must be added to the Canvas course. Once U-M Slack syncs with Canvas, the Teacher will be added to the workspace. At that point, the admin can promote that Teacher to Workspace Admin.
• Can a Teacher add a Slack link to the Canvas course navigation?
  • A Teacher can add a link to http://slack.umich.edu using the redirect tool.
• Is the Slack integration for notifications enabled in Canvas?
  • Yes, refer to Slack: Enable U-M Canvas App Notifications.
• More information: Creating U-M Slack Workspaces

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.