Canvas Updates & New Features for Spring 2026

Priscilla Matthews

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We’re excited to announce that Spring 2026 course shells are now available as of December 4th! As we transition from the Fall 2025 semester to Spring 2026, we want to update you on important changes, new features, and enhancements coming to Canvas that will improve your teaching and learning experience.

The Extended Access Form now offers three flexible options to meet your needs:

• Temporary access for individual students – Grant specific students additional time to complete work or review materials
• Temporary access for your entire class – Extend access for all enrolled students simultaneously
• Keep course published past the conclusion date – Maintain ongoing access to your course content

Submit an Extended Access Request to ensure your students have the access they need as the semester concludes.

We’re pleased to announce two new features that enhance the course copy process:

Preservation of Group Sets During Copying

When you copy assignments or discussions that use group sets, Canvas now automatically preserves those group set configurations in your new course. This means less manual setup and more consistency across semesters.

Classic Quizzes to New Quizzes Migration

During the course import or copy process, you now have the option to migrate Classic Quizzes to New Quizzes automatically. This optional feature makes it easier to transition to the enhanced quiz platform without having to recreate your assessments from scratch.

Code Highlight & Special Characters (Available Now!)

These features are already available in your courses! The Code Highlight tool allows you to display code snippets with proper syntax highlighting, while the Special Characters feature makes it easier to insert mathematical symbols, accented characters, and other special typography into your course content. For additional information, please visit Using Code Highlight and Special Characters in Canvas.

Discussion Checkpoints (Coming December 19)

Canvas Discussions now support a two-stage participation model. Instructors can assign two separate due dates for discussion activities:

• First due date: Initial response to the discussion prompt
• Second due date: Reply to a peer’s post

This feature encourages timely engagement and ensures students both contribute their own ideas and meaningfully interact with their classmates’ responses.

Grade Posting Policy Update (Effective Spring 2026)

Based on valuable user feedback, we’ve updated the default grade posting policy beginning with Spring 2026 courses. Assignment grades are now hidden by default until instructors manually release them.

This means students will no longer receive grades one at a time as you complete grading. Instead, you can review all submissions, ensure consistency, and release grades to the entire class simultaneously when you’re ready. This change gives you greater control over the grading process and reduces student anxiety about real-time grade updates.

Enhanced Rubrics (Coming December 19)

The Enhanced Rubrics feature in Canvas is a significant upgrade to the classic rubric experience, primarily focused on delivering smoother workflows, better usability, and new assessment capabilities. The experience of grading with rubrics in SpeedGrader is improved by new compact layouts that reduce vertical scrolling and are more user-friendly on smaller screens. The introduction of Student Self-Assessment allows students to reflect on their work using the rubric and assign self-scores (without influencing their final grade). Additionally, the system now supports importing and exporting rubrics via CSV and copying to other courses using the “Copy To” feature.

SpeedGrader Performance and Usability Upgrades

SpeedGrader has received performance optimizations and usability improvements to make your grading workflow smoother and more efficient. You’ll notice faster load times and more intuitive navigation as you review student submissions.

Materials Access Program

The Materials Access Program brings Follett My Bookstore Materials LTI integration to Canvas, available in User Navigation and course modules for pilot participants. This initiative aims to provide universal access to course materials at no cost to students, removing financial barriers and ensuring all students have the resources they need from day one.

iClicker Cloud

Explore enhanced classroom engagement with iClicker Cloud integration, bringing interactive polling and participation tracking directly into your Canvas course.

Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere offers real-time audience response capabilities, allowing you to create dynamic presentations, live Q&A sessions, and interactive discussions that engage students whether they’re in person or remote.

Need personalized support? Schedule a consultation with an Instructional Technologist to discuss how these new features can enhance your specific course design and teaching strategies. We offer one-on-one sessions tailored to your needs and goals.

We’re looking forward to a successful Spring 2026 semester and continuing to support innovative teaching and learning across our institution!