This FAQ pertains to Moodle usage in the 2024-2025 academic year at UMass Amherst. Moodle is no longer available for teaching after the Spring 2025 semester, with students losing access on June 9, 2025, and instructors losing access on July 1, 2025.

How will incompletes be handled in Moodle going forward?

When the contract with our cloud host for Moodle ends in Summer 2025, all users - faculty, students, and staff - will lose access to Moodle courses. Courses taught in Moodle during the AY 24-25 may necessitate students to complete any remaining coursework outside of Moodle as students will lose access on June 9, 2025.

How do I get help transitioning from Moodle?

Content-copy migration services will continue to be offered through the end of AY 24-25, as well as the option to request a blank Canvas course shell to build a Canvas course manually. For course migration support, email: instruct@umass.edu

Once in Canvas, there are plenty of resources available to support instructors in Canvas, including:

• Comparison of Moodle, Blackboard, and Canvas
• Canvas Training and Resources Course
• 24/7 Support Chat from Canvas

A full list of Canvas resources for UMass Amherst instructors is available on the Canvas Support Options and Resources page. 

For questions regarding using and teaching in Canvas, please reach out to the IDEAS Team at instruct@umass.edu 

I’d like to remain teaching in Moodle for the 24-25 academic year. How can I be eligible for an exception?

[please note: the exception form process has closed for the spring 2025 semester] Exception forms are processed through the Dean of your school or college, who has full discretion to grant or deny your request. Reasons for why a request for exceptions could be approved include:

• Course will not be offered in the future by this faculty member at any point past Spring 2025 (e.g., discontinued course, or retiring faculty member).
• Course requires specialized features that have not yet been fully addressed in Canvas (such as quizzes with multiple variables).
• Course for which the instructor has a plan (with timeline and milestones) to convert to Canvas during academic year 2024/25, together with a statement that the instructor acknowledges the complexities and additional work that may arise from continuing to use Moodle in AY24/25 (e.g., for processing grades that are filed as incomplete).