Canvas @ Yale

Why is my Canvas course name different than past years?

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The Canvas course name has traditionally been set to the course title in the registrar's official system of record. The Canvas course name is used for many Canvas tools and external applications as the unique identifier, but for instructors who teach multiple sections of the same course in a semester or across semesters, the traditional Canvas course name may not be unique enough.  

SOLUTION: Primary course information has been added as a prefix to the Canvas course name

In Summer 2020, a change was made to how the Canvas course name is generated using data from the official system of record (Banner).  

NEW Canvas Course Name Format:

Primary Course Code + Primary Course Number + Primary Course Section + (Term Code and 2 digit year): Course Title

In the above formula, the "+" indicates a space. Also, the Term Code is derived from the table below

Term Term Code
Fall FA
Spring SP
Summer
SU
Summer Session A SA
Summer Session B SB

EXAMPLE

For section 01 of the Spring 2021 course Corporate Finance which is a cross-listing of MGT 541 and ECON 361 (where ECON 361 is the primary course):

The Course Data for the primary course is as follows:

  • Primary Course Code: ECON
  • Primary Course Number: 361
  • Primary Course Section: 01
  • Term Code (from table above): SP
  • Year (2 digits): 21
  • Course Title: Corporate Finance

The NEW Canvas Course Name will be:   ECON 361 01 (SP21): Corporate Finance

If you have any questions or need additional help, please contact [email protected].

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