About the Canvas and Expand Provisioning app

• Overview
• Launch and use the app

Overview

The Canvas and Expand Provisioning app is an LTI tool with a simple interface for uploading provisioning data for Canvas or IU Expand, Indiana University's non-credit elearning portal. At IU, campus units and external partners can use the tool to create courses, sections, enrollments, and canvas guest accounts in bulk, even if they lack the resources to fully automate the process. To request access to this service, complete the Canvas/Expand Provisioning App and API Request form.

Before using the tool, prepare your provisioning data files according to the guidelines in Data specification for provisioning IU guests and non-credit courses, sections, and enrollments in Canvas and Expand. Then, follow the instructions below to upload the files and optionally send custom notifications to new guest account recipients.

Launch and use the app

1. After you have created your provisioning files, log into Canvas and navigate to Canvas Provisioning.
2. From the course navigation menu, select Canvas and Expand Provisioning.
3. In the Department/Organization drop-down, select the abbreviation for your unit.
4. Click Upload file(s) and select all files to be processed.
5. If you want to send custom notifications, check Send custom notifications to new guest users?.
   Notes:

   • A generic notification with account confirmation and login instructions will be sent to all new IU guests listed in your users.csv file. The custom notification feature allows you to send a second, more specific notification to each guest. Use the custom notification to explain the purpose of the account, why it was created, by whom, etc.
   • The custom notification feature supports plain text messages only. Do not include any special formatting.
   • To avoid losing your message text, UITS recommends preparing the text in a word processor or plain text editor, then copying and pasting the text into the "Message Body" field on the custom notification screen.
   • A test version of the provisioning app is available. To access to the test version, go to https://iu.test.instructure.com/courses/1887968. Your provisioning changes will be reflected in courses in the Canvas test environment (https://iu.test.instructure.com).

     When using the Canvas test environment, do not upload a users.csv file with information for real external users. Doing so will send guest account invitations to each user for the IU Login test environment, which they should not be using. You can use your own personal email accounts for testing guest account creation in the test environment.

     Also, note that you will not receive status notifications for provisioning jobs that run in the test environment. You will either need to manually spot check to validate the changes, or email the UITS LMS Development team at lmsreq@iu.edu for assistance with validation.

6. Click Submit. The files will be validated. If errors are reported, correct the errors and upload all files in the batch again.
7. If you checked Send custom notifications to new guest users?, the next screen will prompt you for the message details:
   1. In the "Sender's Name" menu, select the name of the person who will be listed as the message sender.
   2. Enter the subject of the message in the "Message Subject" field.
   3. Type, or copy and paste, your message text into the "Message Body" field.
   4. Click Preview to view your custom message; click Close to close the preview.
   5. When you are satisfied with the preview, click Submit.

Once submitted, the validated files will be uploaded to Canvas or serve as the data source for a series of API calls. The registered contacts in your unit will receive an initial notification and a second, more detailed notification after all the records have been processed in Canvas or Expand. If you chose to send custom notifications, a notification will be sent to the email address associated with each new guest account as soon as the account is created.