Instructional Continuity Guidelines

Every UC Riverside instructor should develop a preparedness plan to ensure the continuity of instruction in case of disruptions and/or unexpected conditions that affect the mode and/or delivery of teaching. In most cases, moving all components of an entire course online is not needed. Instead, the event may require using the learning management system for a few days or communicating via email or web conferencing to continue the class dialogue.

This guide is intended to help instructors craft such plans and provides pedagogical strategies and approaches they can use to maintain the delivery of effective instruction.

Resources for Teaching During a Canvas (eLearn) Disruption

This resource is designed to support instructors and TAs during disruptions caused by technological issues impacting access to digital tools and services across campus. These suggested strategies are intended to support instructors in their teaching and to help them optimize the delivery of instruction to students within the constraints of the situation.

The guidance provided is not a prescriptive list of requirements; instead, we recommend instructors review the suggested strategies and tools and choose those that are situationally relevant to their course and helpful in addressing a specific question or concern.

Immediate Steps to Take During the Current Disruption: May 8th 2026

At this time, there are several steps that instructors can take to continue to hold their classes during the Canvas/eLearn Outage.

UC Riverside is aware of and monitoring a cybersecurity incident affecting Instructure, the company that operates Canvas. As a result, Canvas (eLearn) access will not be restored until we are confident the system is secure. This incident was not specifically directed at UC Riverside — Instructure serves thousands of institutions worldwide, and the Instructure security incident is a vendor-driven event affecting multiple institutions worldwide. The University of California has provided the following update to their statement (link is external) This page will continue to be updated as new information becomes available.

Check the following for updates:

UCR TechAlerts

Canvas Status Page

Communication & Course Materials

Emailing Students: Use your UCR email account to send announcements and messages. To maintain student privacy, please use the BCC function for all student email addresses.

Sharing Content: You can share course materials by attaching documents or embedding URL links directly in your emails.

Note: Ensure links point to content stored outside of Canvas—such as Google Drive.

Tip: Keep attachment file sizes small to avoid email delivery issues or blocking by external mail systems.

Virtual Meetings & Instruction

Zoom remains fully operational. Instructors can continue using the same Zoom links already established for their courses. These links are accessible through your UCR Zoom account and should be shared directly with students via email.

Alternative Instructional Tools

Information Technology Solutions (ITS) and XCITE has identified the following platforms for common instructional tasks during a Canvas outage:

Communicating with Students
Recommended Tool: iGrade

Use the iGrade system to access up-to-date course rosters and send immediate bulk communications to all enrolled students. This is the most reliable way to reach your entire class list simultaneously when Canvas notifications are unavailable. Make sure to CC'D yourself on the email to receive a copy in your R'Mail.
1. Sign into UCR iGrade and select your term and course
2. Click on the email class icon (see screenshot below)
3. In the pop-up window, please enter your UCR email in the 'Additional Send To' field. Failure to do so will result in no email copy being saved to your R’mail
4. Compose message in the “body” field and select send
Using Zoom to Host Classes Online

Zoom

Instructors can continue to host synchronous sessions using their UCR Zoom account. Share meeting links directly with students via email. If a link was previously created in Canvas, it remains active and can be copied from your Zoom web portal.
Video & File Sharing
YuJa or Google Drive

Use YuJa to upload and stream lecture recordings or instructional videos. For documents and slide decks, utilize Google Drive or Gmail. Ensure that sharing permissions are set to "Anyone with the link" or restricted to the @ucr.edu domain to allow student access.

YuJa video content is hosted on YuJa's servers, not inside Canvas. Your recordings, video quizzes, and media library are all still accessible.
1. Go to ucr.yuja.com and log in with your UCR credentials.
2. Share video links directly with students via email.
3. Students can view videos, take video quizzes, and access captions without Canvas.
When Canvas comes back: Re-embed your YuJa content in Canvas modules or use the LTI integration to link media directly.
Exams & Assignments
Recommended Tool: Gradescope

For administering or grading exams and assignments, use Gradescope. It remains available for managing student submissions and providing feedback on in-person or digital work independently of the Canvas gradebook.

Learn how to create a course in Gradescope.

Learn how to create Exams or Assignments in Canvas.

To create a course without Canvas:
1. Go to gradescope.com and log in with your UCR credentials (School Credentials → UC Riverside).
2. If you see "Create Course" at the bottom of your dashboard, click it and fill in your course name, number, term, and year.
3. Add students by uploading a CSV roster (first name, last name, UCR email, student ID) or enable the Course Entry Code and share it with students so they can self-enroll.
Important: If you see "Add Course" instead of "Create Course," your account is set as a student, not an instructor. Contact XCITE (xcite@ucr.edu) so we can work with the Gradescope admin to upgrade your account.

When Canvas comes back:
- Your standalone Gradescope course can be linked to Canvas retroactively through the LTI integration.
- Go to your Canvas course → Gradescope → select "Link an existing Gradescope course."
- Sync the roster from Canvas to merge any students who enrolled via entry code.
What you can't do without Canvas:
- Automatic roster sync from Canvas enrollment.
- Grade passback to Canvas gradebook (export from Gradescope, import to Canvas manually).
- LTI-based single sign-on from Canvas to Gradescope assignments.
Attendance & Feedback
Poll Everywhere

Maintain student engagement by using Poll Everywhere for real-time polling, quizzes, or taking attendance during live sessions. This tool operates independently of Canvas and provides immediate data on student participation.

Your polls, activities, and responses are stored in your Poll Everywhere account, not in Canvas. Everything still works — you just can't sync rosters or push grades to Canvas until it's back.

To keep polling during the outage:
1. Log into polleverywhere.com directly (use your UCR credentials via "Sign in with School Credentials").
2. Create activities as you normally would — polls, quizzes, word clouds, Q&A, attendance checks.
3. Share your room code or join link with students via email, a projected slide, or your syllabus. Students go to pollev.com and enter your room name (e.g., pollev.com/yourname).
4. To track who responded by name, go to Participants → Registration and set it to "Restrict to registered participants only." Students will need to log in with their UCR email.
When Canvas comes back:

Reconnect your PE course through the Canvas LTI integration (Poll Everywhere in your Canvas course navigation). Sync your roster. Export any grades from PE's Reports tab as a CSV and upload them to your Canvas gradebook.

What you can't do without Canvas:

Automatic roster sync (add students manually or have them register with their UCR email). Automatic grade passback (export grades as CSV from Poll Everywhere and import into Canvas later). The Course Management dashboard (requires the LTI connection).