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Canvas outage - Friday morning updates for instructors

May 8, 2026, 11:50 am

The following message was sent to all instructors, deans and department chairs at 11:45 a.m. Friday, May 8

To: Instructors

CC: Deans and Dept Chairs

From: Provost John Zumbrunnen

Dear instructors,

Thank you for your patience as campus teams work to address the impact of the national Canvas outage at UW–Madison. We understand this disruption creates significant difficulties and, despite reports from other institutions, Canvas is still down for UW–Madison. A timeline for the safe return of Canvas remains unclear.

If you have a final exam or any outstanding assignments that have been disrupted by this outage, please continue to be in touch with affected students. See an overview and step-by-step guide to accessing class rosters through the Faculty Center.

Reminders

  • Providing Flexibility – It is essential that we all provide flexibility to students with any outstanding exams and assignments. As of 3 p.m. yesterday (Thursday, May 7),  students lost all access to Canvas, including all materials that may assist in their exam or assignment preparation and submission.

  • Final Exams

    •  If you are unable to administer your final exam or you feel students cannot prepare adequately without access to Canvas, you should use an alternative option, such as basing grades on work completed thus far. You are encouraged to consult with your department chair, academic dean’s office, or other colleagues as you weigh the options.

    • However you plan to proceed, please communicate with your students as soon as possible.

  • Grading

    • If you are able to submit final grades without the use of Canvas, please continue as planned. Refer to these guided steps to grading in Faculty Center.

    • The deadline to submit grades for all courses has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, May 14.

A separate update is being sent to all students. This continues to be a quickly evolving situation with global impact. Additional information will be shared as we learn more. Check the Campus Alerts page for ongoing updates.