Canvas - Instances, Sub-Accounts, and URLs
The University of Wisconsin System (UWS) Digital Learning Environment (DLE) Canvas account is divided into three instances, each containing a variety of sub-accounts. This structure is important, because instances and subaccounts can have different settings, access rights, branding, and custom URLs. This article explains the hierarchy of instances, sub-accounts, and URLs.
Instances
In the Digital Learning Environment deployment of Canvas, the three instances have separate purposes, user authentication systems, and settings.Instructional Instance: https://uws.instructure.com
- Used for all instructional credit courses (term and non-term based).
- Contains the sub-accounts which are integrated with campus Student Information Systems (SIS) to automatically pull course creation and enrollment data.
- Sub-accounts use the same hierarchy structure as SIS for reporting and consistency.
- Authentication through Federated System.
- Allows student self enrollment for manually created (non-SIS) courses in some sub accounts. For the UWS institutions, the supplemental course sub account allows student self enrollment for manually created courses.
Training & Development Instance: https://uws-td.instructure.com
- Used for employee training.
- Users must authenticate through Federated System.
- Allows self enrollment into courses.
Continuing Education Instance: https://uws-ce.instructure.com
- Used for continuing education courses for UWS and non-UWS users.
- Often uses Canvas Catalog as an entry point to register for courses.
- Integrates with payment gateway for payments related to continuing education courses.
- Allows self enrollment into courses.
- Non-UWS users can register and authenticate for access to continuing education courses, UWS users are authenticated through Federated System.
Users with UW System accounts who log in to the Instructional instance can automatically access the Training & Development and the Continuing Education instances through a one way trust relationship between the Instructional instance and the other instances. When a user logs in to the Instructional instance, they should see all of the Training & Development and Continuing Education courses they're enrolled in. Continuing Education non-UWS user accounts will only work on that Continuing Education instance.
Sub-Accounts
Course creation and student enrollment are strictly controlled by the campus SIS.
Sub-account structure follows the academic organization structure in the SIS.
This area is used for course development, then instructors can copy courses to the Instructional Courses area when ready.
Courses to support an academic program that are not term based.
Examples include non-credit training for students, pre/post - tests, manual enrollment for dual-enrollment programs, etc.
Custom URLs
- University of Wisconsin System: https://uws.instructure.com or https://uwsa.instructure.com
- Eau Claire: http://uweau.instructure.com
- Extended Campus: http://uwext.instructure.com
- Green Bay: http://uwgby.instructure.com
- La Crosse: http://uwlac.instructure.com
- Milwaukee: http://uwmil.instructure.com
- Oshkosh: http://uwosh.instructure.com
- Parkside: http://uwpks.instructure.com
- Platteville: http://uwplt.instructure.com
- River Falls: http://uwrvf.instructure.com
- Stevens Point: http://uwstp.instructure.com
- Stout: http://uwsto.instructure.com
- Superior: http://uwsup.instructure.com
- System Administration: https://uwsa.instructure.com
- Whitewater: http://uwwtw.instructure.com
- It allows users to see custom campus branding.
- It allows Canvas Support to more quickly identify which campus a user is coming from, and to identify any campus-specific support information.
- It allows instructors to use the Create Master Course tool under the Canvas Help menu.
Other Environments
- Beta: https://uwsa.beta.instructure.com/
- Test: https://uwsa.test.instructure.com/
- Wisconsin: https://wisconsin.instructure.com/
- Integration testing: https://uwsa-tc.instructure.com/