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Teaching continuity plan

Teaching during times of potential disruption requires creative and flexible thinking about how instructors can support students. Technology outages can happen unexpectedly, whether it’s WebCampus/Canvas, Zoom, or another key tool. This teaching continuity plan provides quick steps and resources to help you stay connected with your students and keep teaching on track.

Check status pages

Before contacting Teaching & Learning Technologies (TLT), the OIT Help Desk, or troubleshooting on your own, it’s a good idea to check the official service status pages. Many teaching and learning tools like WebCampus/Canvas, Microsoft 365, and Kaltura rely on large cloud platforms that can experience regional or global outages. These pages provide real-time updates on known issues, scheduled maintenance, and recovery progress, which can help faculty and staff determine whether a problem is widespread or specific to their account or device.

Application/Service Description Status page
UNR OIT Services OIT will post any current and future outages on their IT Alerts webpage. This will include things like wireless/network and Single-Sign-On (SSO) outages.
WebCampus (Canvas by Instructure) The learning management system (LMS) used by all courses; shows component-status of Canvas, mobile apps, data services etc.
Microsoft 365 (including Outlook/email) Microsoft’s cloud productivity suite (Outlook/Office/OneDrive etc.) - widely used for teaching and administrative support.
Kaltura Video-recording and streaming platform integrated with LMS (WebCampus/Canvas); “My Media” in the LMS.
Top Hat Top Hat is a cloud-based student engagement platform that features real-time polling, automated attendance, and interactive content.
Zoom Zoom is a cloud-based web conferencing platform that enables real-time communication. Zoom is used for synchronous online courses, office hours, and during inclement weather (for remote class delivery). 
Respondus Lockdown Browser* A specialized web browser that secures a student device during an online exam delivered through WebCampus/Canvas.

*Respondus Lockdown Browser is dependent on WebCampus (Canvas) and cannot be used as a stand-along tool. Any WebCampus/Canvas outage would also prevent access to Respondus.

Communicating with students

When unexpected outages occur, keeping students informed is critical. This section provides clear steps and alternative options for reaching your class when major systems like WebCampus/Canvas or Microsoft 365 (e.g., Outlook) are unavailable. Review each scenario below to find recommended communication methods and proactive tips to ensure your students stay connected and informed, regardless of the situation.

TLT outage information and process

TLT is committed to communicating and restoring access to teaching and learning technology any time there is an outage. The serves as a hub for collecting reports of outages, so feel free to reach out anytime a system isn’t responding as expected.

Once a confirmed service degradation or outage is identified, a message is posted to the OIT Status page which identifies the issue and shares any workarounds. If the incident involves a cloud-based service like Canvas, Office 365, or Kaltura, TLT and/or OIT will engage with the vendor to make sure they are aware of the issue and are working on a solution.  

Once a fix is identified and implemented, the will be updated to a monitoring state for a minimum of two hours.  If the service has been stable during this monitoring period (passes testing, monitors show stability, no new tickets), the issue is moved to a resolved status.

How do I report an outage?

To report an outage, contact the .

How do I subscribe to OIT IT Alerts?

Interested Faculty can sent out from central IT. These messages cover any current and planned future outages.

Advanced planning for an outage

Unexpected outages can disrupt teaching and learning, so proactive planning is essential. By preparing alternative communication methods, backup materials, and contingency strategies, you can minimize downtime and keep your course running smoothly. Use the recommendations below to ensure you're ready for any interruption.

High priority

These are essential steps to maintain communication and access to course materials during an outage:

  • Copy the course roster from My Nevada. Click on 'Faculty Center,' click on 'Class Roster,' near the bottom, click 'printer-friendly version,' last save that file, which includes email addresses for future reference.
  • Add alternate contact options. Include backup communication methods (e.g., email) in your syllabus.

    "In the event of a technical disruption or outage of the university’s LMS (i.e., WebCampus/Canvas), do not panic. If you cannot submit an assignment due to an outage, email your work directly to me before the deadline as proof of completion. Critical updates, alternative readings, or emergency Zoom links will be sent via official university email. Deadlines for assignments affected by a verified system-wide outage will be extended accordingly."

  • Create an alternate communication plan. Outline steps for students to follow if WebCampus/Canvas or other systems are unavailable.
  • Keep local copies of course materials. Keep local copies of your syllabus, assignments, and lecture slides you load into WebCampus/Canvas. You will be able to leverage these copies in the event of an outage. 
  • Maintain a local copy of your WebCampus/Canvas gradebook. TLT runs backups of WebCampus/Canvas grade information every evening but it is recommended that faculty periodically download a copy of their gradebook (and save it in a FERPA approved location, such as Nevada Box).
  • Subscribe to status alerts. Faculty can subscribe to status alerts to receive real-time outage updates. Links to sign up for alerts are generally available on the application/service’s status page.

Low priority

These steps are recommended, but in most instances would not be critical for short outages:

  • Schedule a Consultation with TLT Staff. Get personalized guidance on outage preparedness by scheduling a consultation.
  • Plan for Assessments. Identify alternate ways to deliver quizzes/exams if Canvas or Respondus is down. For some classes, Zoom may be an option for proctoring online assessments in special/emergency situations.