Engineering for Professionals' Guidelines for Managing Merged Sections in Canvas

Engineering for Professionals (EP) courses may be configured with merged sections that share a single Canvas site. Even when sections share a Canvas site, each section must be treated as a separate class to preserve the EP small-class experience. Each section should maintain enrollment consistent with the small-class model (no more than 19 students per section).

Note: These requirements do not apply to the 200-level Engineering for Professional courses.

Below are resources for managing merged sections separately and ensuring a quality experience for all students.  

Office hours 

  • Hold at least one synchronous office hour per section per week.
  • If you teach multiple sections, each section must have distinct office hours.
  • Students are encouraged to attend their own section’s office hours but may attend another section’s session if needed.
  • In multi-instructor courses, office hour responsibilities may be shared or rotated.
  • Review Office Hours Options and Expectations for additional information.

Discussion Groups and Activities

  • Keep discussions and activities section-specific.
  • Students must be separated by section and participate in discussion groups of 19 or fewer.
  • Note: If a student enrolls/adds after initial setup, the instructor must ensure the student is added to the appropriate discussion group.
  • Review How do I create a group discussion in a course? for step-by-step instructions. 

Communications and Interactions

  • Maintain section-specific communications and interactions (e.g., announcements, Inbox messages, and engagement) to ensure each section receives an equivalent small-class experience.

Support

For assistance with merged-section settings or related Canvas tools, contact CMTShelp@jhu.edu.

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