Upcoming Changes to Ed Discussion & Piazza

Desktop computer with a bullhorn icon on the screen.

We are excited to announce that Penn has secured a university-wide agreement with Ed Discussion, effective July 1, 2022. The University’s license for Piazza will end on June 30, 2022, including all Canvas integrations. Ed Discussion was piloted as an alternative to Piazza in nearly 100 courses across nine schools this past academic year.

How Do I Access Ed Discussion? 

Ed Discussion is available for use in Canvas and as a standalone tool. For courses that use Canvas, we recommend using the Ed Discussion integration in Canvas. Learn how to enable Ed Discussion in a Canvas course or submit a request to canvas@pobox.upenn.edu.

For courses or other academic experiences outside of Canvas, enter your Penn email address at edstem.org/us/login to begin creating sites. 

Instructors who need assistance with Ed Discussion should contact their Local Support Provider. Please note, Ed Discussion is not currently supported in Penn Law or the Perelman School of Medicine.

What is Happening to Piazza? 

Penn’s license for Piazza will end on June 30, 2022, including all Canvas integrations. Current and past Piazza courses will remain visible by logging into Piazza.com. For more permanent storage, it is recommended that instructors download their data.

What Do I Have to Do?

​​If you have content in Piazza that you would like to keep after the service is retired, you will need to download your course content from the Piazza console and store them elsewhere before July 1, 2022.

Instructors can download their Piazza class content as a CSV or JSON file:

  1. From the Piazza menu, click Statistics, then select View Statistics.
Screenshot of Statistics menu with View Statistics menu item selected.
  1. On the page that displays, click Download class contents in JSON/CSV format.
Screenshot of link to "Download class contents in JSON/CSV format.
  1. After clicking this link, you will receive a CSV/JSON file via email containing post IDs, anonymity levels, folders, submission timestamps and content, student names, emails, and endorsements.

For additional help or information, please contact your Local Support Provider or submit a request to canvas@pobox.upenn.edu

Leave a Reply