CTools Retirement

CTools, an online learning management and collaboration system developed at U-M, was retired from service on August 28, 2020. As part of shutting down CTools, ITS securely disposed of all CTools data, ensuring it was safely and completely destroyed to protect the creator.

Why retire CTools?

For more than a decade, the U-M community used CTools for learning management, file sharing and storage, project collaboration, and research support.

The decision to retire CTools was prompted by several factors:

  • The successful implementation of Canvas in 2016 as the university’s learning management system
  • The availability and expanded capabilities of other collaboration tools, such as U-M Google and U-M Box
  • Increased security risks and ongoing maintenance costs for the aging and redundant CTools platform

Timeline

  • Phase 1: Course sites migrate to Canvas 
  • Phase 2: Project Sites migrate to alternative services CTools sites became read-only in September 2018
  • Phase 3: Teaching Evaluations and Placement Exams move off CTools
  • Phase 4: CTools enters retirement on July 1, 2019, and was decommissioned on August 28, 2020