Course Description:  This course will prepare you to work within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) to set up and manage an online course. As a student in the course, you will investigate and manipulate components of Canvas from an instructor’s perspective.

 

Reflection:  The course was similar to the other two courses I had taken this past summer in the fact that I was intrigued by what I could learn and take back to the teachers in my district.  This course was also extremely similar to ISLT 7372: Exploring CourseSites.  It allowed me to take a course and learn about Canvas as both a student and an instructor.  Overall, I found I enjoyed working with Canvas more than CourseSites, and really do wish I could bring this into my district!  While there are free options, I know the better packages with more interactive tools do cost a bit more.

 

Overall, Canvas, as an LMS, as many strengths I believe for students.  This was my 10th class using Canvas as a student and have really enjoyed how user-friendly it is, as well as an almost welcoming interface.  As a student I felt as though my courses have structure and that I am always provided the material I need to be successful in my learning; although after having a chance to play instructor for this course, I am going to credit all my past instructors for that.  I have worked with a few different learning systems in the past (Google Classroom, Blackboard, and Canvas), and of those, I felt as though Canvas provided the closest experience to that of sitting in a classroom.  I know I also use the app on my phone quite a bit to check up on and even participate in discussions while I was traveling or even during some downtime when I was without my computer.

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For instructors, Canvas offers the ability to create modules that act as learning units for the course.  Within these units, the instructor can create assignments and assessments that can be assigned to whole classes or specific students.  These assessments are also able to be graded via rubric or using a SpeedGrader, which saves so much time!  Groups can be created for projects and discussions, and multimedia tools can be added to modules to provide the ultimate learning experience for students.