Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) has announced the institution has implemented Canvas, a Learning Management System (LMS) for students to use in the classroom and online. As the field of education continues to evolve, the electronic resource needs increase for students in the classroom. In response, the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Informational Technology (IT) evaluated different programs for academic use. As a result, the College decided to make the switch to Canvas.
Canvas was established and launched in 2011. Since being created, Canvas has become a top-used program worldwide in various classrooms ranging from grade school to higher learning institutions. From a user-friendly format to offering interactive features for faculty and students, Canvas possesses several features to provide a well-rounded experience.
Although transition periods can present challenges, Janet Clark, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, shared that the change will be worthwhile. “Canvas is widely used in high schools, so students are already familiar with this learning management system platform when they begin their classes, and it eases some of the transition to the new environment of college coursework. Also, Canvas is a user-friendly tool for both students and faculty. Faculty can more easily create courses and grade in Canvas than our prior LMS, and it gives them a little more time to devote to other important work,” Clark said.
For several years, the College used D2L, Brightspace, for faculty to house their program curriculum and assignment folders. Similar to D2L, Canvas will accommodate course curriculum, assignments, discussions and more while offering new tools to enhance the classroom and online experience. Frankie Enochs ’93, vice president for institutional technologies and operations, shared how efficient the program will be for faculty and students. “Canvas natively integrates with a wider range of our other enterprise applications allowing us to blend systems, creating a fuller and richer student experience. Another benefit for faculty and students is what’s proven to be a more responsive user support experience.”
Students will use Canvas beginning in Fall 2023.