Welcome to the CSUSB Canvas Institute!: Preparing Faculty for LMS Transition
General description of the project
The project was to develop a professional development course on the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) for CSUSB faculty. The course was designed to help faculty become more familiar and comfortable with Canvas. The course introduced basic features and tools of Canvas including three integrated learning apps (VoiceThread, GoReact, and PlayPosit). The course is a facilitated, mostly self-paced asynchronous online experience in Canvas. Participants “learn Canvas by doing Canvas.” The course is co-facilitated by a CSUSB Instructional Designer and CSUSB faculty member with expertise in Canvas. The course begins with a 2-hour online synchronous “boot camp” led by the facilitators.
There were no costs to developing the course itself as it uses resources already available to us. However, each participant who successfully completed all requirements received a $1000 stipend. Faculty facilitators received a $2000 stipend each.
The course is part of a more comprehensive approach to preparing faculty for an LMS transition from Blackboard to Canvas. Participants needed to complete all course activities with a score of 90% or better and complete an exit survey.
The course first ran in Summer 2022 and again in Fall 2022. It will run again in Spring 2023. Initial exit survey data from Summer and Fall indicate that the course was successful in increasing instructor confidence in using Canvas.
As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, everything that the instructional design team does to help faculty teach will directly affect our 70% Hispanic student population.
Technologies
Technologies used in the course were: Canvas, VoiceThread, PlayPosit, GoReact, Zoom, and YouTube. Participants also had the option to use other video-related software in one of the course assignments.
All tools used enabled participants to complete course activities and meet course objectives. The “learning apps” module that introduce GoReact, PlayPosit, and VoiceThread was consistently rated as one of the most valuable modules in the course.
Explain project results
Based on the initial exit survey, the course has been successful in increasing instructor confidence in using Canvas and some of the integrated learning apps. Faculty who are comfortable with Canvas and other learning technologies are better positioned to help their students use those tools. This positively affects learning and teaching overall and improves the general experience at the institution. Additionally, helping faculty become more effective users of the LMS has a direct impact on Hispanic students.
Why it should be considered best practice?
There are several aspects that can be considered as best practices. Specifically, this course incorporates best practices for effective professional development design. These principles include:
*Content-driven and context-specific design.
*Meets instructor and institutional needs
*Active participation. Participants experienced the student and instructor sides of Canvas, allowing them to better understand their own design practices and see firsthand what their students experience.
*Collaboration between faculty and instructional designer facilitators
*High-quality instructors
*Community of Practice, although of short duration
*Opportunity to give and receive feedback
*Opportunity to reflect on course experiences and teaching practices
This course also employed design thinking principles and a systematic, collaborative approach to design.
Highlights of your proposed presentation
*Describe the design process and goals of the CSUSB Canvas Institute
*150 participants so far with rich exit survey data and reflections
*Presentation is an example of reflective practice, a vital part of any instructional practice.
Lessons learned:
*Prepare for technology failures
*Create more how-to videos
*3-week vs. 6-week duration matters
*Exit survey questions benefit from continued refinement
*Faculty appreciated and benefited from the opportunity to learn Canvas formally
*Monetary stipends = increased motivation and incentive to participate
The Evaluation Committee will evaluate submitted proposals based on the following criteria. Each area will be rated on a scale from 1 to 7 (1= non-satisfactory; 7 =outstanding), for a maximum of 63 points.