The Purpose of the “Orientation to Canvas and Online Learning” Course
Orientation to Canvas and Online Learning is an entirely online, asynchronous course I designed to prepare Holy Family University faculty and staff for their migration from the Blackboard learning management system (LMS) to Canvas.
The course was designed not only as a supplement to face-to-face training sessions, but also as an alternative for the significant portion of the 300 part- and full-time faculty who might be unable to attend live workshops.
Building the Course
I developed a draft outline of the course based on feedback from in-person interviews with stakeholders (deans, faculty, staff, students), best-practices research, and Quality Matters guidelines. The draft was approved by the Learning Systems Working Group, a committee tasked with providing guidance during the migration to Canvas.
The School of Education developed the stand-alone Online Pedagogy module, while the branding (title cards, guide headers, etc.) along with the certificate of completion were created in collaboration with the University’s marketing department.
The Finalized Course
The course consists of nine modules, including:
- Pre- and post-surveys
- Quick start guides
- A course introduction
- Introductions and summaries for each module
- 27 videos (scripted, edited, branded, and captioned)
- Self-check quizzes for each module
- A final exam
- A certificate of completion
Results of the Course
According to pre and post surveys, faculty and staff who were “quite confident” teaching with Canvas increased 12%. The number of respondents identifying themselves as “not at all confident” dropped to 0. The course was a success!