The Center for Excellence in Distance Learning at Wiley College Partners with Instructure Canvas

Leader of Alliance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Picks the Canvas LMS to realize its vision for the HBCU of the 21st Century

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Instructure

Sep 18, 2014, 08:00 ET

MARSHALL, Texas and SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center for Excellence in Distance Learning (CEDL) at Wiley College today announced it has partnered with Instructure to use Canvas as its learning management system (LMS) establishing a preferred model for the HBCU of the 21st Century. After weighing a number of options, the CEDL chose Canvas to demonstrate a LMS that meets the evolving needs of diverse students served by HBCUs.

"Since establishing the Center for Excellence in Distance Learning, Wiley College has been forging a collaborative path for HBCUs to take advantage of the benefits of open education," said Dr. Haywood L. Strickland, president and CEO of Wiley College. "As the HBCU community strives to retain its relevance and thrive in the 21st century, technologies that support openness, like Canvas, will play a crucial role."

During the vetting process, the CEDL conducted a comprehensive analysis and evaluated various LMS options. After an extensive evaluation, the Center selected Canvas and plans to fully implement the new system initially in Spring semester, 2015 for all online courses offered at Wiley College.

"With Canvas, managing course materials will be easier for both faculty and students," stated Dr. Kim Cliett Long, Director of the Center of Excellence in Distance Learning at Wiley College. "The learning curve is not as steep compared to competing learning management systems (LMSs) on the market. This factor will allow HBCU faculty to focus on teaching course content rather than hand-holding on how to navigate the system. This key feature is particularly important when we're working to nurture success among underprepared students."

Reflecting how learner needs are changing with regard to education delivery, the CEDL identified several features of Canvas as particularly relevant to its needs, including:

Ease of use
Mobile friendliness
Integration options

"The Center for Excellence in Distance Learning at Wiley College has done tremendous work in the area of open education," said Jared Stein, vice president of Research and Education at Instructure. "At the heart of the open education movement is the idea that remixing lets individuals and communities represent more than just a single voice. So we're proud that Canvas was chosen as the open platform to enable and host such practices."

Instructure launched Canvas in February 2011 and has since attracted more than 900 institutions. Today it services more than 12 million teachers and students from around the world, ranging from community colleges to Ivy League universities.

About The Center for Excellence in Distance Learning at Wiley College:
The Center for Excellence in Distance Learning at Wiley College is a membership organization that helps Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) develop online education courses and programs using open educational resources (OER). Members of the Center have access to a growing number of pre-built OER-based courses in high enrollment subjects, which faculty members may adapt to fit their course learning outcomes and instructional style. Support partner Lumen Learning provides courseware and support to help each institution use OER effectively to achieve their distance learning goals. Current CEDL members include Wiley College, Oakwood University, Florida Memorial University, Talladega College and Jarvis Christian College. For more information about the Center, its members and work, visit www.cexdl.org.

About Instructure
Instructure, Inc. developed the Canvas learning management system to make teaching and learning easier for everyone, everywhere. Canvas empowers learning in every context with open, usable SaaS technologies. And through Canvas Network, Instructure provides a cloud platform where teachers, learners, and institutions worldwide can connect and chart their own course for personal growth, professional development, and academic inquiry. Learn more at www.canvaslms.com

Copyright © 2014, Instructure, Inc. All rights reserved. Instructure, Canvas and their respective logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Instructure, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other brands and names may be claimed as the property of others.

Contacts

Wiley College
Tammy Taylor
903-927-3385 | [email protected]

Instructure
Devin Knighton
(801) 722-8187 | [email protected]
Twitter: @devinknighton | www.instructure.com

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SOURCE Instructure