The University of Washington Moves to Canvas

Canvas makes it easier for faculty to experiment and innovate

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Aug 29, 2012, 11:00 ET

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Washington has chosen Canvas by Instructure as the institution's new learning management system. The decision is part of a broader initiative to improve the learning experience for all UW students. A UW Canvas pilot showed that Canvas supports cutting edge pedagogy that saves faculty time and provides academic continuity.

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"Canvas makes teaching more efficient, especially assignment submission and grading," said Tom Lewis, Director of Academic and Collaborative Applications at UW. "But even more importantly, Canvas makes it easier for faculty to experiment and innovate."

Faculty who participated in recent Canvas pilots held online office hours and recorded audio feedback on assignments. One faculty member reported that the virtual environment dramatically increased office hour attendance and allowed students to ask questions they might not have been willing to ask in person.

Other faculty began to experiment with Canvas communication tools, leading to innovation in their teaching. Several took the initiative to increase student-to-student collaboration by using Canvas groups, wiki pages and peer review tools, while some sought to assist out-of-class study groups by encouraging students to use the Canvas chat and video conference features.

Of those who participated in the UW Canvas pilot, 79 percent said they would recommend Canvas to other instructors and colleagues and prefer it to Blackboard and Moodle. As a result, students and faculty on all three UW campuses are moving off UW's homegrown LMS, Moodle, or Blackboard to Canvas.

"The University of Washington has built and maintained their own learning platform for nearly 12 years," said Devlin Daley, co-founder and CTO at Instructure. "They have the academic insight and technical resources to contribute to the development of Canvas. We welcome UW into the Canvas community as both a customer and a partner."

About Instructure:
Instructure is a technology company committed to improving education. We provide instructors and students modern tools and resources to empower the learning experience. Founded by graduate students in collaboration with educational institutions, Instructure provides Canvas - the open, easy-to-use, cloud-native learning platform.

Copyright © 2012, 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.

Contact:
Devin Knighton, Director of Public Relations
(801) 722-8187 | [email protected]
Twitter: @devinknighton | www.instructure.com

SOURCE Instructure