Information Technology Services (ITS) is expanding the pilot of the Canvas learning management system (LMS) in the fall 2015 semester and is seeking interested instructors, including those who teach large enrollment courses, to participate. The purpose of the pilot is to evaluate the potential of Canvas to positively impact the teaching and learning experience at Penn State.
Once an instructor is accepted into the Canvas pilot program, this new learning management system will be used by the instructor and their students to manage the classroom instruction.Pilot preparations, including training events and access to a sandbox course, are scheduled to begin during the fall 2015 semester. Participating in the pilot does require completion of a pre- and post-pilot survey as well as a focus group after the pilot is completed. Student feedback will be collected via surveys and class visits when possible. ITS will evaluate these tools for functionality and performance.Launched in 2011, Canvas is currently used by over 800 learning institutions. Canvas is available to Penn State through the University’s membership with Unizin, a nonprofit technology consortium which was formed in 2014 as a way to enable universities to reach their goals with digital learning. The consortium focuses on improving the way educational content is shared by providing a common digital infrastructure. In November 2014, it was announced that Penn State had become a founding member of the organization.
Any instructors interested in participating in the pilot, should complete the online form no later than July 22. Due to limited resources, the pilot is capped at 5,000 participants. If the cap is exceeded, not all instructors who volunteer will be able to participate.Additional information on the Canvas pilot as well as previous LMS pilots at Penn State is available at http://newlms.psu.edu/.