Students and Faculty Adjust to Canvas Transition

BY IRISH HAINES

After a month of Temple formally introducing Canvas, a new learning management system, students and faculty are still adjusting.

During the spring 2017 semester, it was announced that Temple University would be transitioning from Blackboard Learn to Canvas during the current academic year.

While most courses are still through Blackboard as of the 2017 fall semester, it is a mandatory change for all by Spring 2018.

Temple decided on Canvas after running a pilot to test two platforms last fall, Blackboard Ultra Learn and Canvas. The university continued testing Canvas before ultimately deciding based on the mostly positive feedback.

During this pilot, students and faculty alike mentioned easy-to-use navigation, an incorporated calendar, and the access to working apps as notable features that Blackboard did not offer.

Dr. Amanda Czerniawski is a Temple University sociology professor. She expresses how she feels the new system is more user-friendly.

“My first assignment, I just finished grading, and I had to go to New York City on the train and I was able to just grade on the train on my little iPad,” Czerniawski said.  “This was so liberating; that functionality of just being able to grade was pretty nice and I didn’t have to bring my laptop!”

Amelia Siwa, a sophomore, continued this sentiment.

“It was a learning curve. In the beginning of the year, it was kind of like a hiccup for me cause I had to learn how to use it and everything but I think once I got into the swing of it, it was pretty good,” Siwa said. “I like the adjustment.”

Temple has also provided a page through their computer services to help out anyone having difficulty learning how to use Canvas.