As we begin the 2016-2017 academic year, Southern Methodist University begins a new era of course management. Consistent with the announcement and transition plan set forth in last August’s message to faculty from the Office of the Provost, Canvas has been transitioned into the sole course management system for university courses of record. If you haven’t heard by now, Canvas is a cloud-based course management system which offers a modern interface designed to better support the increased teaching and learning demands of higher education in functions such as blended learning, “flipping classrooms,” and providing a more robust overall foundation for current and future online education and distance learning activities. Continue reading Canvas at SMU: A New Era of Course Management
Category: Training
Canvas Resources for Faculty & Staff
The Academic Technology team has worked feverishly to get our faculty and staff up and running with Canvas, our new course management system that rolled out to campus this summer. While some faculty members may have already engaged in this new system, many will be using it for the first time this semester.
Since January, Academic Technology and IT Training, have trained over 400 Canvas users to help them get their courses built. We’ve done this by facilitating departmental training, hosting weekly Canvas workshops, and providing additional learning opportunities through our Canvas Boot Camp and Canvas Nights webinar series. That doesn’t take into account the number of people the Academic Technology team has assisted through personal meetings, help desk tickets and direct phone calls.
If you haven’t yet had a chance to join us for one of our workshops, we will continue offering weekly seminars through the end of September. The weekly Canvas training schedule is available at smu.edu/ittraining. Also, we have other Canvas resources and learning options available for you: Continue reading Canvas Resources for Faculty & Staff
Upcoming Student Technology Training
Planning for this fall’s student technology workshops has been underway for several months now. This semester, our continued partnership with the Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center (A-LEC) will be expanded with several new course offerings as part of their Learning Strategies Workshop Schedule. One workshop we are particularly excited about is Digital Note-Taking & Textbook Reading. This 2-in-1 workshop will be jointly hosted by members of the A-LEC and IT Training Team. Continue reading Upcoming Student Technology Training
Up and running with Canvas: Evening webinar training & a boot camp
Spaces still available for Canvas Nights, our evening Canvas training. Get up and running with our new LMS by joining us for Canvas Nights or for our Canvas Boot Camp. Continue reading Up and running with Canvas: Evening webinar training & a boot camp
Save the Date: Canvas Boot Camp – August 16, 17 & 18
This August the Academic Technology team and IT Training have partnered to arm faculty and staff with Canvas instruction and resources during a two days for a Canvas Boot Camp. These workshops have been created to answer those critical questions instructors may have at the onset of a new semester.
You may be asking yourself, “What methods of communication does Canvas offer?” “Can I create online tests?” “How can I track what files my student have accessed?” “How do I use the Grade book?” and even, “Where do I go for help?” It might be a little overwhelming, but don’t worry. All these questions and more will be answered during the Canvas Boot Camp.
Registration is not required to these drop-in sessions. However, seating is limited and we will be accommodating those on a first-come-first-served basis. Can’t make it to Canvas during the day? Consider joining us for Canvas Nights!
