Hanna Markusson, Director of the Academic Affairs Office and Project Leader for the introduction of Canvas, said, “We have been able to follow the set plan and are now in phases 3 and 4. This means that we have started training initiatives and that several courses are running now using Canvas. Many more courses are will use it this autumn.”

More training opportunities this autumn are also planned, and dates for these will be published before the summer.

“At the same time, we are aware that many teachers feel stressed about having to learn a completely new system on top of everything else that is going on right now. We take this very seriously and are having discussions about how we can support these teachers even more. As an individual teacher, it is also important to think about finding a reasonable level for your work in Canvas; one does not need to know all the features at once.”

Recently, a survey was conducted with all teachers about the preparations for Canvas. Analysis of the survey is ongoing, but Hanna Markusson can already highlight some things that they have seen in the responses.

“It is clear that we are providing the right education package and opportunities for self-study, but it is also clear that it is difficult for teachers to have enough time. Teachers have had different conditions for preparations, and in some cases we are concerned that no concrete plans have been drawn up for the local implementation at the departmental level. We will continue our analysis and see what we can move forward with in our future work.”

Tips for teachers

Hanna Markusson would like to take the opportunity to provide four tips to teachers who are not yet using Canvas:

1. Sign up for basic training in Canvas. There are still spots left for the spring opportunities!
2. Watch the videos that are available and try to get an understanding of the learning platform.
3. Talk to your manager about whether your department can make a common effort.
4. Visit Canvas Café when you have completed the basic training or started building a test course with the help of the available guides. At Canvas Café, you can ask specific questions. There has not been much participation so far. 

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Website about the learning platform Canvas

In the university's learning platform, you will find the course "Together in Canvas for teachers" where there is information and recordings of the sessions that were conducted last autumn.

Take part in the course used in the basic training; it is open to everyone and good for beginners.