Open letter to faculty on migration to Canvas from Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs Rachel Holloway

The following is an open letter to faculty from Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs Rachel Holloway:

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

Congratulations on another academic year completed successfully.  Courses are completed.  Grades are in. Another group of Hokies have graduated.

As summer begins, I know you’ll be thinking about the next academic year and all you hope to accomplish before the fall semester begins. One activity you may have on your list is transition of your courses to Canvas, the university’s new Learning Management System. By this time next year, the university’s old platform for course management – Scholar – will be retired.

Canvas has been an option for faculty over the past year. Almost a quarter of course sections used Canvas this past spring semester, with over a third of faculty adopting the platform. More than two-thirds of students used Canvas for at least one course last semester. Overall, it has received high marks, with 89 percent of faculty and 91 percent of students reporting an overall positive experience with the system.

For faculty who haven’t made the move yet, this summer may be the optimal time. Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies is offering workshops, online courses, one-on-one consultations, and departmental site visits throughout the summer to help faculty make the transition.

While faculty may continue using Scholar through next spring, we hope many of you will consider switching now so courses will not have to be migrated at the last minute.

Faculty who have transitioned to Canvas are sharing positive benefits they are seeing in the classroom.  Find out why your colleagues encourage you to move to Canvas by watching the video below.

Best wishes for a productive summer,

Rachel Holloway

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs