Seize the Opportunities of Change!

Seize the Opportunities of Change!  This is my motto for this transition to Canvas.  Use this opportunity to reflect, re-design, and re-create your courses to take advantage of the dynamic and engaging tools that Canvas provides to enhance student engagement, and to make course management easier and more efficient for instructors - (cue the Hallelujah chorus for Speed Grader!)    

Embrace being a student in this learning process and be inspired to harness the power of Canvas!  

• Watch the Student Experience video for a holistic view showing multiple courses, so you can see how your course design decisions will function from a student’s perspective.
• Review the Course Basics and First Look videos to understand Canvas from a panoramic view, before getting into the nitty-gritty of the how to do things.
• Participate in the online interactive training sessions. These are a great way to experience the learning process from a student perspective, and the time you invest in learning how Canvas works will be worth it.  (Remember to get your training Badge!) 
• Don’t be that student who thinks they already know everything there is to know.  Canvas is pretty intuitive and easy to navigate and learn, but resist the urge to dive in and just start doing things without taking advantage of the training from Canvas experts.
• The training sessions that I found most useful to begin the re-conceptualization process are :
• Course Design Considerations and Leveraging Modules 
• Then follow those up with more detailed sessions on how to build Content and Home Pages, Assignments, The Gradebook and SpeedGrader, Managing quizzes, Rubrics, etc., etc., etc., 

I am really excited about the tools Canvas offers us to really live up to our mission of transforming students’ lives through the power of inspired learning.   I am definitely inspired to seize these opportunities of change, I hope you will be too!    

Crystal Stratton -  Faculty Vanguard   
cstratto@lccc.wy.edu   -  778-1268