Hear what our staff have to say about Canvas!
Beverley Agard Owen
Lecturer - Business Studies, The College
"Not being a "techy" I was really nervous of using Canvas. I did not need to be, as it is very intuitive. A feature I particularly like to use is "chat". In addition to allowing students to ask questions privately, I can attach an exercise or worksheet which students access immediately. This saves time and disruption in having to ask students to download the relevant paperwork from Canvas; or waiting for me to email the document."
Dave Ruckley
Learning Technologist, Swansea University Medical School
"The first thing I like about Canvas is how accessibility is a key part of it. When adding content to a page the accessibility checker is right there in the editor so there is no reason not to use it. It takes the hassle out of checking accessibility and immediately improves your course and makes it better for students regardless of any disabilities or concerns about accessibility."
"…all the LTIs I have tried in Canvas have been well designed and well thought out and Canvas clearly had them in mind from the beginning to expand on functionality. This forward planning makes the LTIs a breeze to use. The main thing I like is that none of them feels like you’re going somewhere else, everything is baked into Canvas and blends in giving a seamless experience while being able to take advantage of tools and features not native to Canvas."
Paul Davies
Senior Lecturer & Programme Director, School of Management
“I thought Canvas [it] was big, it was bright, it was a little bit scary at first. As you can imagine, all new systems are a little bit scary at first. When you get used to it, I just found it a real breeze. It's linked into all of the things that I needed it to link into. Plus, it gave me a whole load more functionality that I've not really been used to within Blackboard for the last five years.”
“The analytics were pretty insightful. It actually tells you how students have engaged with your lecture and/or seminar material.”
Joanna Chapman
Pre-Sessional Coordinator – English Language Training Services (ELTS)
“Quizzes provided a really useful function for students to be able to concept check and also fact check on information. … We've used Canvas to gain some really valuable feedback through midterm questionnaires so that the students know that we're constantly thinking about how we're putting our courses together and ways in which we can improve. They also know that we're listening to them even though we're not able to be with them in person. I’ve also used it for lots of continuous support around their assessments and their assignments.”
“Discussions have been really useful as well. This has been great because it means that the students have been able to engage with one another, without our involvement sometimes. They've been able to do this on an individual basis or a group basis, and it's given them an opportunity to prepare for assessments or lectures before they arrive. … Tutors have been commenting on the discussions too, so that the students really know that we are watching what's going on, and they have that extra level of encouragement to engage.”
Dr Wendy Harris
Biosciences Department, College of Science
“I've really enjoyed using Canvas, learning all the different features that it has. One of the best things I found about using it is just the sheer versatility of what you're able to do within a page and additional features.”
“Navigation between the pages and sections of Canvas is very useful as there are multiple ways of getting around linking one page to another. I've had positive feedback from students regarding the lack of clutter on the sites and how easy it is to navigate through the pages.”
“I've also received some positive feedback from students from last semester, who found the quizzes a really useful way of testing their own knowledge and seeing what information they needed to focus their revision on.”
Professor Simon Bott
Department of Chemistry, College of Science
“Canvas has really surprised me. One of the things that immediately leapt out to me after I'd thought about it for about six months, was the way in which one can set the material up for the students. … With Canvas [however], something is absolutely gorgeous … I can set the material out for the students in a much friendlier fashion.”
“I do think Canvas is a really, really lovely addition to our teaching tools. … The way in which we can present the material for the students in a way that's much easier for them. One click for what they have to do, lays it all out for them quite nicely.”
If you would like to share your experience of using Canvas or any best practice, please send an e-mail to salt@swansea.ac.uk