Trial of Canvas, considered as a replacement for Blackboard, extending into winter quarter

After positive results with the fall pilot of Canvas at Western Washington University, ATUS has recently decided to expand the pilot with additional faculty and courses for the winter term.

Canvas is a learning management system under consideration as a possible replacement to Blackboard. The Canvas system is being adopted by most Washington Community & Technical Colleges as well as other state institutions, such as the University of Washington and Eastern Washington University. This past spring, Western’s Academic Technology Committee approved a recommendation to begin piloting Canvas for the fall term.

The fall pilot has involved 25 faculty, 32 courses and approximately 1,500 students. A tentative summary of experiences suggests that the pilot should be extended into the winter term and involve additional faculty. Faculty wishing to participate in the winter pilot are asked to submit their interest to ATUS on the Canvas winter pilot interest form.

The opinions and experiences of students, faculty and support staff involved in the pilot will be summarized for an overall recommendation regarding Canvas due in January, 2013. For more information about Canvas, see ATUS' online FAQ or contact John Farquhar.