OUR VIEW: The Canvas, Blackboard collision
We log in to Blackboard to study slides from one class, log out and then log in to Canvas to view a recent test score for another class. It’s the feeling we get when we have two email accounts, both of which contain important updates, and we can never quite remember whether we need to go to Canvas or Blackboard for which syllabus or what deadline. Needless to say, we will be happy when we have made the full transition to Canvas.
We’ve heard it again and again — people hate change. The fact that students have been trying to dissuade their teachers against upgrading from Blackboard is preposterous. We are sorry learning new technology is not convenient for you, but if we settled for the archaic, we would still be using MySpace and instant messaging systems. That’s right, some people still do. It’s time to move on, if you are a few years behind. Canvas, on the other hand, is clearly an innovative tool for students, implementing the essential communication tools offered by Facebook and Twitter into its programming so professors can connect with students more effectively.
As soon as a student logs in to Canvas their information comes up like a Twitter feed. The student then must make sense of a pile of announcements that appear in chronological order. An inbox located on the top-right-hand side of the screen shows the number of unread messages sent from professors. These are only a few features of many that have us feeling right at home. Our generation is trained to collect information this way — in lists. The structure of the system is so familiar — thanks to social media sites — it should be easy for students to figure out.
Trouble is, our professors hardly understand how Canvas operates. Not all of them, mind you, but many have not put in enough time to be able to adequately explain the system to students. Professors have resources available through the FACT that will show them the ins and outs of Canvas, but we’re positive many of them may not have taken full advantage of these tools. No doubt the choice to switch from Blackboard to Canvas wasn’t made by a lone professor, rather, it was made by the entire Utah Education Network, but we implore you to get on track with the program so we can get on track with your courses.
Luckily, our tech-savvy generation will eventually figure it out, but we’re presently not about to load any more tedious tasks into our full schedules. When our professors can’t understand how to load an assignment on Canvas, we aren’t going to jump at helping them give us homework.
If only there had been a way to scoot every professor from the Blackboard system to the Canvas system during the summer months, we might be less annoyed now. We don’t know about you, but we don’t trust our brains to carry half of our schedules in one day planner and everything else in another. The sooner we can get all our eggs in the same basket, the better.