Encouraging Interactivity

“Canvas should not be thought of as a repository of materials, but as a learning system where one can present the information in a more interactive way.”

Catalina Méndez Vallejo, Associate Director of Spanish Language Program, Department of Spanish and Portuguese
Course: Varieties of Spanish

Canvas provides powerful methods to structuring learning and communicating with students, methods that go well beyond simple file sharing.

Dr. Méndez Vallejo recommends Canvas “as a learning system where one can present the information in a more interactive way,” and she is particularly impressed by the calendar and the Modules features. Modules are a way to “organize all my materials (...) since this mimics the way in which I present the information in class.” The calendar, which can be used “to keep track of assignments and special activities” is, says Professor Méndez Vallejo “a nice feature that we could never really use in Blackboard.” Overall, Professor Méndez Vallejo advises new users that “Canvas should not be thought of as a repository of materials, but as a learning system where one can present the information in a more interactive way.”