Canvas User Group Agenda

7.30 am-9:00 am  Registration and Coffee

9.00 am-9:10 am  Introduction to the Day 
Robin Robinson, Director of Education Technology and eLearning at Framingham State University 

9:10 am-9:45 am  Round Table Conversations
Discussion of trends, disrupters, and strategic initiatives
Facilitators:
April Bellafiore, Director of Multi-Modal Education, College of Natural Sciences (CNS) at UMass Amherst.
Tamarin Butcher, Associate Director of the UMass Amherst IDEAS team (Instructional Design, Engagement, and Support)
Robin Robinson, Director of Education Technology Office at Framingham State University

9:45am-10:45 am Instructure/Canvas News
Speaker:  Michael Yakubov, Ed.D,  Northeast Account Manager, Instructure

The world of digital learning is ever-changing. To continue developing a more competitive and budget-focused approach to institutional sustainability, a SWOT analysis composed of student feedback, industry assessment, resource allocation, and knowledge-based outcomes is essential. Instructure has continued aligning its vision to academic success goals and metrics with various digital tools and emerging technology. During this presentation, we will highlight industry trends such as AI, share feedback from students and faculty, and briefly showcase our ed-tech tools that are quickly aligning to the market and are helping to close the gap on career readiness. 

10:45 am-11:00 am  Break

11:00am-12:00 pm  Lightning Round Presentations

The Lightning Round presentations are a series of 15-minute talks designed to share best practices and insights and encourage conversations about innovative ideas and tips for using Canvas tools. 

 LMS Tools @ Harvard Business School
Speaker: Kara Amana, Manager, Learning Technology Services, Harvard Business School

In this presentation, we will explore the innovative capabilities of LMS Tools, a custom suite of applications developed by Harvard Business School (HBS) designed to enhance and personalize the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) experience for faculty, staff, and students. By leveraging the Canvas API and LTI integrations, along with HBS's proprietary applications, LMS Tools delivers a suite of functionalities tailored to meet the unique educational and administrative needs of the HBS community.
 

Supporting Large Lecture Courses
Speaker:  April Bellafiore, Director of Multi-Modal Education for the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) , UMass Amherst. 

The move to Canvas illuminated a number of assessments, feedback, and classroom management practices utilized by large lecture courses at UMass that were not evident during the initial gathering of LMS usage requirements. This spring, a small working group led by the instructional design team began work to review migration issues and develop targeted solutions to assist faculty teaching courses with 100+ students migrating to Canvas.  

Building a Homegrown Math Placement Test in Canvas
Speaker: Mary MacDonald, Senior Instructional Designer, Framingham State University

Learn how Framingham State University used native features of Canvas to create a new process for placing students into introductory math classes. This new placement test experience addressed several concerns raised by Mathematics faculty about the existing placement process, including accuracy, flexibility, and accessibility. Canvas features highlighted in this process include the New Quiz engine and Mastery Paths. The resulting placement experience was built and administered to approximately 400 students (and counting) beginning in the Summer of 2023. 

Advising and Program Sites in Canvas
Speaker: Adam Hauerwas, Academic Systems Architect / LMS Administrator, Providence College

PC has long used its LMS creatively since it is the "go-to" system for faculty and students.  Migrating from Sakai, we have re-created sites in Canvas based on advisor/advisee relationships and major/minor/departmental affiliations for students and faculty using SIS-generated data.  Canvas features used include Section membership with specialized sub-accounts and roles. 

12:00 pm-1:00 pm Lunch

1:00 pm-2:00 pm Unconference Conversations

Facilitators
Adam Hauerwas, Academic Systems Architect / LMS Administrator, Providence College
Mary MacDonald, Senior Instructional Designer, Framingham State University

Join us for an unconventional and dynamic Unconference Session at the Canvas User Group meeting! In this interactive gathering, we’ll break away from traditional conference formats and embrace spontaneity, collaboration, and creativity.

2:00 pm-3:00 pm  Next Steps for the User Group
Facilitator: Kevin Kennedy

"The Canvas User Group is all about collaboration, curiosity, and camaraderie. Our journey with Canvas doesn't have to end in the conference room. As a lively user group, we have many opportunities to stay connected, learn from each other, and make a lasting impact on our teaching and learning practices. What's next for the group?" 

3:00  pm  End