Canvas is a course management system that supports online learning and teaching. It allows professors to post grades, information, and assignments online. It is being used by universities and colleges all over the world. Canvas is used at Rio Hondo College to create online courses, to replace some of the normal time spent in the traditional classroom (“hybrid” or “blended”) or to supplement traditional classes (“web-enhanced”). While online and hybrid courses are clearly indicated in the schedule of classes, web-enhanced courses are not.
Canvas offers discussion boards for asynchronous discussions, chat rooms for live discussions, centralized email (Canvas Conversations), so you can stay in touch with your instructor and communicate with other students, and even a way to submit assignments and take exams. Canvas provides you with a password-protected online classroom in which you will submit your work and communicate with your instructor and classmates. Note that your instructor uses the tools provided by Canvas to create his or her own virtual classroom, so just as your face-to-face courses vary significantly, so will your online courses. Becoming familiar with the Canvas environment and its tools is the first step in succeeding in your online course.
Canvas provides the tools to support online learning in a variety of ways. This can range from structured learning pathways to dynamic, interactive virtual classrooms. How a course is presented online depends on the content and complexity of the learning material, and the delivery methodology used by the instructor.
As with any classroom, it is a changing environment – expect each module to apply different tools and techniques. Join in, ask questions, and participate as you would in any classroom.
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