This past week the Iowa State Daily published a glowing opinion piece titled, " Sinclair: Canvas replacing Blackboard is a change we needed." To prepare for this "change" we encourage faculty, and staff to take advantage of the training opportunities and resources available to them.

On September 5 and 6, CELT and ITS will be hosting Erin Wasson, Canvas Trainer will facilitate multiple 90-minute training sessions on the following topics: Assignments & Discussions, Communication & Collaboration, Grading & Assessment, Modules & File Management, and Quizzes & Question Banks. There are four ways for faculty and staff to engage in with these sessions:
  • Attend the face-to-face program: Register to participate in the face-to-face program through the Learn@ISU website (Space is limited).
  • Live webcast: Participate in the live webcast, hosted by CELT Online Learning Innovation Hub staff members, by registering through the Learn@ISU website. The live webcast space will be used as an overflow for the face-to-face program.
  • View the live webcast on your own: If you would prefer to view the Canvas-led workshops on your own, you may access the unique live Zoom links via the ISU MyCanvas Training site. Note: This is a training resource only accessible to Iowa State University.
  • View a recording: Recordings will be made available via the ISU MyCanvas Training course site following the event.
To view the session descriptions, download the Canvas-led Faculty & Staff Training (PDF).

Additional training opportunities include:
  • CELT-led Workshops: The first set of workshops will be held between September 18 - October 1, register to participate via the Learn@ISU website (Space is limited).
  • Canvas Open Labs: Drop in and get support related to quality course design, and effective teaching practices in Canvas. Bring your work, and your laptop (this is a must). Open labs are planned for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday in August – November 2017 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Rotunda of Parks Library (near 281 Parks Library). Open Labs will not be held on September 5 and 6 due to Canvas training for Faculty and Staff.
  • Self-Paced Online Canvas Tutorials, and Online Training Offerings are both available through the MyCanvas Teacher at ISU website
  • Additionally, to provide a baseline of content knowledge with the platform, faculty and staff are encouraged to watch the Welcome to Canvas video recordings found on the Canvas Training website.

Finally, CELT's 3-Part Series: Best Practices in Online Course Design will walk you through how to prepare your students to learn, deliver content and learning activities effectively, and provide essential learner-centered support. The series will be offered three different times during the fall semester:
  • Fridays: September 15, 22 and 29 (11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in-person in 2030 Morrill or view on your own via Zoom)
  • Wednesdays: October 18, 25 and November 1 (10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., in-person in 2030 Morrill Hall)
  • Tuesdays: October 31, November 7 and 14 (3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., in-person in 2030 Morrill Hall)

See you there,


Sara Marcketti, Interim Director
Center for Excellence in Learning Teaching