Part 1

Overview of Training

           Canvas is a cloud-based learning management system created by Instructure used by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to teach students virtually in conjunction with synchronous in-person learning.  This LMS has many features that allow a teacher to create content from scratch or import courses or learning material from outside sources.  In some cases, courses can be blueprinted and distributed to over a large range of users across a district.  Canvas operates just like the word canvas connotes.  It is a blank space for the user to create and display instructional materials.  There is a minimal level of understanding needed to begin a project in Canvas. Understanding all the features and functions of Canvas creates a more positive experience for the teacher/trainer using the LMS (Falcone, 2018). 

           As Covid-19 caused schools to close in the Spring of 2020, many schools switched to using the Canvas platform for both synchronous and asynchronous learning.  The problem with Canvas is that it requires some knowledge of coding or website development to create pages, modules, assignments, etc.   “Canvas is easier to use for digital natives, than digital immigrants” (Tsang, 2019). Teachers who have been teaching in the field for some time may or may not have the computer skills required to successfully create educational material in Canvas and may need a basic how-to course that gets them through using Canvas for their classroom setting. 

           Case studies have shown that Canvas takes some getting used to in the beginning, but once users received training and felt more comfortable, they enjoyed the ease of use of Canvas (Falcone, 2018).  This training will provide a basic overview of typical daily functions used by teachers in Canvas.  Users will feel more confident in their abilities to create engaging content for students while keeping themselves organized in creating and grading assignments.
 

           Instructional goals help to lessen confusion by the learners providing a clear path to what is expected (Clark & Mayer, 2016).  This course is intended to give a brief overview of what a teacher will need to know to successfully navigate Canvas.    At the end of this training, the learner will be able to:

           This course would be beneficial to anyone needing a basic introductory course to Canvas.  It is especially geared to teachers using it to create content for student use/learning in a virtual space classroom with either asynchronous or synchronous environments.
 

           Resources needed for this course include basic materials like a functioning computer with solid internet connectivity and time to practice and develop new skills.  The learner will need to be able to go to the Canvas Instructure Homepage either by accessing it through a district portal or by going to the Canvas homepage at https://canvas.instructure.com/login/canvas.  The course will operate as a live course via Zoom where learners can join synchronously, and then the asynchronous learners can watch a replay of the course. 
 

           In part A, the instructional goals were listed.  These goals are the heart of the training, but learning objectives are the goals restated more directly into a measurable outcome.  This is done by using specific verbs and phrases that guide the learner to know exactly what they will be expected to do. 
 

• The learner will examine the settings available in the Canvas course and will choose the appropriate settings necessary for the course. 
• The learner will locate the course calendar and verify that the assignment created shows up on the calendar. 
• The learner will investigate the Student View option and will describe why student view is helpful to have as part of a teacher’s Canvas course. 

            To have a successful course, the trainer needs to know that the learners can perform the learning objectives mentioned above.  As part of the final assessment, the students will submit their course links to the instructor.  With that course link, the instructor will be able to look for all the objectives.  Immediately upon clicking on the link, the home page should come up (if done correctly).  The evaluator will be able to see if there are text, images, and links by a visual overview.  To check that the links are working, he/she can click to see if each link goes to the appropriate page.  After the creation of the page and the assignment, the learner will answer some reflective questions when submitting the course link.  These questions will be posted at the end of the course on a presentation slide.  Based on the answers to the questions, the trainer will be able to see if the remaining objectives have been met. 

This training will be a live training done via Zoom.  During the synchronous class, learners will be able to watch as the trainer shares her screen to demonstrate and explain the various parts of the lessons.  The trainer will then pause to give each learner a chance to find the place on the learner’s Canvas course and execute the given commands.  After the class has located and created the various pieces, the trainer will continue with the next topic.  This process will occur repeatedly to give the students a chance to watch the instruction, practice, and ask questions if needed.  By the end of the training, the students will have demonstrated all the required topics and will be able to submit their link and answers to the questions regarding calendar, settings, and student view.  Throughout the training, the Zoom demonstrations will be recorded so that each student can refer back to the course if needed or future learners participate asynchronously. 
 

           Learner motivation really makes a difference to the success of a training.  The learners would be motivated because there is a growing need to be able to create virtual courses for students.  As learning progresses, there will be less need to have in-person trainings or classes.  Teachers will need to be able to have a virtual classroom and a presence online.  This course will help them build more confidence in the classroom because the teacher will look more professional. 

           Learning participation occurs when the training builds time into the course to allow for the participants to view and practice each step.  Inserting time for the learner to practice encourages the student to try during class and maybe even after class to perfect what was done during the training. 

           If the course is a voluntary training, those who signed up for it have an interest or a need to learn the topics being offered.  When students chose what they are learning it helps to increase motivation and participation as well. Otherwise, the training course is waste of time for an ever-increasing society who wants more time to do more.
 

           To verify that the objectives have been met, the training participants will email the trainer with a link to view the course with answers to reflective questions. A rubric will be created to help in evaluating the page and assignment that is created during the course training  The trainer will use this rubric to help visually identify that there are text, images, and links on the created page.  Besides, the evaluator will be able to see immediately if the page was set as the homepage by clicking on the link provided via email.  Similarly, a rubric will be used to grade the assignment created for the page to ensure that it has a due date and is submittable online.  Part of the rubric will check to ensure that the assignment does show on the course calendar.  As for the settings and student view, the participants will answer reflective questions and submit them with their course link for evaluation by the trainer.  The trainer will be able to read and review the results from the answers provided.  Then, the trainer can view and evaluate how the settings affect what the course looks like to a student. 
 

            A positive learning environment helps to ensure that everyone benefits from the training, and it is not time wasted for all.  Different methods will be used to ensure there is a positive learning experience.  At the opening of the course, the brief overview and objectives will be stated so that the learners will know what the course will be about and what is expected of them.  The trainer will also explain her own experiences starting with Canvas to make the course more relatable to the trainees.  This helps to build rapport with the participants and make the course more meaningful.  As the trainer is presenting a PowerPoint, the participants will be able to stay on track with the guided slides.  During the progression, the instructor will demonstrate one procedure at a time, and then the participants will have a chance to try and practice what they just saw modeled for them.  As people are working, they have the opportunity and time built in to try different things and ask questions for clarification for each idea explained and modeled. At the end of the main content, the instructor will share the reflective questions for the training after answering any remaining questions from the day.  Each participant will end the course with a more personalized Canvas page than he/she started with.  Having a product to show after a training creates a sense of accomplishment for the participants which leads to a positive learning environment. 
 

            In preparation for this training, it was important to analyze what was essential and what teachers needed/wanted to know.  A Needs Assessment and an informal survey were done of coworkers and other friends who were teachers.  The results of the survey were that it was daunting to see a blank Canvas page and many new to Canvas did not know where to begin.  Just having a general understanding of what things were and why it was useful gave teachers a greater sense of comfort in trying to create different aspects of their course. 

            After a Needs Assessment, the trainer was able to create a list of goals and objectives to form the skeleton of the course.  Using the course outline and the learning objectives, a PowerPoint presentation was created to use in the demonstration part of the course.  The PowerPoint will be used to judge how much time will be necessary to cover all the topics.  To have something to demonstrate with, the trainer also had to create a Canvas Sandbox course which is a blank course that can be made into whatever the user determines.  This blank course will be used to model what the course participants see when they log in to their own blank courses.  Each trainee will be able to follow along with the instructor because items will be in the same places when everything is new and unmodified.  In addition to the blank Canvas Sandbox course, an example of a finished course (or work in progress) is necessary to give ideas and show possibilities in what each participant can create with time and patience. 

            The final piece of preparation needed for the course is a working knowledge of how to use Zoom and Canvas.  It goes without saying that the instructor will need to have some background information on Canvas so that she can answer questions that arise during the session.  Being able to navigate the different aspects of Zoom is also a good tool to have.  There will be a lot of back and forth screen sharing happening, and the course moderator will need to have the windows ready to click between to show and juggle all the content and the questions. 
 

            Participants will register for the course by filling out a Google Form.  Once an email address has been captured, the participant will receive an email with a link to the Zoom meeting, a list of requirements, and a link to the presentation.  The course will take place synchronously online via Zoom, and each participant will have early access to the presentation link to see what topics will be discussed and get a general feel for what will be required of them.  Additionally, necessary materials including previously established access to the Canvas LMS system and a fresh course or sandbox course to practice in will be clearly expressed in the email. 

           For future course administrations, the first synchronous zoom session will be recorded and later be made into an asynchronous course.  Once the participants register via the Google Form, they will receive an email with immediate access to the recorded version of the course in addition to the presentation link and details about what they will need. 
 

           Once the participants gain access to the Zoom link from their welcome email, the class will start at the designated date and time.  They will have come with access to their Canvas accounts ready to create in a blank course that they either need to populate or a blank sandbox course that was created for them.  Instruction will begin with introductions and a PowerPoint to help guide and keep everyone focused on the task at hand.  As the course progresses, the instructor will share her screen via Zoom to the participants as she models and demonstrates the various tasks for each objective.  Learners will first watch the instructor do each step and then they will try each step on their own course.  Time will be given to the learners to investigate and practice after each idea is explained and modeled.  Participants will be able to use the Zoom Chat feature to ask questions to the moderator to receive feedback during the class.  To gain credit for the training, participants are asked to submit a link to their course and to respond to questions from the end of the training.  Participants will do this by sending an email to the designated email address on the presentation or replying to the welcome email. 
 

           Learning will be facilitated in various ways. When students register and receive the welcome email, they will have early access to the course presentation.  Seeing the presentation helps to provide groundwork before the course starts and familiarizes the learner with important terms and functions.  Seeing the goals and objectives will help guide the learning process so the participant knows what is expected of him/her.  Throughout the presentation, the instructor will follow an approach of “I do, we do, you do”.  What that means is the instructor will model and explain a topic, then give the class a command to try with her.  When the students had guided instruction, the trainer will then just pause for a few minutes to let the participants run with their own ideas and create without interference.  After that time is up, the instructor will call everyone back together to go over the next topic, and the process repeats until all the main objectives are hit.  Upon conclusion of the presentation, the trainer will be available to answer any remaining questions and provide additional guidance if needed.  Facilitation will continue once the participant sends the link and responses to the questions for feedback from the instructor.  The trainer will be able to provide additional comments to clear up any misconceptions or provide handy tips. 
 

           At the beginning of the training, introductions will be done.  Part of establishing credibility is providing a small amount of background information about the trainer.  Also, the trainer will have examples of courses that have been built out to show as examples of what she has done and uses.  Learners will be able to determine that the trainer has a training background, teaching experience, and Canvas product knowledge.  In this instance, the trainer will be the subject matter expert.  Depending on the size of the course and how many registrants, the trainer will have another person, also an SME, moderating and fielding/answering questions.
 

           Throughout the training, feedback will be available when participants ask questions.  A setting on Zoom allows for multiple users to share their screen, so participants will be able to share their screen for group feedback, or individual feedback from the course moderator.  Upon completion of the course, learners will be required to email their course links and answers to the reflective questions to gain additional feedback.  The trainer will be able to evaluate the work of the participants using a rubric.  To gain credit for the training, the learner should score an 8 or better on the rubric.  If the learner scores less than an 8, he/she has the option to retry for a higher score or does not get credit for the training. 
 

          Once the trainer has evaluated the participant’s course, she will respond to the email with the grade and a link for a course survey.  The course survey will help to make improvements or adjustments to the course in the future, as well as helping to decide if the program should continue.  There would be questions based on a five-point Likert scale, as well as an opportunity to provide more in-depth feedback.