San Diego State University will be pilot testing the Canvas learning management system (LMS) beginning in Fall 2018, and we would like all faculty, staff, students and administrators to be aware of this important initiative.

On April 18, 2018, from 2-3pm, the Canvas Pilot Advisory Group met in Student Services West 2667 to discuss the upcoming test and to review initial results from the LMS faculty survey data (N=275, representing 18% of the tenure-line and 15% of all the faculty at SDSU). A survey corresponding with the Canvas Pilot was sent to all faculty on April 3 (closing on April 13) to determine their perceptions of the current learning management system, Blackboard, as well as to better understand campus needs going forward. The results of this survey will be shared in the aggregate once the open-ended data are coded and analyzed.

The Advisory Group kick-off meeting was attended by more than twenty campus stakeholders, including faculty representing each college, as well as students, administrators, and staff representatives. The meeting was also held virtually via Zoom for Advisory Group members who could not be physically present.

The group of faculty members who will be pilot testing Canvas in Fall 2018 is currently being finalized. The test pilots will be notified in early May. Likewise, Canvas (sandbox) system accounts for Advisory Group members will also be made available beginning in early May.

For more information about the Canvas Pilot, please continue to refer to our website at its.sdsu.edu/canvas.