By Adam Enomoto
Managing Editor
and Riaz Mamdami
Executive Digital Editor
Mira Costa’s administration implemented Canvas, a new Learning Management System, at the beginning of this school year. Although administrators should improve their implementation methods, the system has enhanced the learning process through its helpful organizational features.
Canvas utilizes elements such as a school calendar and classroom assignments. Through this implementation of technology, Costa is utilizing the new LMS to alleviate academic stress on both students and teachers, Costa Vice Principal Kristin Wolberg said.
During a period last year in which teachers tested different LMS’s, they found that other systems lacked organization, Wolberg said. Due do its organizational features that allow students to identify what classwork they have to complete, Canvas is a major improvement from past years and will hopefully enhance student performance.
According to a survey of 20 Costa teachers, a majority agrees with Wolberg that Canvas is organized and more advantageous than other programs. The fact that teachers find Canvas’ features to be useful tools is crucial because if they did not, then school could be more difficult for students.
As shown through a survey of 157 Costa students, Canvas is a well-designed and easily navigable platform. This new program’s user-friendly format is beneficial to students due to its practical nature, alleviating unneeded stress.
Canvas offers support groups to help if there is any confusion on usage.
In addition, 57 percent of the students either slightly or strongly agree that gathering and managing assignments is easier using Canvas. Time management and planning are crucial skills for all high school students, so the use of Canvas in school improves the qualities that all Costa students should acquire.
Canvas works to improve communication between students and teachers, Wolberg said. Although, as of now, Canvas is not very helpful in working on this student-teacher dialogue because, according to a survey of Costa teachers, a majority does not believe that Canvas has made a large impact on communication.
The survey specifically indicates that the number of teachers who believe that communication levels have improved is the same as the number of teachers who believe that communication levels have stayed the same after the implementation of Canvas. Therefore, Costa should continue to improve Canvas so student-teacher discussion is advanced.
Administration should have also improved how it instructed teachers on Canvas over the summer as it did not benefit a majority of the staff. Over the summer, Costa offered three one-hour-long Canvas training sessions in addition to another half-day workshop, Wolberg said.
However, this timing was not conducive for teachers because, according to a survey of Costa teachers, a majority did not attend these sessions. Therefore, it is clear that administration should have planned these workshops at a different time so a majority of teachers would be willing and available to attend.
Although administration should better its instruction process, according to anonymous sources from the survey, once all teachers fully adopt the program, Canvas will become more useful. Therefore, as long as Costa remains open-minded and keeps the best interest of students and staff in mind, Canvas should only have positive impacts.
With the implementation of the new LMS, the school’s administration has vastly enhanced student-to-teacher communication. Even though there was an initial struggle of working out this new program, the beneficial results of increased efficiency and organization with Canvas outweigh all of the negatives.
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