From: Dr. Gene Bourgeois, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Mr. Kenneth Pierce, Vice President for Information Technology
Texas State will contract to purchase the Canvas learning management system (LMS) this summer.
This decision is the culmination of more than two years of research by staff in the Division of Information Technology (DOIT) and the Office of Distance and Extended Learning (ODEL) in Academic Affairs. Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff members tested the systems and provided feedback. The information from these efforts was combined into a report and presented to the Learning Management System Advisory Committee on May 15. The committee unanimously recommended to us that Canvas be chosen as Texas State’s new LMS.
Canvas is widely used across higher education, and has a reputation of being responsive, intuitive, and highly adaptable. One of the key reasons we considered replacing our current system, TRACS, is that systems like Canvas allow for quick adaptation of modern, technology-driven instruction. Bringing Canvas to Texas State will assist in our goal to create a robust digital learning environment that empowers faculty and students to reach their highest potential.
The recommendation said that members of the committee feel they were empowered; the process was thorough and inclusive; information was forthcoming, objective, and comprehensive; and the collaboration between DOIT and Academic Affairs was healthy and transparent. The committee was co-chaired by Dr. Debbie Thorne, Associate Provost, and Dr. Carlos Solis, Associate Vice President of the Technology Innovation Office. The committee included faculty representatives from every college, the Office of Disability Services, ODEL, University Libraries, and student representatives.
We are convinced, based on their recommendation and our review of the research, that Canvas will be a great choice for Texas State going forward. The final step in our acquisition process is contract approval by the Texas State University System Board of Regents at their August meeting.
We will be sharing additional information about the benefits of and the enhancements to the new learning environment, including timing and course migration strategy, over the next few weeks.
