On December 15, Canvas officially becomes the sole learning management system at Texas State.
Canvas arrived at Texas State in November 2019. For more than a year now, Canvas and TRACS have existed side-by-side. To be clear, TRACS will still be around for the next year in a read-only state. People can access old materials there but all new work will only be in Canvas.
I think the dawn of this new reality is a good time to take a step back and thank everyone who brought us to this point.
Here in the IT Division, we led the project management and implementation of Canvas, but even before that we organized calls for proposals from prospective vendors, sent out faculty surveys, and formed a university committee to lead the project, and much more. Exploration of the idea to get a new learning system for the university started in 2017.
The advisory committee made up of faculty, staff, and students, recommended the university choose Canvas from among a group of potential vendors in spring 2019. The purchase was approved in August of that year.
Thus started the great migration. By this semester, fall 2020, the vast majority of courses were being taught in Canvas. The message has been clear to everyone, move to the new system and take advantage of improvements in the way you can teach using learning systems. I have been very encouraged by the reaction to the message. So many people have moved into Canvas and embraced its power, and they have done so with enthusiasm.
Many faculty also stepped forward to volunteer for the Canvas Champions program, a group of faculty leaders sharing their Canvas experiences and expertise with their fellow faculty.
Meanwhile, the IT Assistance Center (ITAC) has been running Canvas training courses almost every week of 2020. This week will be the third Camp Canvas – an intense three-day event aimed at teaching users how to get started in Canvas and how to take advantage of its long list of impressive features.
Often changes of this magnitude cause issues. To the credit of everyone at Texas State, that really has not been the case this year. Most everyone who needed to move materials has done so. Everyone who asks for help is getting it. If you are a person who still has not moved anything, reach out to ITAC to make sure you are ready for spring semester.
As communications director for the division it has been my goal for everyone on campus to be aware of the change to Canvas. My team and the ITAC team also wanted to make sure people using Canvas knew of its greatest features.
Please remember that you can still access TRACS after Dec. 15, but you will not be able to add materials or teach courses using TRACS. Read more about the timeline and other frequently asked questions on our Canvas FAQ page.
Thanks again to every Bobcat for making this long transition a positive one.
Scott Ayers is director of IT Marketing and Communications.
