“I feel a sense of power with the progression of my courses in Canvas.”
Dr. Cassandra LeClair teaches courses in the Department of Communication Studies. She finds using TXST Canvas fun and looks forward to building new modules each week. She also enjoys helping her colleagues learn more about Canvas’ capabilities and how she uses her courses’ features.
When LeClair first started out using Canvas, she began with one of the templates, which helped her build confidence in using the system. Once she had the frame, she could go back in and easily add images and change colors. Throughout the semester, she spoke with her students to see what worked and didn’t and asked what kinds of things they would like to see on the online site. She used feedback and made more improvements to her sites, giving her a sense of power and confidence in her abilities with Canvas.
LeClair’s courses are discussion-based, and in a course like this, typically everyone takes part in the discussion in an open classroom. Learning online presents a challenge for this type of course, but that didn’t stop her. Students in her courses commented how they felt her sites felt personalized and interactive to them even though they were learning online. This is something to be proud of in an online setting.
She put herself into her students’ shoes and considered what they would want to see on her site. Some of the things LeClair did to make her sites feel personalized and interactive include:
- use different colors for weekly modules and announcements
- use discussion topics to find and embed videos and news headlines
- add links and images related to discussions
The result was well-crafted sites that made it feel as though everyone was in the classroom and fulfilled the academic goals of the courses.
Her online courses opened the doors to more interaction with her colleagues inside and outside of her department and outside Texas State. Since everyone was learning together on campus, she was able to share what she was doing in her courses and help others with theirs.
She was also able to rekindle relationships with colleagues outside of Texas State to see what they were doing in their Canvas courses that would work in hers. Through this communal learning about course creation, she felt a sense of comradery and connection, which enhanced relationships with her colleagues and connections.
Watch as Dr. Cassandra LeClair, senior lecturer and TXST Canvas Champion, talks about how she uses Canvas in her courses and how it has allowed her to build relationships.
Rebecca Ormsby is a communications specialist in the IT Marketing and Communications office.
