The University of Pennsylvania Chooses Canvas

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Instructure today announced that the University of Pennsylvania has chosen Canvas as its universitywide learning management system (LMS). After evaluating Canvas' use by the Penn Libraries, the Graduate School of Education, the Penn Law School and the Wharton School, Penn chose to move the entire university to a unified learning management system on Canvas.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121101/SF04201LOGO)

"Penn has a longstanding commitment to new educational technologies for our students and faculty," said Andrew Binns, Penn's vice provost for education. "We are especially interested in technologies that support our emphasis on integrating knowledge across academic areas. We selected Canvas because it offers flexibility for this wide range of schools and interdisciplinary programs on our campus."

Over the past year, the Penn Libraries conducted a comprehensive pilot test of Canvas. Most instructors in the pilot found that Canvas offered better teaching tools than traditional learning management systems and met or exceeded their course development needs. Based on this pilot and the positive experiences of faculty in the Graduate School of Education, the Law School and the Wharton School, Penn Provost Vincent Price, in collaboration with the university's Council of Deans, charged a committee with evaluating the possibility of a single, universitywide LMS. 

As a result of this consultative and collaborative process, Canvas will be implemented as the university's LMS during the 2013-14 school year. It will be available for instructors wishing to use it for fall 2013 and spring 2014 courses and, by summer 2014, will be fully implemented across the university.

"Canvas effortlessly mixes video, images, texts, and hyperlinks," said Carolyn Marvin, Francis Yates Professor at Penn. "Canvas is an easier space to navigate, and it's prettier. I think it made the course richer and better for students, and I found it much more convenient for creating and mounting course materials."

Instructure launched Canvas in February 2011 and has since attracted more than 450 institutions. Today it services more than 6 million teachers and students from around the world, including students from some of the most prestigious universities and colleges, such as Penn.

"Canvas enables educators to teach their discipline in a way that's effective for them," said Misty Frost, vice president of Marketing at Instructure. "Students today are looking for a modern educational experience that's relevant to their world. By using Canvas, Penn is modernizing its technology while at the same time continuing to support different learning styles."

About Instructure:

Instructure is a technology company committed to improving education. We provide instructors and students with modern tools and resources that empower and simplify the learning experience. Instructure offers Canvas, the open, easy-to-use, cloud-native learning management system, as well as Canvas Network, an index of open, online courses by educators everywhere — from Ivy League institutions to community colleges.

Copyright © 2013, Instructure, Inc. All rights reserved. Instructure, Canvas and their respective logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Instructure, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other brands and names may be claimed as the property of others.

Contacts:
Devin Knighton, Director of Public Relations
(801) 722-8187  |  [email protected]
Twitter: @devinknighton  |  www.instructure.com

Brad Plothow, Method Communications
(801) 461-9777  |  [email protected]

SOURCE Instructure