Georgian Faculty Attend SDSU Flex Training

In preparation for the switch from Blackboard to Canvas as SDSU’s online learning platform, SDSU Georgia faculty participated in a series of training on the new technology. The training was carried out through the Canvas LMS over the summer in June and July for three weeks, as well as a one-week intensive training in August for faculty members who were unable to attend the earlier sessions. 

According to SDSU leadership, Canvas offers an “ease of use, familiar layout, wide range of features, mobile readiness, external tool integrations, and functions that promote student engagement, organization, and self-efficacy.” With the increase in online learning, SDSU Georgia recognizes it is more important than ever to ensure our students have access to the best digital learning resources and tools.

The training program was created by faculty for faculty and aimed to bring the teaching level of our professors to a higher level for online and hybrid courses. The goal was to increase student engagement, provide more meaningful learning, and improve professional online presence. 

Eighteen faculty completed the July session and twenty completed the July session, which were run through the SDSU main campus. Thirty faculty members completed the training in August, which was run locally for SDSU Georgia faculty and utilized the assistance of seven Georgian faculty members who had completed the training in June and July.

SDSU Political Science instructor Khatuna Chapichadze who completed the training with SDSU Main Campus in July, remarked, “Even though it’s been quite intensive weeks, at the same time, however, full of very useful and fruitful things in terms of new technologies, tools, and approaches.”

The transition to Canvas from Blackboard will take place over the 2020-2021 academic year. We are glad to report that over 80% of all the courses at SDSU Georgia have already moved to CANVAS as of September 2020.