BY WILL BRADLEY
Stonehill College’s learning system has been fluent throughout the years, with the Microsoft-based learning center leading a basis for all school-based information and work, but a sudden change would shift the regular learning service on campus this year that has left a conflicting response from students and staff alike.
Emails proclaiming “Canvas is coming to Stonehill” Were sent across the community on January 1 of 2023, to let the community know that the current standard for all work, eLearn, would be replaced by Canvas, a more known and accessible education service. This would later be introduced on August 23, and the response has been extremely mixed.
“The transition from eLearn and Canvas has been very challenging for me as a student. eLearn in my opinion was a lot more organized and easier for the professors and students to access. Most if not all professors have had an incredibly hard time using Canvas which in turn creates a lot of confusion of us as students,” said Julia Leonard, a sophomore.
Many students agreed, and Canvas has proven to be a struggle for some professors in its first go around. These struggles include accessing courses, homework upload issues, and some generally unable to access the site are all stress inducing concerns.
Even with these issues, some students are more acclimated to Canvas’ learning system because they used it in high school. Canvas is currently the world’s leading teaching and learning software, so many students are adjusted to this change.
“I don’t mind the switch from Canvas to eLearn personally, I did actually use it for my high school work, so it is pretty easily adjustable,” said Chloe Teller, a Junior.
Students aren’t the only one with their waning concerns and appraisals, as many professors weighed in on the way Canvas’ introduction has a cause for concern.
“On the one hand, Canvas has more bells and whistles and I think for people who have come of age with this generation of tech-teaching, they come to like it more than e-learn,” said Corey Dolgon, a Sociology Professor. ‘There is more capability to do more stuff. Personally, I resent being forced to change every so often without adequate compensation for the time and effort it takes to get comfortable with what’s newly available and what no longer is. But individuals accommodate to systems to survive so I’m learning slowly over time’”.
The transition to Canvas has not seemed to concern Stonehill’s Department of IT, because this change was anticipated to have its ups and downs in its first year.
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