Learning Management Systems

Instructure Enlists Instructional Design Help for Canvas Users

Instructional design support firm iDesignEDU will partner with Instructure to help colleges and universities build and develop online courses.

• By Michael Hart
• 03/01/16

iDesignEDU, a company that provides instructional design support, is partnering with Instructure to help colleges and universities using the Canvas learning management system (LMS) build their courses and make timely changes to them.

iDesignEDU typically works with faculty and administrators to convert traditional university courses into online formats equal in value to the in-person experience. Instructure officials said more than 1,600 higher education institutions now use Canvas and urgently need the help of industrial designers.

"Canvas is a game-changing platform in higher education, but faculty and institutional leaders need support to maximize its potential to implement new modalities, identify at-risk students and measure learning outcomes," said iDesignEDU CEO Paxton Riter.

Between 2002 and 2011, the number of students enrolled in at least one online course grew from 1.6 million to 6.7 million, representing an annual growth rate of 17.3 percent. Universities and community colleges often struggle to employ effective online strategies in a timely fashion. The challenges include inadequate resources, time constraints and competing initiatives.

The hope is that iDesignEDU instructional designers, working with Instructure and college and university staffs, will be able quickly plan, develop and implement online offerings while maintaining academic rigor and integrity.

"The iDesignEDU team brings a thoughtful, faculty-first approach to technology implementation," said Melissa Loble, Instructure's vice president for partners and programs. "Their university partners view them as an indispensable asset and full-service partner in the design of learning experiences."