Professional Development

Instructure Intros Canvas Certified Educator Program

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 10/14/20

This week, during Instructure's virtual customer conference, CanvasCon Online, the learning management system company announced the Canvas Certified Educator program. To achieve the credential, candidates will take a series of courses intended to boost their understanding and use of Canvas as well as non-product specific best practices for online and blended learning.

The certification initiative will have separate tracks for K-12 and higher education. Participants will be able to take customized asynchronous classes online for each, with the expectation that the courses will be finished within a given timeframe.

The program will generate digital badges for participants through microcredential provider Badgr as they finish each course. When they've done the pathway (four core courses and two electives, taught within Canvas itself), they'll earn a digital pathway badge.

Each course is expected to take about four weeks to finish. They include:

• Core 1: Foundational frameworks, which explores the impact of technology on student learning and the classroom and how Canvas can be used to help educators boost student achievement, motivation and engagement;
• Core 2: Engagement strategies, to examine how Canvas can help enrich teaching practices and maximize student achievement;
• Core 3: Personalized learning, to dive into personalized learning and learn how to create opportunities for student voice and choice within the learning environment;
• Core 4: Transformational practices, to help participants learn how to evaluate open standard digital learning tools that can enhance learning through Canvas; and
• Electives, described as a series of optional courses that can be selected by educators based on interests and needs.

Instructure is working with education nonprofit Digital Promise to align the courses in its program to Digital Promise credentials. Digital Promise will provide personnel to review candidates' evidence of learning.

"Canvas Certified Educator is a direct response to requests from our customers the past few years," said Melissa Loble, chief customer experience officer, in a press release. "They want to have deeper knowledge of the platform and to have credentials and badges that certify their expertise with Canvas to facilitate professional development and career progression."

Canvas Certified Educator will launch its first course for the higher education track on Nov. 9. That runs through Jan. 1, 2021. Tuition is $335.

A livestream introduction to the program will be broadcast on YouTube on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 10:30 a.m. Mountain time.