ASU Thunderbird Taps Canvas LMS to Power 100 Million Learners Initiative

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 10/27/22

Arizona State University's Thunderbird School of Global Management has partnered with ed tech company Instructure to provide its Canvas learning platform to the Francis and Dionne Najafi 100 Million Global Learners Initiative through 2030. The initiative will offer free online certificate programs to learners worldwide, with an emphasis on women and girls, who are expected to make up 70% of the student body.

The Najafis, both ASU Thunderbird alumni who said their lives were transformed by their experience at the school and wanted to extend to others with less opportunity, donated $25 million to the school in early 2022 to launch the initiative to teach global management and entrepreneurship courses to 100 million learners worldwide in underserved communities. The free program has three levels: foundational courses available to all, intermediate courses for advanced high school to undergraduate learners, and advanced courses for advanced undergraduate learners and higher. Courses include leadership, data analytics and digital transformation, customer experience and digital marketing, financial accounting, entrepreneurship, and sustainable business. Delivered via the Canvas LMS, the program will be offered in 40 languages, from Arabic to Zulu.

"We are honored to partner with Instructure and their Canvas LMS platform to help accelerate educational empowerment worldwide, support learners and professionals to gain the skills needed to succeed in the dynamic digitalized global economy, and advance sustainable and inclusive prosperity worldwide," said Sanjeev Khagram, director general and dean at Thunderbird.

Read Thunderbird's facts document to learn more about the initiative.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

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