University of California Deploys Full Canva Product Suite Across All Campuses

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 12/06/23

The University of California (UC) has partnered with Canva to provide all 10 campuses with the visual communication company's full suite of visual communication, design tools, and AI-powered products.

This partnership will benefit over half a million students, staff, and faculty, who will have universal access to Canva for Campus, according to a news announcement. Canva's premium suite of tools will be free to students.

The Canva for Campus Visual Suite includes documents, websites, whiteboards, data visualization tools, and its new AI-powered Magic Studio. The company said its visual safety tools suite, Canva Shield, addresses using AI responsibly and safely.

Under the new partnership, the university community will be able to:

  • Provide a single sign-on for staff and students, at scale;
  • Streamline permissions for administration and reportage; and
  • Access learning management systems Canvas, Blackboard, Schoology, and other tools; and
  • Work with Canva's education support team.

The rollout will be conducted in stages, starting January 2024. University administrators are also looking at "course development, student training programs, and co-hosting future events," the company said.

Canva said the partnership highlights its commitment to visual tools as a learning method. Citing its 2023 Visual Economy Report that showed 94% of business leaders across every profession expect employees to have visual design skills, the company said 50 million K–12 teachers and students worldwide use Canva to teach visual literacy. The demand is also high at colleges and universities, Canva said, "looking to equip students for an increasingly visual workforce."

"We always aim to meet our students, staff and faculty where they are and provide tools to further their success," said Van Williams, vice president of IT services at UC. "Our world today is a visual one. We communicate through presentations, reports, and social media. Canva's ease of use and ability to make complex things simple has made it a widely used tool by our students and staff. Now, everyone in our community will have access to this powerful platform, a key tool in an increasingly visual academic and professional world."

About the Author

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

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