Ariana Oden-ClarkLast semester, N.C. Central University switched e-learning platforms from Blackboard to Canvas.
NCCU professors and students said they learned about the switch right before the Fall semester.
“It required a lot of initial work to get all my classes moved over and some refinements as the semester has gone on. [There were] no significant benefits from Canvas,” Language and Literature Associate Professor Stefanie Frigo said.
NCCU Mass Communication Associate Professor, Tianduo Zhang, said Canvas’s ‘module-centric’ system helps her course.
“It is a better platform because it shows all deadlines with the syllabus, I like those features,” Zhang said.
However, not everyone is enjoying the change away from Blackboard. Ebony Williams, a mass communication senior, said that Canvas was hard to get used to.
“Every student and professor that I talked to said that they liked Blackboard more than Canvas because it was less complicated to use,” Williams said.
Khazar Lewis, a mass communication senior, said he questions why NCCU made the switch.
“It might have been a financial gain, which is why they switched,” Lewis said.
But for Tiana Addison, a mass communication junior, Canvas did bring some positives.
“The pros of Canvas are you can see your grades, you can comment, discussion boards are easy, and you can alter the app’s appearance,” Addison said.
While students and professors found likeable features within Canvas, questions remain on why the switch happened in the first place.
The Campus Echo contacted the Canvas office staff on multiple occasions for an interview regarding the switch but has yet to receive a response.
In the meantime, Frigo and others believe that Canvas and Blackboard are similar.
“Students are less familiar with Canvas, and that has been a disadvantage for some, I think, but it will become easier for them over time,” Frigo said.
Williams also said that fully adapting to Canvas will take time.
“Once we get used to Canvas. I think it will be easy to use.”
