Theory vs Practice

[abunag]

As a smaller University, we are in a similar situation as  @Robbie_Grant ‌ - we like the idea of Mobile, but we just don't have the resources to lead the charge with our users.  So, we support the faculty as they adopt the "traditional" LMS approach, using the browser interface to build their courses and interact with their students in our predominately traditional classroom, with the occasional faculty going to a hybrid class.  Leadership was also loathe to push the current apps when there is likely to be a transition to the new set of Apps.

However, we never hide that there are the Apps available for use, which has caused some interesting effects.  Several faculty have reported up to half their classes using the App to interact with their online course space, including during class times.  Other faculty have embraced the ability to review activity and grade work while on a mobile device.  I'm sure none of this is revolutionary, but it's nice to know that the theory we had concerning usage is slowly but surely showing in practice.  Some of our schools had mandated that students have a laptop in the classroom, and we're hoping with the App and the features in Canvas, we may be able to provide an alternative in the use of a mobile device.

Hopefully once we've had a better adoption rate, and can start looking at moving our core group of faculty past the initial learning stages, we will be able to have the bandwidth to support and encourage more adoption of the mobile Apps in the faculty, and work with our student support teams to do the same in places such as our freshman orientations.

This may not be the most useful Blog, but maybe it will help encourage those of you that see the benefit of the apps but just can't get the funding and bandwidth needed to reach the promised land.

[scottdennis]

"Some of our schools had mandated that students have a laptop in the classroom"  We've come a long way...  Remember when they were banned?

[abunag]

Oh yeah.  I'd love to say it's because of OER, and saving on printing costs and environmental impact.... but I'm pretty sure it's to access publisher content behind paywalls.  Baby steps.

[laurakgibbs]

Hi  @abunag ‌! I enjoyed this post because I am in the position of being a very traditional person when it comes to desktop use; I don't even have a smart phone, so the world of apps is a mystery to me, although I sometimes run them on my Chrombook (where Android apps now play), just to see what they look like.

My students, though, are keen on using apps, and I've learned that they use the mobile device at the same time as they are using the laptop, which is kind of weird but also cool. So, they will do the reading and writing for my class on their laptop, but then they will use the phone app to do the little quiz where they record their work for the grade. They will also use their phone to run, say, a Pomodoro-type timer app, while doing their actual schoolwork on the laptop.

I really like asking them about this kind of stuff, because if I can learn more about how they actually do the work, in terms of nitty-gritty detail like that, it can help me do a better job organizing the material. Since I teach writing, my classes are always going to be laptop-oriented (and when I've surveyed my students, they all have laptops and do most of their schoolwork on those laptops), but the idea of what they can do by having access to both a laptop and the mobile device is pretty cool.

Some students who don't know how to take screenshots on their computer will just get out their phone and take a picture of the screen and send me that picture, as another example. Anything that gets the job done works for me! 🙂

[snugent]

I find that students use the app way more than faculty do. I do warn students about taking quizzes in the app since some questions types are not supported. On our staff development day I am doing a session about online course design and I plan to include information about mobile. I think there are small changes that instructors can do in their course design that can optimize content for mobile. 

[bkraus]

Canvas for iOS v3.18.1 will have support for 2 additional question types - Multiple Dropdown and File Upload. Hopefully that helps! Shipping extremely soon, within hopefully the next week or so!

[DrNufer]

In grad school I had an old-schooler who was so skeptical of my laptop.  I used OneNote to keep up with all my classes. He would walk around the table every once in a while and peek over my shoulder.  Personally I thought it was ridiculous because here I am going into six figure debt for an education; who is he to have a say in how I take notes... 

[rseilham]

Thanks for the update! Was this part of 3.18 as well? 

[rseilham]

snugent‌: Good points! As for quizzes, the majority of types work now, and if they don't, the student will be asked to open them on the mobile web. This isn't the best solution, but it will be clear when a student can't take the quiz natively. 

As for mobile design for Canvas, I've documented this very well throughout the community and InstructureCon. Feel free to use any of my information to educate your faculty.  Here is an example: https://community.canvaslms.com/events/1790 

If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know! 

[rseilham]

laurakgibbs‌: I like your view on mobile devices. Even though you don't use them, you still see the value and want to learn how your students use them. Kudos!

[rseilham]

Anthony Bunag‌: Thanks for the post. It's  hard to hide the apps once students find them. I think faculty are a little slow to adopt because there aren't many tools specific to their workflow. This is something I see changing with the Teacher app. I also think the innovations brought to the Teacher app will be brought to the Student app as well. This will knock off some rust, particularly in assignments and discussions, that have held the apps back. 

We are currently running a Canvas mobile survey at UCF and a few items of interest. 90 percent of our students and 85 percent of faculty use the app. I have heard many times that the app might lack features, but it doesn't matter when users find utility and fill in the gaps somewhere else. 

Another interesting stat, more students own smartphones than laptops. It's only a slight margin, but at least in HE, I think students rather have a smartphone, especially if this is their main way to connect to the web. 

[Stef_retired]

For those of you who are training people in Canvas generally and on the mobile apps specifically, be sure to check out T2T:  The Bias Against Android: #FakeNews or Real Problem? which is coming up in CanvasLIVE this Tuesday, March 28, 2017. RSVP “yes” if you will be there--and if you’re interested, but your schedule doesn’t allow you to attend in real time, RSVP "no" or "maybe" to receive all event updates. Your RSVP ensures that you will receive a notification should the event be cancelled or changed.