Atlantic University College, located in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, is a not-for-profit educational institution that specializes in sciences, digital arts, and emerging technologies. With nine undergraduate and three graduate programs, Atlantic has achieved a leadership position in the region for its innovative initiatives, academic programs, and award-winning projects.
In recent years, Atlantic University College has been upgrading its online programs and implementing LMS strategies that meet the requirements for creating an educational environment that maximizes opportunities, introduces innovative tools, and generates solutions. Instructure with its Canvas and Impact products has been crucial in such transformation and continued success.
The products offered by Instructure allowed the university to create an environment where both professors and students assume ownership over the achievement of their educational goals in the online space. With the combined efforts of the Director of the PPOHA Proposal, Dr. María Villalonga, and the team made up of Dr. Awilda Nieves, Prof. Fernando Román Candidate to EdD., and Melanie Robles MA, together with their Dean of Academics, Dr. Norma Ortiz, Atlantic University College seeks continuous improvement and the creative application of tools to their educational space.
Pictured from left to right: Prof. Fernando Román Candidate to EdD, Dr. Awilda Nieves, Dr. Maria Villalonga, Melanie Robles MA., Fernando Montilla Chief Officer of Innovation & Technology and Dean Dr. Ortiz.
Thanks to Canvas, each of Atlantic's graduate-level courses could be created efficiently with a combination of content options seldom found in other solutions. In essence, they have been able to maximize the communication space within Canvas, and the dynamics that the platform allows have resulted in a learning experience that exceeded the expectations of what students were used to. By integrating the use of Impact, Atlantic University College was able to complement and fill a need for dynamic communication within the platform.
Prof. Fernando Román, the designer and administrator of Canvas, used his programming knowledge and experience as a graphic design professional to achieve highly dynamic content. From video in messages through popup windows to the dynamic integration of surveys and exams with videos directly in the activity area, the combination of various types of content allowed the creation of a highly dynamic and exceptional educational experience that meets the goals of the institution.
Embedding content in an Impact message can make a message more powerful at getting the message across. For instance, consider using an Impact message with an embedded video to welcome students and faculty to a new academic year or create an orientation video for a new tool that your institution is enabling.
Fernando created interactive content with music in a Pop-up message to bring awareness to Financial Education Month. He also embedded a fillable form in a Hint message. Embedding forms and surveys increases the completion rate of these surveys by catching the attention of the end-user in the moment and offering a quick in-line method for completing the form.
In this last example, Fernando used Edpuzzle and Impact to create a fully accessible video complete with quiz questions that appear throughout the message. Embedding content often yields increased end-user engagement. Examples like these are fantastic for orientation-type topics, where you want to capture end-user information and understanding throughout an instructional video.
Thanks to Impact and the advice of their CMS, Martina Blanco, Atlantic University College has successfully differentiated their educational initiatives and stood out from other LMS content developers in Puerto Rico. They have used their creativity and technology-driven know-how to enhance the educational experience of students and faculty. Companies like Instructure, with their excellent solutions, help them stay competitive, becoming invested in their continued evolution and success.
Do you have any questions for Fernando regarding his message creation process? What kind of content have you embedded into an Impact message? Please comment below!
