TL;DR: The NEW Impact Community is Live!

We have had quite a busy year and wanted to find the best way to keep you all apprised of the inner workings of Impact as well as what new content you can expect. Thus, the monthly Impact Newsletter was born. Each month, our community and customer success team will create a guide to all things Impact. You can expect new blogs, content pushes, universe submissions, and other updates to pop up in our newsletter.

Moving between Learning Management Systems can be challenging for students and faculty. Impact by Instructure is here to make these transitions as easy as possible by tracking the onboarding process and guiding the offboarding of users by providing in-app communication and support at the moment of need.

Did you know that campaigns can do more than simply hold messages?

Impact Campaigns  are not only the best way to communicate with your users within your LMS, but they can also be used solely for tracking specific aspects of EdTech adoption at your institution! But how exactly do they work without the messaging or help items, and why are they useful for your institution?

One of the first ever Impact customers, Saxion University has been using Impact since early 2011! They initially got on board because they found themselves explaining new LMS functionalities over and over to users, despite efforts to pre-emptively inform them. They decided they needed a more efficient way to communicate with their users, and Impact was going to facilitate that communication. 

Higher education has taken a full swing to embrace the digital classroom due to the Coronavirus pandemic. While many schools may have been unprepared in the spring, this fall will be the test for how prepared institutions are to provide a digital education. 

The end of the semester is a trying time for students and instructors, but additionally difficult with added communication, support assistance, and training expectations for LMS administrative teams. To alleviate some of the stress related to these adaptations, we have created several Impact campaigns to help institutions conclude the semester as smoothly as possible. 

Communicating online may seem like a simple task, but when attempting to connect with thousands of students, faculty, and staff, things can get a bit muddy. The question of how to best communicate has undoubtedly been on higher education administrators' minds for decades, especially during the current move to online learning. 

It’s a challenging time for educational leaders. Institutions are under pressure to digitalize and simultaneously to ensure course continuity and quality online. Add into the mix an unpredictability surrounding budgets – it becomes clear that institutions are looking for solutions that both generate increased efficiencies and provide modernization.

This is a special edition of our Impact blog, as today we're publishing a guest blog post by Dr. Sean Hauze, Director of Instructional Technology Services at San Diego State University. 

Now that 2020 is finally over, researchers can see how profound of an effect the COVID pandemic has had on students. A study conducted by Hobsons and Hanover Research found that students were struggling more in school than in pre-pandemic times.

We recently selected the winners of our 3rd annual Impact Awards to celebrate our users that have gone above and beyond with their Impact use, especially during a global pandemic! We are extremely thankful for our users and their ongoing support, innovative ideas, and for making great use of the solutions we offer. Here is a breakdown of the 2020 winners and the reasons they won!

While effective digital courses are an important part of ensuring a positive university experience, it is also critical to pair courses with relevant academic support services.

Impact by Instructure was chosen by EdTech magazine – Educational Technology Insights as a top solution provider, spearheading the online learning landscape.

Many Higher Education institutions around the globe are facing the aftermath of faculty and student disengagement as the threat of Covid-19 lessens and more institutions head back to hybrid and in-person models of teaching and learning. 

With campuses being closed much of 2020 across the world, many institutions are preparing for an influx of both new students and new faculty members. It is important to provide the support necessary to help this new group of students and faculty be successful and engaged on your institution’s LMS.

With many universities in between academic terms right now, it is the perfect opportunity to think of your Impact strategic plan going into your next academic calendar year! 

With the fall semester quickly coming to a close, our minds (and messaging) are shifting towards how our institutions plan to approach the Spring 2021 semester. With COVID-19 continually changing what the Spring 2021 semester will bring, we have created a variety of campaigns to fit your campus needs—whether you are online, on-campus, or a combination of the two! 

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt our daily lives, with higher education being no exception. As many universities approach their Spring 2021 semester, online teaching and learning are at the center of their focus to ensure academic continuity. Impact has been instrumental in helping institutions to transition to fully online learning.

As the COVID pandemic stretches on, institutions are considering continuing alternative formatting for course delivery for future semesters. Many universities are currently offering a variety of hybrid courses blending synchronous and asynchronous delivery. But what exactly is a hybrid class?

Impact has an amazing group of customers all around the world. And with a worldwide audience, comes a plethora of different academic schedules. No matter what your calendar needs are, Impact has messaging and campaigns to make your life a little easier. Check out what our Impact Universe has to offer. 

According to a 2020 study, students who took classes hosted on a Learning Management System performed better than their peers who did not. Impact helps institutions take LMS-based learning to the next level.  However, in order to increase learning outputs and performance, the campaigns need to be effective. So what makes a message successful?

As the world responds to the next steps in the fight against COVID, colleges and universities are turning their eyes towards vaccination efforts.

There is light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel! Many colleges and universities are gearing up to reopen their campuses to students and faculty alike. While we are not out of the proverbial woods yet, Impact has support for whatever your re-opening strategy may be.