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tl;dr: This is an open discussion where you all can publicly share your qualitative thoughts and feedback about InstructureCon 2016! Please post before reading the comments from others. Then feel free to reply to others!
Once again we were stunned by another kumbayawesome InstructureCon! Fortunately the great sessions, ideas, and connections we made, can live on within our Canvas Community and in the InstructureCon 2016 community space! Remember that you can keep the conversation alive, around each breakout session, by adding comments! This is a great way to connect with the presenters and share thoughts/ideas with other participants.
Please be sure to take that survey that our marketing team sends out, so we can make instcon even better next year. That quantitative feedback is invaluable.
In addition we wanted to have an open discussion where you all can publicly share your qualitative thoughts and feedback about InstructureCon 2016!
Here's some things you might want to talk about: the sessions, the keynotes, the activities, the online schedule, the app, the booths, the venue, opportunities to connect, ideas for the Community Team to improve community interaction and engagement.
Thanks for your help Canvas Community... We ❤️ you!
Onward and upward!
PS... Don't forget to add all those kumbayawesome photos you took, to the Camp Canvas Photo Gallery...
In your responses please @mention other community friends or use the "Share" tool to encourage others to offer their feedback as well!
Let's kick off this discussion with some @mentions:
@KristinL , @jward , @tom_gibson , @kub26 , kdfrench, @rseilham , @ckofeldt , @ktesterman1 , @roush_94 , amber_morse, @dlyons , @mjevins , @hyrum , lalevesque, @mfgu , kbeimfohr, @jasond , @britain_woodman , regina_mccurdy, @hsiao_62 , shortridge, @stuart_ryan , lambj @lindalee , awilliams, @thatcher_bohrma , @crystal_trotter , Deactivated user, 985706039, bsargent, @bwalters , @travis_cox , @beth_ritter-gut , @tmercer , mouldera, Deactivated user, sblyth, @tawnya_means , @michellemeazell , @mlattke , jray11, Deactivated user, mlove, @colleen_ortega , whitney.kilgore, @victoria-maloy , @arovner , @kevin1 , @lstark , dtheriault, kmiller, @BethCrook , @grahamb , @Chris_Hofer , floria, sphoward, Deactivated user, dhawley, jwhite, mmorvant, goodrum, @kristie_johnson , Deactivated user, hooker.24, lydia, yotebrarian, A00015317, catherine_gregory, @kyle_johnson , @timothy_mckean , @murphy_1527 , @sbeck1 , @ewilson , @lclontz , @straussi , chriscas, @candace_girard , @p_bier , @kdscholl , bigenhoc aharris, @dave-long , @kschneider25 , 16247, @skowlaski , msl_adm, evans.1517, eanderson3, @jbrady2 , @Adrienne_J_Gaut , @np , @ebaker , timf, @travis_thurston , Deactivated user, jap98y, seneman, @SchaeferG , stefaniesanders, @Renee_Carney , @scottdennis , @biray
Good:
- Keynotes were engaging.
- Food was pretty good.
- Lots of activities.
- Decent swag.
- Angry Orchard -- I was happy to see that cider, a traditional camp beverage was available on some evenings.
- The people -- Instructure employees and customers -- were excellent, and I had many great conversations. Thanks!
Not so Good
- Wi-Fi in conference center. Honestly, I don't know what you guys are supposed to do. You could have quadrupled access, and it would not have been enough. However, there has to be a way to make absolute certain that presenters have a solid internet connection.
- If Dante had added another circle of hell to Inferno, it would have been for architects who design choke points in conference centers. The hall to Torreys Peak was horrible, and generally, the rooms were too small, especially for popular sessions. I did like the adjustments of moving the road map session to the ballroom and scheduling encore sessions.
- "Hey, give me a Jack and Pepsi" said no one ever. "May I have another rum and Pepsi?" said no one ever. Not that I care for alcohol (except for cider), but if I have to drink Pepsi, I am going to need something to go with it. Is it not possible to serve a wider selection of soft drinks, including some Coke products?
- The Starbucks Cart two feet away from the conference refreshments was confusing. I saw several people get confused about the paid beverage options at the Starbucks Cart versus the conference refreshments included with our registration fees.
- There was too much emphasis on ARC. I found myself in more sessions than I wished about Arc because I couldn't tell from the conference app that "video" was code for "Arc." Then, of course, there was the Arc lounge, which presented the best information about Arc. Anyway, Arc seems nifty, but it makes me nervous. The awesome thing about Canvas has always been that there was a single trim level: Subscribers to Canvas got all of the canvas tools. Now, I worry that Instructure will go the way of the LMS companies before it and starting charging upgrade prices for features. I don't like that, and I hope you guys do a rethink on this as you did with Canvas Data. You are growing, and that is good, but don't make the mistakes of the LMS we left to adopt Canvas. Please, please do not start charging for features within Canvas, but that is what it looks like is happening with Arc.
- Everything was too jammed together (in the conference center) and too far apart (everywhere else).
- Three days would be better. There is too much to do in two days. Perhaps you guys think we will pick and choose, but I want to do everything, and I can't because physics. Spread things out a bit and get started with morning keynotes an hour later each day. Make lunch a bit longer, and end sessions a bit sooner. That way, I might have had time to grab some colleagues from other schools for paddle boating and whatnot. Basically, I like Instructurecon so much that I would like more time to savor the good experience -- even if that means drinking a Pepsi or two.
I'm one of those that enjoy Pepsi over Coke. So I was very happy to see Diet Pepsi available. The Canyons (previous location) was a Coke Products place. But this often has less to do with the Conference itself and more to do with the location and who they have partnered with. [This goes for hotel chains, airports, theme parks, restaurant chains, some universities, etc.]
Good:
I loved loved loved the conference! I was so excited about all the new things I learned and about what is coming up! The Canvas people are hugely nice. I felt each was hand picked because they had great personalities!
Bad:
I felt like the venue could have been better picked. Yes, it was beautiful but two flights and then an hour and half ride through the mountains was a very big travel day. I have been to many conferences that didn't require that much work/time just to attend. It also was not set up well for eating. I do not enjoy standing up to eat while holding my drink in the rain so I began going back to my condo. Great exercise though! When I have gone to other conferences they had big tables where you would sit with other people from different schools and we would have the most interesting conversations - I missed that.
All and all a big thumbs up
Inctructurecon 2016. How it was?
First of all, Keystone resort is the best place to make people engaged, happy and relaxed. It’s some kind of a summer camp with a lot of different activities, sessions, and fun, so that each guest can find a very own way to feel the excitement.
What was great?
- Instructurecon conference app – it’s really amazing tool to check the schedule, create own agenda, view the Keystone map, book a transfer from the airport to resort and back, check info about partners, speakers, etc.
- Customer support – nothing compares to those amazing and helpful guys from support! There wasn’t any issue that they cannot resolve.
- Free WiFi
- Awesome networking opportunity – there was a lot of interesting guys to talk and to exchange views about current situation and innovative opportunities in today’s learning, and to have fun! Thanks to @scarniol from Galen College for mentoring me, you revealed all the secrets of baseball to me, now I feel fully upgraded on this matter! I will practice my new skills, promise you!
- Entertainment & Giveaways – Game Nights and Outdoor Movies was really great and exciting, I wish I could join morning yoga sessions but I couldn’t overcome my deep sleep. International Reception brought to us a lot fun with guys from Ireland and special applause to tpriester from Sydney who made our evening special and filled with a lot of crazy and hilarious stories.
Also it was the best giveaways I’ve ever seen – what a beautiful backpacks, t-shirts, sweaters and bottles, it’s definitely not that kind of gifts to throw away afterward! I will keep them all! 
Cons:
- For all the guys whose travelling overseas it’s a really big challenge to get to Denver and to the resort itself, but the beauty of nature compensates everything. For next year fair it would be nice to choose some location not so far from the main road links and the airport.
- Catering: It was good arranged, but there was a lack of healthy food.
- No information about possible troubles with health on this attitude and what to do in case something goes wrong. Even with young guys at that altitude mountain sickness can make mischief, and yes… it had happened to me… Thanks God and Deactivated user from Instcon support team - I am still alive.
The overall impression is really amazing. Love you guys, you are awesome!
InstructureCon- great job this year! My personal opinion, InstructureCon 2016 as a whole was much better than InstructureCon 2015!
- Theme: I thought that the theme was on point this year- much, much better than last year's theme. I was very impressed with the level of detail and planning that went this year's conference. Even Bridge, also owned by Instructure, had mugs that perfectly fit the "camping" theme. Great job!
- Swag: Also, with a better theme comes better swag. Not that swag is the real reason we are there... but it definitely adds to the conference fun.
- Food: In addition to the great theme and swag this year was food and food accommodations. The food was just fantastic- best camp food I've ever had!
I appreciated that they also had vegetable and salad options with pretty much every meal so that you could still get your health food in while at a conference with so much food. This year overall had much more, better options than Instructurecon 2015. - Sessions: Overall, I'd say that I enjoyed the sessions more this year as well-- I can easily see that a lot of universities are tuning more into Canvas Data and using analytics. Coming from an institution that is data hungry, I definitely enjoyed this and would like to see more sessions with these topics so that I and my team can learn from what other institutions are doing regarding data. My true wish is that some of the sessions would get a little more into the nitty gritty behind what they are presenting on. I'd like to see "how" they are doing what they have accomplished instead of pure discussion around it. I understand complexity and time limitations, but a quick example would be a really helpful take away. There were two sessions that I sat in on this year that did a pretty good job, but I would encourage more!
- Wifi: I believe the wifi was better, but it was definitely still very spotty for me. If you were one of the last ones tro try to connect to the network- good luck! Maybe even better wifi for next year?
- Location: I thought the location was incredible! Beautiful spot! It was much easier to get from one session to another this year since the sessions were much closer together. Last year you would have to trek from the Hyatt all the way to Silverado and then back to the Hyatt again for a different session. I'm all about getting my exercise, but this year it was just easier to get from session to session.
- App: This was an outstanding addition to this year's conference! Incredible helpful- it kept my schedule, sent conference-wide alerts for any need-to-know notifications or changes. Well done!
- Hack night: For our team hack night this year was really beneficial. We were able to work alongside one of the engineers to fix a few issues we have been dealing with for sometime. Although, our one struggle was that it was a little difficult to find the location.
- Overall, great, great job! Thanks Instructure for putting on a great conference this year!
.png "Chris_Munzo"){kind=avatar}
.png "SchaeferG"){kind=avatar}
This was my 3rd InstructureCon, and I definitely felt some growing pains with the shift to Colorado* (my last two were at the Canyons). It seemed like there were more golf carts and mini-transportation at the Canyons than there was at Keystone. I didn't need that, but saw people who could have used it.
One of the things that I have always liked about Instcon is that it doesn't feel like a sales pitch - I felt like this year was heavy on partner sessions, which meant that it was drifting to that sales-pitchy feel.
The lack of tables for meals was huge. I specifically went to the meals to meet people, as half of the value of the conference is hearing that others are doing in their schools, and drifting with a breakfast burrito, alone, wasn't useful. I had a studio and a full kitchen, and my sister and nephew were with me and I could've eaten meals with them, but really wanted that networking. I did make it happen as best I could, but Canyons had that great tent with tables that made it easy. (I also think Canyons food was better in general, but I don't go to conferences for the food.)
Please, single event tickets! Guests, especially if you have cooking facilities, don't care about the day meals as much as the fun entertainment, and the guest fee is steep, especially if bringing a family.
I avoided wifi for the most part, and used my data plan, but wifi improvement is necessary.
I wish there were an afternoon break between sessions, vs a long break after sessions but before the evening activity.
Swag is awesome, as always.
*My sister lives in Denver, and I am lucky to see her once a year, so to have it be part of a work trip was so nice! I love the retreat style vs big city schmooze and booze style, and that it was moved to Colorado just made it even better for me personally.
This was my first InstructureCon and I had an absolutely Kumbayawesome time! So much to see and learn and so little time. I truly enjoyed the venue, it was absolutely beautiful and the folks were all very helpful. The app was awesome!!! I used it all the time. It was extremely helpful in keeping track of what I wanted to learn about and where I needed to be at any given time. I thought the whole Camp concept was great.
I learned a lot from the various sessions. I managed to get a bit of networking in between sessions. The time between sessions was really nice. It gave you a chance to use the facilities, grab a beverage, and still get to your next session comfortably. I didn't feel like I was running around like a loon trying to get to my next session on time.
The only problem that I experienced was how crowded each venue was in terms of seating. In every session, including keynotes, we sat shoulder to shoulder. Some airlines have more space than we did in some of those rooms. If they could have just put a few inches on either side it would have been much more enjoyable. :smileyconfused:
On the same note, a place to sit while eating would have been great. Seating at tables was pretty scarce. However, I must admit that Instructure appeared to be getting real time feedback, as the seating availability at meals seemed to increase daily. Kudos to Instructure for taking the growing pains in stride and trying to make things as comfortable for us as possible.
Outside of that I learned so very much and met so many amazing people - Holy cow!! I just hope that I'm able to attend next year's event. Thank you.
I agree with @skowlaski concerning the keynotes. I am eagerly awaiting the posting of the recordings, so I can watch them again.
Last year at the unconference we were talking about something similar. At the time we thought it could run along side the regular conference (during the day) and offer people the chance to get together and talk about specific things of interest or that they wanted to work on. I still think it's a great idea and would love to see the Community get involved with it!
cms_hickss & @kmeeusen When I was at a recent conference about Community Management that is EXACTLY what they did.
We participated in some sessions, then they had everyone get together in groups where we had active discussions about Community related topics. I think it's a brilliant way to make learning more practical and engaging than that traditional format of "listen to the presenter" session after session after break after session after session!
I think this concept that you've shared is a great idea as it stands and if we could do that it would be a big win for the conference experience. But I wonder if it could be taken even further!
Doing things the way we (and most other conferences do them - having back to back sessions) is something that really can be done in an online setting via webinars and have virtually the same impact as if the person is sitting in a physical room. How can we take most advantage of the fact that we have gathered hundreds of intelligent Canvas users from across the world into one physical location!? I'm not sure having back to back sessions is the best way to do this. When we finish eating a delicious meal, and we are full, what do we do?! We STOP eating and take a break. We burn calories and work off some of the engergy we just ingested.
How can we apply this to the conference experience? When we attend an amazing or even mediocre session (not sure these exist at instcon 
) we are literally FILLED with wisdom, inspiration, and ideas. Next step should be some digestion and calorie burining, right?? What if we had these collaborative sessions that you've described, right after? Digest and discuss what we've just learned/plan on doing. We watched a great session, right? Therefore, what?! It's worthless if we DO nothing about it! So we exercise our mind as we chat with others talk about things we just learned and what we might do about it.
After all that exercise, we get tired and probably need a break. Perfect time to visit another session and eat some more intellectual food! Rest and Repeat!
It might cut the number of sessions that are possible. But I wonder what that would look like if we had 50 - or half (which is still a lot) of the sessions we had this year, and more networking, engaging conversations about the things we are learning along the way. The most productive and valuable part of a session is the CONVERSATION that happens afterwards... when the learner digests what they've learned and further explores how they can APPLY what they have learned in a way that makes sense for them and their institution.
I wonder if jburrell thinks it might be possible to have a model like this or do something similar. I don't think it's right to deviate from the norm just for the sake of doing so, but as Josh Coates often quotes... "Progress is not possible without devation [from the norm]"
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