A new user-friendly learning management system at the University of Iceland

The University of Iceland is now introducing a new learning management system which will be used in all teaching as of the autumn of 2020. The system, which offers significant opportunities for pedagogical development, will replace the course webs in Ugla and Moodle.

The system is called Canvas and was developed by the company Infrastructure. It is the most common learning management system in Nordic universities and is used in many of the top universities in the world, e.g. Harvard, Oxford and Stanford. It was selected following a detailed review conducted in close collaboration with student representatives and University staff .

The system is flexible and simple to use, meeting the needs and demands of both students and teaching staff. It also plays a part in the University of Iceland's growing emphasis on digital teaching methods. The system will feature course webs for all courses at the University. Teaching staff will be able to use the course web to see a list of registered students, share course material, assignments and examinations, send announcements to students, and manage course assessment. The system also offers countless opportunities to develop teaching methods.

Students can use the system to access a good overview of course assessment, course material and reading lists, grades and announcements from teaching staff. The main emphasis is placed on a user-friendly experience and the system is expected to be the online hub of teaching and learning, as requested by students at the University.

A group of 60 members of teaching staff and around 2,300 students will trial the system during the spring semester, which should help to tailor it even better to the University's needs. Access to Canvas will then be opened to all teaching staff in the spring, with a view to fully adopting it as the University of Iceland learning management system for the beginning of the autumn semester 2020. At the same time, the course webs on Ugla and Moodle will be discontinued. Ugla will continue to function as the University's administrative system and intra-web.

The University of Iceland Division of Academic Affairs will oversee the introduction of Canvas, in collaboration with the Division of Information Technology. Teaching staff and students at the University will be offered a range of opportunities to learn how to use the new system and strong support services will be available after Canvas is adopted.

"The introduction of the Canvas learning management system is a big step forward for the University of Iceland. The system was selected on the basis of an extensive needs analysis and user tests in which many staff members and representatives from all university schools took part. It is my belief that the selection process has been extremely successful and user-focused. The adoption of Canvas will undoubtedly support the University of Iceland's Quality Enhancement Strategy for Teaching and Learning. Canvas offers countless new opportunities related to teaching, e.g. the possibility of increased international collaboration on courses with other universities using the same system," says Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland.

Further information on the Canvas learning management system can be found on the system website.

Canvas at a glance