Should UMKC Professors be retrained on Canvas?

  UMKC students have raised concerns about stressful issues with Canvas, which are hard to manage for those trying to stay on top of their coursework.

 Canvas learning management system is the central hub for assignments, grades and course communication. While the platform is widely used, professors’ familiarity with it can vary significantly. 

  “Sometimes assignments are locked, and you have to request access and wait,” said Taylor Griffin, a junior in communications. “That can make things more difficult.”

  Some issues are due to the website itself.

  “Canvas gets shut down for maintenance, and when that happens, it’s impossible to get things done on time,” Griffin said. “But usually the professors understand.”

  Despite those occasional challenges, Griffin said the platform generally works well, but believes additional training for professors could still be helpful. 

  “I think training professors with Canvas is a great idea,” Griffin said. “I don’t know how much training they originally get, but it’s important they know how to use it.” 

  While students see the platform from the user side, professors face their own challenges when managing courses on Canvas. 

  “There’s no true training,” said Joshua Jackson, digital media lab director and assistant teaching professor. “I have an online teaching certification, but that doesn’t necessarily deal with Canvas specifically.” 

  While many instructors learn the system largely on their own, Jackson said professors also often rely on troubleshooting resources when they encounter problems. 

  “If I have an issue, I call the Canvas hotline,” he said.

  Other students reported fewer technical problems, but still noticed occasional issues. 

  Jessica Souvannakhot, a dental hygiene junior, said she once had trouble submitting an assignment because it didn’t appear correctly on her dashboard.

  “My professor had the assignment in Canvas, but it didn’t pop up on my dashboard,” Souvannakhot said. “So, I wasn’t able to turn it in on time.”

  She said most professors appear to be organized and that technical issues rarely prevent her from completing assignments. 

  Jackson also acknowledged that some of the issues students notice, such as older assignments appearing in courses, can occur when instructors reuse course material from previous semesters. 

  “What we usually do is pull most of the content over from last year,” Jackson said, “Sometimes quizzes or assignments carry over with old dates.”

  While those items may appear to professors as unpublished, Jackson said he was surprised to learn that students can sometimes still see them. 

  “This is actually really helpful to hear,” Jackson said. “I didn’t know students could see that on their end.”

  Both students and faculty agree that Canvas remains an essential academic tool. The question now is whether or not universities should provide more structured training to ensure professors use the platform as effectively as possible. 

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