All Florida universities have the opportunity to use Canvas.
The Board of Governors for the State University System of Florida, made up of 12 in-state public universities, has decided to use Canvas as its official online learning system. The universities will receive a discounted rate for subscribing to the system in 2016, said Brittany Davis, the communications director for the State University System.
The Board of Governors wanted to implement a common system so students would not have to use multiple platforms for their classes, she said.
“Across the board, Canvas just came off as a very good choice,” she said.
Davis said five universities in the State University System, including UF, the University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida currently use Canvas.
She said colleges in the Florida College System, made up of 28 state and community colleges, including Santa Fe College, can also choose to use Canvas.
The cost for universities subscribing to Canvas will change based on the number of universities that decide to use the program, she said. If universities subscribe in 2016, they will get a 10-percent discount on subscription fees.
Ashley Wilt, a UF nutritional sciences junior, said she prefers using Canvas over other course-management programs.
“It’s logical,” the 20-year-old said. “It’s kind of laid out similarly to a social media page.”
She said it would be easier for students if more Florida schools used Canvas. When UF used Sakai, she said multiple systems were harder to navigate.
“I can only imagine transferring,” she said. “It would be more confusing.”
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