Far Eastern University (FEU) adopted Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) as a long-term technology partner eight years ago. As one of the pioneer universities using an LMS in the Philippines, FEU has enhanced face-to-face and online learning experiences, with Canvas serving as a cornerstone of its pedagogical strategy.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, FEU was able to offer its students continuity in their education through a fully virtual classroom. Today, Canvas is part of FEU’s plan for international expansion. Here’s how they did it.
Key Insights
FEU moved to Canvas in 2016, looking for an LMS replacement that offered platform engagement & usability, integrated with other technology, provided data analytics, and encouraged student engagement.
During the pandemic, FEU shifted seamlessly from in-person learning to virtual. While face-to-face learning has resumed, Canvas is still being used just as much by faculty and students.
FEU’s faculty love the improved engagement with students, the ability to get creative with their teaching methods, and how easy Canvas is to use.
Canvas is also used as the backbone for the university’s international expansion, easily connecting students and educators from around the world.
The Challenge
FEU is one of the premier universities in the country. Comprising 11 campuses, FEU has approximately 55,000 Canvas users, including students and faculty, who benefit from the robust capabilities of its LMS.
The university had been using an LMS since 2008, but eventually switched to Canvas in 2016.
The list of what FEU was looking for was long. It was important to have an improved user experience for all users, including students and instructors; an LMS with strong mobile accessibility; integration with current and future apps and technologies; robust data analytics; and scalability to support the university as it continues growing and expanding.
“Canvas was proven to be one of the best, if not the best,” said Catherine Catamora, FEU’s Education Technology Director.
Availability was also a major consideration when the university began evaluating different systems.
“When we had our in-house platform, we had problems maintaining our own servers, our own database, and accessibility for students and faculty members,” said Catamora. “We needed a platform that was available 24/7. Canvas helped us in providing accessibility to [its users].”
Finally, facilitating engagement between faculty and students was crucial.
“We promote student-centered teaching and learning. [This] culture was what we wanted. Canvas became our main platform to engage with students more,” Catamora said.
Canvas is a cloud-based LMS, so it’s a lot easier to access. They maintain the database within the cloud, which means you can access data 24/7. You don't have any problems downloading or accessing information.
Catherine Catamora,
FEU’s Education Technology Director
The Solution
Shifting from one platform to another was quite painless for the university, because of how intuitive Canvas is, said Catamora.
“Faculty members didn’t have any problems adopting the platform.”
For Catamora, the stability and uptime that Canvas offers has been crucial, especially because of FEU’s experience having to maintain on-premises tech.
“We wanted to partner with a company and a platform on a long-term basis. Canvas is a cloud-based LMS, so it’s a lot easier to access. They maintain the database within the cloud, which means you can access data 24/7. You don't have any problems downloading or accessing information.”
Canvas as a cornerstone to FEU’s pedagogy
Catamora is also impressed with how Canvas supports the university’s pedagogy.
“Canvas plays a vital role in our pedagogical vision by offering a user-friendly interface, promoting active engagement within the platform [among] students and faculty, and collaboration among students,” she said.
There’s also an expectation by students that their learning happens where they’re at and on their schedule, not just at a certain time in a classroom, as they balance busy schedules and competing demands.
Canvas’s mobile app, which allows students to access their courses on the go and even in offline mode, was a real differentiator when the university reviewed which LMS could support flexible learning.
“Learning is no longer confined within the traditional classroom, but extends to wherever the students are. They need an application that [enables them] to cope with their learning needs and diversity. Canvas provides that,” Catamora said.
The data and analytics that can be leveraged using Canvas have also proven to be invaluable for faculty and staff. Instructors can now view data on engagement, performance, and progress on every course a student takes, right at their fingertips.
“We can generate analytics on how our students are learning within a particular course. It's very easy now to gather insights on how students are performing and engaging, that can be used by our administrators to decide how we go forward using technology,” Catamora said.
To ensure that faculty keep up to date with Canvas, FEU regularly holds training and upskilling sessions for its staff. Since switching to Canvas, Catamora said, faculty have also changed how they incorporate an LMS in their teaching.
“Our faculty members are still using the platform, not just as a repository of lectures and learning materials, but also engaging with students on the platform outside the classroom. Now, the engagement is more dynamic engagement.”
This has allowed for more facilitated discussions and peer assessment in classes, along with personalised feedback between faculty and students using the inbox, chat options, and discussion boards. Faculty members are also able to design and manage their courses more easily, and can diversify content delivery and include multimedia, interactive elements, or additional reading materials right within Canvas.
Beyond COVID-19
FEU’s early adoption of Canvas paid off in a way no one could have anticipated—uninterrupted learning through the pandemic. While schools around the world scrambled to shift learning delivery, FEU already had a system in place.
“It transformed how we delivered education during the pandemic, and it will continuously do that for the years to come,” said Catamora.
What has been most gratifying, many FEU Canvas users said, is that even now that classes are back on campus, students and faculty remain committed to the LMS.
“Even now that we’re full face-to-face, our faculty members use Canvas,” Catamora said.
“They’re still embracing the platform. It’s not just a tool for them, but more of a culture—using the online platform as a way to teach, as a culture embedded within their bloodstream as teachers.”
Canvas and the future
Not only has Canvas made it easier for instructors to engage with students, but it’s changed the way they approach teaching and lesson planning.
“It encourages them to think creatively and diversify their teaching methods. Canvas also provides tools that are necessary to innovate their teaching strategies in this ever-changing teaching landscape, especially for higher education,” said Catamora.
As a global university, connecting with students and educators around the world is increasingly important. Canvas has become a pivotal tool in realising FEU's internationalisation agenda, Catamora said.
"Canvas enables us to implement our agenda on internationalisation effectively. We can invite foreign students to use the LMS, facilitating communication and engagement with faculty members in the Philippines and vice versa. This platform makes international and global collaboration seamless."
Catamora also believes that the university’s willingness to go all-in on Canvas points to the way FEU is embracing the future.
“We know we can stay relevant and adapt to future technological trends, because we’ve already proven it using Canvas.”
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