The Challenge
Founded in 1889, Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta (OLMC), delivers a contemporary, dynamic and challenging educational experience for more than 950 girls in Years 7–12. With 90 teachers and 30 support staff, the school is committed to implementing innovative, 21st-century learning frameworks, which includes preparing students for the digital workforce and upskilling those seeking tertiary studies.
To bridge the digital divide between education and employment—and to meet recommendations from industry leaders, academics, parents and students—OLMC needed a more accessible, personalised and performance-driven learning management system. They also wanted a more intuitive LMS that would make it easier for teachers to teach and students to learn without needing constant IT support.
Key Finding
As an agile, flexible and cloud-based LMS, Canvas has enabled Our Lady of Mercy College (OLMC) to break down barriers for engagement across devices, locations and subjects. Canvas has increased e ciencies, encouraged consistency and fostered valuable collaboration between teachers and students.
Quick Facts
Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta, is a secondary school for girls, o ering a broad curriculum delivered by 90 instructors to more than 950 students in Years 7–12.
To help students prepare for the digital workforce and to upskill those seeking tertiary studies, OLMC needed a modern, easy-to-use online learning platform.
Since implementing Canvas, LMS adoption is expected to reach 95% for teachers and 100% for students by the end of Term 1, 2017.
Teachers are using Canvas to lead Professional Learning Communities as a way to better connect and collaborate with the industry and to elevate student performance across key educational priorities, specifically STEM and literacy.
Canvas has given our technology foundations longevity and allowed us to successfully renew our online learning platform across the school for both students and teachers. It’s also a great tool to learn and develop knowledge-exchange and collaboration for students and teachers.
Scott Johnston
Information Technology Manager, Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta
The Decision
Following a referral from Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview—another local, independent school—OLMC turned to Canvas, implementing the cloud-based LMS in 2016. They chose Canvas because it would connect teachers and students across the curriculum with just one or two clicks, enabling delivery of real-time, personalised programs with 24/7 access.
As an open platform, Canvas would also allow OLMC to easily connect their school network through open APIs. For Scott Johnston, the school’s IT manager, this would mean more time to integrate digital learning tools to enhance the classroom experience versus troubleshooting user issues.
“The way in which Canvas integrates with other APIs such as Turnitin means a much more seamless and hassle-free approach to the classroom. This applies to both the teachers and students,” said Johnston.
The staged rollout began early in 2016 with teaching staff focused on certain key learning areas (KLA) reliant on Canvas. By the end of 2016, 100% of students and 90% of teachers were using the LMS.
The Future
“The technology is now being used by most departments at various levels as they are becoming more comfortable with the LMS and exploring the tools. It is also used in non-KLA such as the Catherine McAuley Library, sport, careers and school administration for daily bulletins, school safety requirements and technology,” said Johnston.
Teachers at OLMC have found that the convenience of Canvas is helping them save time and streamline their work. Since implementing the LMS, students are submitting assignments earlier, and because the date and time of their electronic submissions are automatically recorded, teachers now have the flexibility to mark online wherever and whenever they like—without having to mark everyone’s submissions all at once on the due date.
Teachers are also using Canvas to better meet the needs of individual students, providing a more personalised approach to ensure student success. They’ve created online units within Canvas, which allow students to collaborate on tasks and receive regular feedback on their work. More broadly, Canvas is making it easier for teachers to elevate students’ performance across key educational priorities—specifically STEM and literacy—by using Canvas to connect and collaborate with industry through Professional Learning Communities.
For their part, students at OLMC have found the platform simple to use and say they most appreciate the grades and calendar features. One Year 12 student mentioned they found it convenient that they’re now able to upload assignments to Turnitin, the plagiarism checker, within Canvas. This software integration saves time for students as they no longer have to leave Canvas to use Turnitin, keeping everything simple and in one centralised place.
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