Angela Duckworth’s Grit Lab to Launch New Course for High School Students on Instructure’s Canvas LMS

Grit Lab 101 Now Being Piloted for High School Students with Expansion Plans Over Time

SALT LAKE CITY — Oct 07 2021 — Instructure today announced that the new Grit Lab 101 course, created by the New York Times best-selling author Angela Duckworth, will be available to high school students exclusively on Canvas LMS. Watch Duckworth as she shares more on Grit Lab 101 in this clip from today’s InstructureCon 2021 event.

Duckworth developed the course that takes the science of grit and makes it actionable for students. The original course, "Grit Lab: Fostering Passion and Perseverance,” launched in the spring of 2020 to undergraduate college students at the University of Pennsylvania. Students learn the principles that have stemmed from a wide body of research into adolescent psychology about how to foster passion and perseverance for long-term goals. 

Now high school students will also be able to experience a hands-on course created just for them, Grit Lab 101, powered by Canvas. Grit Lab 101 is currently being piloted with select schools in the United States. 

“Students learn best when what they are learning is relevant to their own lives,” said Angela Duckworth, founder and CEO of Character Lab. “When I am teaching, I ask myself, what will the students want to remember and apply today, tomorrow, and 25 years from now?”

In addition to her role with Character Lab, Duckworth is also the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, faculty co-director of the Penn-Wharton Behavior Change for Good Initiative, and faculty co-director of Wharton People Analytics. Angela completed her PhD in Psychology as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. Angela’s TED talk is among the most-viewed of all time. Her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance is a #1 New York Times best seller.

“Angela Duckworth is one of the most respected voices in education today because her work empowers students to become stewards of their own educational journey,” said Melissa Loble, Chief Customer Experience Officer at Instructure. “We've already seen that her college level course was an overwhelming success at the University of Pennsylvania. Now with Grit Lab 101 available on Canvas many more students will get the opportunity to find their passion and cultivate the skill of perseverance."

This Thursday, October 7th at Instructure’s annual conference, InstructureCon 2021, Duckworth and the Grit Lab team will share the story of Grit Lab 101 and how Canvas is being used to power the course. This year’s virtual InstructureCon is a free event for educators and edtech users and will be presented in a global format so that each region can participate. In addition to Angela Duckworth and Grit Lab, the conference will include headline speakers including will.i.am, Dr. Knatokie Ford, and Lauren Bush Lauren. The yearly professional development conference attracts attendees representing educators, administrators, and technologists sharing tips, solutions, and edtech insights. Register at www.instructure.com/events/instructurecon21.

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