2: System testing, knowledge building and update monitoring
I have learnt a lot about the importance of a systematic approach to testing when exploring and implementing a new system. As Canvas was a new LMS for the University of York I tested the system on various browsers and devices before its implementation. I logged my findings and used the results to create one page guides on what works well and what does not. The guides are shared with staff and students via the help pages in Canvas and help answer common questions that arise.
Finding out about updates and exploring best practice has required me to regularly check the Canvas community pages. Canvas is the University of York’s first Software as a Service platform and so requires an entirely new quality checking approach to match the frequent cycle of updates and release of new features. Continual testing is needed to keep on top of the change management cycle - to alert us to any bugs or issues as they arise. Regular testing also me to explore functionality and submit feature requests if things don’t work as we would like them to. I know from my previous work with PebblePad that speaking with other institutions is always helpful. I have recently signed up to attend a Canvas UK HE user group and have established contacts at the University of Lincoln and University of Sunderland who also deliver online learning via Canvas. Finding out how other institutions have implemented Canvas has helped me to reflect on how we use the system and look for opportunities to make changes to our own processes. It has also changed my own practice as I now keep an ongoing queries and reflections list which I use with our suppliers and other institutions to make sure that all of the support issues that we have raised are being addressed.
As Canvas is a cloud based system it has regular monthly updates. If updates are not monitored and tested their release can have unforeseen consequences. A recent update to the gradebook altered the way that the automatic release of feedback was presented to tutors. I was contacted by a tutor who was concerned that their marking had been released to students early as a result of this. After a long discussion with the tutor I reassured them that this was not the case. On reflection the incident emphasised to me the importance of regular checks on system updates and understanding the consequences for our users. I now check weekly the Canvas release notes and analyse how each release will impact on our use of the system. In addition to this I receive regular updates on changes to the system from our Customer Success Manager at Canvas and attend a monthly webinar which highlights new features and how they work. I also follow when the release will be available on the Canvas release calendar.
When I know a release will have an impact on a group of users, I share this document with them via email to highlight when the release is coming and how it will affect them. I hope this approach will ease the concern when changes occur in the system. Keeping up to date with the release notes also allows me to test the impact of new features in a beta environment before they applied to the live system. This is something I hadn’t previously experienced when working with PebblePad.