University of Birmingham Increases Student Satisfaction by Integrating Technology into the Learning Experience with Canvas VLE by Instructure

-- New  2014 Student Experience Report from the University of Birmingham reveals easy to use education technology is becoming a must

LONDON, June 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Birmingham today revealed its 2014 Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Student Experience Report, a comprehensive report on student attitudes towards technology in education deployed across the institution.

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The report reveals the results of the University's strategic implementation of its new virtual learning environment (VLE), Canvas by Instructure. The VLE provides valuable insights into what students at one of the country's leading universities believe works and what doesn't – directly based on student feedback and adoption rates.

Key findings from the report include:  

• 88% of students believe a VLE is useful and incredibly conducive to learning
• 82% of those surveyed say they supplement traditional forms of course delivery with Canvas' VLE
• 84% of students at the University of Birmingham prefer the VLE Canvas by Instructure because it is intuitive and easy to use

Today's education technology solutions aim to increase productivity and drive academic success. In an increasingly digital world, the majority of students use smartphones or tablets during their time at a university. Learning must follow suit, through lessons via audio and visual channels. Education technology solutions, like Canvas, enable faculty to provide innovative new learning experiences for their students. Unfortunately, many universities still lag behind when it comes to implementing usable VLEs. Through its student survey and report, however, the University of Birmingham demonstrates that through Canvas, the university has been successful in meeting student's expectations.

In addition to the key findings above, the report furthermore unveils feedback on what students most prefer to get out of education technology. Notable points include:

• Students say they are interested in seeing how their personal progress stacks up against course outcomes
• Students are keen to have access to material that helps them prepare for exams and assessments through the use of digital quizzes and self-assessments throughout the course

Ultimately in order for a VLE to be successfully adopted and used by the student body, it is essential that it is intuitive to use, and that educators understand how to use the technology properly and commit to doing so.

"With more than one-third of our students already using smartphones and/or tablets to access support materials for their courses, having a reliable VLE built to cater for this mobile and on demand community is crucial," said Matt Sherlock, Assistant Director (Learning Environments) at the University of Birmingham. "Canvas has been a success from the outset, both because it's useful and because it is intuitive to use. The success of Canvas adoption amongst our student body is proof that education technology, when done well, will benefit staff, students and the learning process."

In addition Kenny Nicholl, Director of EMEA Expansion at Instructure mentioned, "The report is a testament of the University of Birmingham's commitment to providing its students with a modern learning experience. We are pleased to see that the Canvas adoption rate has been highly successful and that students are finding education technology useful. Within just two months of deployment, instructors had already put more than 4,600 courses online — more than in the previous year of the legacy platform."

About Canvas by Instructure
Instructure is a SaaS company that empowers lifetime teaching and learning in academic and occupational settings through the Canvas virtual learning environment. As an extension to the open, native cloud Canvas platform, Instructure also offers Canvas Network, where teachers, learners, and institutions worldwide can connect and chart their own course for personal growth, professional development, and academic inquiry. To keep learning, visit www.canvasvle.co.uk.

About the University of Birmingham
The Times and Sunday Times University of the Year 2013-14, the University of Birmingham is a vibrant, global community and an internationally-renowned institution, in the top 75 globally. With approximately 28,000 students and 6,000 members of staff, its work brings people from more than 150 countries to Birmingham.

About the report
The Birmingham 2014 Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Student Experience Report received a total of 544 responses over a 10 day survey period.

Contacts details

Hotwire PR in London
Eleanor Simms
Tel: 0207 608 2500
Email: Eleanor.simms@hotwirepr.com

Instructure
Devin Knighton, Director of Public Relations
Tel: 001 801.722.8187
Email: devin@instructure.com

Copyright © 2014, Instructure, Inc. All rights reserved. Instructure, Canvas and their respective logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Instructure, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other brands and names may be claimed as the property of others.